Chinatown (1974)

A classic. Very slow to get going and a little too complicated for it'd own good but it's a brilliant movie and the end is extremely powerful..still.

They don't make them like this anymore.... More's the pity! The joining of talent that produced this masterpiece was one of those things that don’t often happen. Polanski is at his best with the right blend of tension and intrigue, Jack Nicholson was not yet cast in stone playing Jack Nicholson and although the film is slow paced, the atmosphere and the ambience so skilfully rendered makes this a must see for any lovers of the filmmakers art

good movie keeps u on the edge of your seat

Complicated, but riveting film, with a young Jack Nicholson.

Being a private eye was never easy, especially in an era when snooping meant going up to windows and looking in. All the harder, when it's not at all obvious what is going on, who is telling the truth or not, and what their motives are. An intriguing and puzzling story where the truths are only slowly revealed.

I've been wanting to see this for years and it was well worth the wait. Great acting. Plot has you hanging on until the end. Great movie.

A Semi Classic Great cast(ing) An enthralling storyline, with all the twists that make a movie worth watching every once in a while

This is a good movie and stands up well over time. Golly Jack

Great films cast their aura for many years and Chinatown, in the film noir genre, is in that mold. Jack Nicholson as the dapper, hard (and slit) nosed Private Investigator Jake Gittes is in every scene and doesn’t disappoint. He’s smart, scrupulous and inquisitive, quick to use force to gain an advantage. Faye Dunaway’s Mrs. Mulwray is the femme fatale whose gradually unfolding secrets kept me in suspense and her fate might surprise viewers. Dialogue is razor sharp, like from Noah Cross (John Huston): “Course I’m respectable. I’m old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.” Reprisal of Roman Polanski’s complex 1930’s LA tale of political corruption, murder and family dysfunction will reward.

Great films cast their aura for many years and Chinatown, in the film noir genre, is in that mold. Jack Nicholson as the dapper, hard (and slit) nosed Private Investigator Jake Gittes is in every scene and doesn’t disappoint. He’s smart, scrupulous and inquisitive, quick to use force to gain an advantage. Faye Dunaway’s Mrs. Mulwray is the femme fatale whose gradually unfolding secrets kept me in suspense and her fate might surprise viewers. Dialogue is razor sharp, like from Noah Cross (John Huston): “Course I’m respectable. I’m old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.” Reprisal of Roman Polanski’s complex 1930’s LA tale of political corruption, murder and family dysfunction will reward.

This is still one of the great walks on the American dark side - done by a Pole. Everything works except perhaps the chemistry between Jack and Faye

Jack is so cool.

Chinatown begins as a very stylish homage to the 30s and 40s film-noir thrillers, with the same shadows through the venetian blinds and sarcastic private eye in Jack Nicholson. But as it progresses, things start coming undone. Normal conventions of the Sam Spade era get literally shot to pieces. Roman Polanski twists our expectations around to make us think about what's going on and why. What we end up with is a sublimely smart, tense film full of questions rather than answers.

Before LA Confidential there was Chinatown. A great thriller that makes it one of the great detective films of all time. It made me realize that films like this don't seem to be in vogue anymore, and if they were they wouldn't have an ending like Chinatown does.

Good flick. I so much prefer old Hollywood, to the new over-the-top Hollywood of today.

Can't say I watched this film but Dad seemed to have enjoyed it (after 3 attempts to stay awake for the whole film)

A classic private detective drama, with Jack Nicholson superb in the leading role.

Classic Jack. Great viewing.

A TRUE CLASSIC in every way - script, direction, cast [acting], production values ~ superb filmmaking from true professionals and creative artists. Each time you watch it, it gets better.

Very enjoyable and a nostalgic good movie to watch.

First class. Good to hear from the writer on the DVD as well. He talks about how Polanski is able to take time over certain shots - a name being erased from a door. Nicholson looking at company records

Interesting movie. Jack Nicholson was great, the direction kept it interesting, but the story was perhaps a little too complicated. It was good to see that Nicholson wasn't the super hero, the James Bond, who could fight 30 men at once and win, but someone who came off second best more than once. There were some surprises and all in all I found it quite entertaining, nothing deep, but interesting.

Interesting and well acted but dated in style.Would have been nice if they finished the film.

Classic noir by Polanksi. Great acting, beautifully shot with excellent timing.

Good thriller showing the pananoia raining in the minds of Americans.

a landmark movie, a true screen classic

Great film. A young Jack Nicholson at his best.