X
- 1974
- TV-14
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
- 1974
- TV-14
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
Summary Jack Nicholson is private-eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extramarital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come cras...
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Written By: Robert Towne, Roman Polanski
- 1974
- TV-14
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
- 1974
- TV-14
- Paramount Pictures
- 2 h 10 m
Chinatown
8.7
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Summary Jack Nicholson is private-eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extramarital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come cras...
Directed By: Roman Polanski
Written By: Robert Towne, Roman Polanski
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 23 Critic Reviews
92
100% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 23 Critic Reviews
92
100% Positive
23 Reviews
23 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
If you love movies you should love the ones with great writing. And if you’re looking for that yardstick against which to better judge any movie that comes along, you can’t do better than immerse yourself in Chinatown.
Chinatown's deep focus cinematography, dialogue direction and long takes are identifiably Polanski.
By Scott Lowe
FULL REVIEW
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 363 User Ratings
8.7
93% Positive
336 Ratings
336 Ratings
6% Mixed
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
2% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 363 User Ratings
8.7
93% Positive
336 Ratings
336 Ratings
6% Mixed
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
2% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Shockingly incredible - I frankly have a hard time with older movies. For a movie buff, that's not a great quality since their are so many old films well worth your time. That being said, Chinatown has been on my list for a long time after watching a documentary about the water crisis facing California recently, where they referenced Chinatown. I was highly intrigued because I had heard of this movie but was curious how they could turn "water crisis" into an interesting movie premise. So keep in mind my bias when finally sitting down to watch this film...
Holy crap is it amazing. Every character is engaging and interesting, even the deceivers you only see on screen for 5 minutes. The plot is incredible, as rich in twists as a murder mystery (hehe). The story is strange and unique, based entirely on a real story you can't even believe actually happened. It features beautiful old versions of L.A. true to the time, despite this movie being almost 50 years old! This movie could come out today and it would be an absolute hit. Even the romance drama has plot twists. My jaw was open for at least 30% of the entire film through just sheer surprise and the ending left me sitting in the dark on the couch wondering WTF I just watched for nearly 10 minutes. This is easily in my top 3 films of all time, if not my new favorite movie ever. This is worth ever second you spend on it and then some. Immediately after, I read the true story and couldn't believe it. This is a master class in cinematography, story telling, acting and wrote the book for Noir style detective films for decades to come. This is truly a must watch.
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It was Roman Polanski's genius, however, that made the film not merely an intelligent and intricate narrative but a great, disturbing vision.
But the greatness of Chinatown, unappreciated by my adolescent self, lies not in its cynical view of the California dream (that's too easy) but in its fatalistic, even tragic conception of America and indeed of human nature.
[Nicholson's] performance is key in keeping Chinatown from becoming just a genre crime picture--that, and a Robert Towne screenplay that evokes an older Los Angeles, a small city in a large desert.
In 1974 a director (Polanski), a screenwriter (Towne) and a producer (Evans) could decide to beat a genre senseless and dump it in the wilds of Greek tragedy.
By Staff (Not Credited)
FULL REVIEW
As much as I admire the work of both (Roman) Polanski and (Jack) Nicholson, I found Chinatown tedious from beginning to just before the end. [15 July 1974]
A tremendous movie with a perfect script and outstanding performances delivered by Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.
Chinatown's atmosphere is mysterious and distrubing, shining a light on the dark side of the City of Angels.
The protagonist, private investigator Jack Gittes (Jack Nichwolson), soon finds himself caught in a web of deceit and fraud.
No one can be trusted and nothing is as it seems.
Thanks to Roman Polanski's great directiong, 'Chinatown' is probably the best neo-noire movie and a great tribute to the original genre.
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No scratch that. Chinatown is actually my personal favourite of Roman Polanski's movies. It is a wonderful movie, as well as an affectionate and inspired homage to film noir, with a lot to love about it.
Roman Polanski's direction is superb. He always directs with such precision in this movie and it shows loud and clear.
The production values are terrific. Chinatown does look ravishing, the costumes, detail, scenery and cinematography are all exemplary.
I am a big Jerry Goldsmith fan, since seeing The Wind and the Lion and hearing his amazing score for that. His music score up here is up there with his best, it doesn't feel hackneyed or generic in any way, it really shows a master at work.
The script is brilliantly organised. In fact along with Casablanca, Shawshank Redemption and All About Eve I think Chinatown has one of the best screenplays ever written.
The story is never less than compelling. It is a wonderful story thet has just the right amount of intensity without being too convoluted and paced really well.
The acting I also can't fault. Jack Nicholson gives one of his best performances and he is terrifically supported by a ravishingly beautiful Faye Dunnaway and a truly terrific John Huston.
Overall, a wonderful movie and one of the best of the 70s. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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Polar des années 30 à Los Angeles qui se complique assez vite -enfin, façon de parler vu que le film entier est une énorme limace- Chinatown brille comme le soleil étouffant de son climat et de son intrigue tout aussi étouffante grâce à Faye Dunaway et Jack Nicholson, tous deux excellents.
Film noir donc dont l'ambiance autour des magouilles des puissants débouche sur une révélation scabreuse comme si le scénariste avait reçu un coup sur la tête (une insolation sans doute). On y croit pas et même en tant que caricature (d'un goût douteux !), l'effet comique est des plus ratés.
A la fois languissant et finalement grotesque, Chinatown s'avère en conséquence de quoi un fort mauvais polar que même ses acteurs ne parviennent pas à sauver. Victime de sa prétention, de son maniérisme et de son infinie lenteur, le film de Polanski est un gâchis des plus regrettables.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 11 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 4 Wins & 7 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 3 Wins & 11 Nominations