CHINATOWN
(1974)With Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Burt Young
Directed by Roman Polanski
Reviewed by JL
CHINATOWN is a great work of
revisionist noir,
distinguishing itself from the '40s crime dramas to which it pays
homage by an uncompromising pessimism that would not have been possible
under the Production Code. The film works as either a
commentary
on the helplessness of one man vs. widespread corruption, or it can be
enjoyed simply as a good detective yarn. It also ranks as one
of
the most meticulously detailed period films ever made. Faye
Dunaway is brilliant, John Huston is memorably creepy, but the film
belongs to Jack Nicholson. His Jake Gittes ranks among the
great
screen performances of the 1970s, and one of the last times Nicholson
truly embodied a role rather than relying on his ever-increasing bag of
acting tricks. 
- JL
SEQUEL
The Two Jakes (1990)
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Copyright © 2008 John V. Brennan, John Larrabee