Chinatown

1974

2h 10m

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

4.1K

YOUR RATING

Rate

POPULARITY

Play trailer

3 Videos

99+ Images

Crime

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

Directors

Roman Polanski

Writers

Robert Towne(writer by)

Stars

Jack Nicholson

Faye Dunaway

John Huston

See production, box office & company info

Videos3

Photos142

Top cast

J.J. 'Jake' Gittes

Evelyn Cross Mulwray

Noah Cross

Lieutenant Lou Escobar

Russ Yelburton

Ida Sessions

Man with Knife

Claude Mulvihill

Detective Loach

Evelyn's Butler

Duffy

Lawrence Walsh

Mayor Bagby

Councilman

Irate Farmer

Farmer in the Valley

Curly

Policeman

Directors

Roman Polanski

Writers

Robert Towne(writer by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews3

Review

Featured review

10/10

**Great.** I can't say much about Roman Polanski because I feel I've seen too little of his work to make a more global analysis: I have only seen _The Ninth Gate_, _The Pianist_ and, now, this film. It's not much… but the truth is that they are three films that I really liked, and about which I have a very good opinion. This film is very good, fitting into a style that we can call “neo-noir”, insofar as its visual aesthetic is heavily inspired by noir, with the caveats that are due, as it is a color film and not black and white. Polanski is an attentive and meticulous director, who provides the audience with quality work, in which every detail has been thought of. With a story set in San Francisco during the 1930s, the film is very similar to the gangster movies that came out in the 40's and 50's. The story revolves around a private detective, an ex-cop, who is hired to watch a man in what appears to be just another case of adultery. Everything changes when he discovers that the woman who hired him is not a jealous wife. The search for answers will lead him to a web of intrigue and crimes that involves an important Californian company and a public works contract that can be decisive for the city's water storage. It's an excellent story, capable of holding us in the first few minutes and that harmoniously combines tension, romance and suspense, in the right measures. In addition to an excellent story, with a very well written script, the film presents us with a high quality cast headed by Jack Nicholson, at a time when he was still young and elegant enough to play heartthrob roles. The actor is very good and leaves in this film one of the most interesting works of his career. Faye Dunaway is not far behind and is simply wonderful, dignified and elegantly seductive, as a “femme fatale” should be. John Huston (Nicholson's father-in-law in real life, at this time) also appears in the film and makes a very positive and interesting participation. In addition to these qualities, the film also has superb production values: impeccably shot, with great angles and sharpness, it has very good cinematography, beautiful colors and light and shadow effects, in addition to excellent sepia tones that are called reinforcing the dominant "vintage" ambience. The film was a very detailed production, in which special attention was given to the creation of the sets and the choice of filming locations, so that everything fit well into the historical period. The choice of cars (which are important in the course of the plot) and the design of the costumes and props was also very careful. Last but not least, a note of praise for the excellent soundtrack, which was conceived by Jerry Goldsmith.

FilipeManuelNeto29 Jul, 2022