Chinatown (1974)

Crime / Directed by Roman Polanski

PLOT

J.J. Gittes is hired to prove that a wealthy woman’s husband is cheating on her. But what starts as an easy job quickly turns into a complex murder investigation that could cost the private eye his license.

REACTION

NOTE: This is a spoiler-free reaction.

Jake (Jack Nicholson) having an argument with Evelyn (Faye Dunaway).

This was my second viewing of the film and I must admit I was not impressed the first time I watched it. I’m not sure why, all I remember is that I couldn’t get into the story.

However, “Chinatown” is so popular and critically acclaimed that I thought I should give it another shot. I’m glad I did. Perhaps I was paying more attention this time, I don’t know, but I enjoyed it a lot more and can better understand its popularity.

Let’s start with the main character, J.J. Gittes aka Jake. I’ve always liked Jack Nicholson (which was another reason I wanted to give this another go) and he doesn’t disappoint here. He is perfect as this former cop turned private eye. Not much is said about his past, but within the first five minutes we learn something very important about him: he is honest. Rather than milk his clients for all their money, he is willing to give them time to pay off their debts and even tries to dissuade them from a job when he feels it will only lead to distress. Nor does he look too fond of the types of jobs he gets—investigating cheating husbands and wives. Still, his job is his life and he’ll do anything to save his license or his reputation when they are on the line.

Speaking of his past, let’s talk about the film’s title. It’s an intriguing one. The first mention of anything related to China is through a barber’s joke—a rather xenophobic one, should I add, which isn’t really to the character’s credit (well okay, this was made in 1974, but still). Chinatown comes up later, when we learn that Jack used to work there when he was a cop. It’s only mentioned a couple of times throughout the film, though the story ends there. We’re only shown Chinatown in the last five minutes, which makes me wonder why the writer decided to give it so much focus through this title? I don’t have an answer for this. It’s all the more intriguing that we are never given any explanation about what happened there, just that Jake doesn’t like to talk about it and that whatever did happen there likely has something to do with him quitting the force.

The plot is a complex one though it’s easy enough to follow, see the hints, and grasp the subtleties. I enjoy stories like this that make your mind work. It keeps you on your toes because you never know whether a character is being honest or trying to manipulate Jake (there’s a lot of that going on here). There are also some social and political commentaries, though these remain somewhat superficial. The main focus is on the investigation.

I’m not going to give any spoilers, but I’ll say that the whole thing is built around a completely different type of crime. It makes for an interesting twist and a chilling ending.

I have to say also that this chilling ending is one of the things that sets this film apart, because it is so different from the usual happy endings you see from Hollywood, especially in crime films where the bad guy gets caught and put behind bars.

So what about you? Have you seen this movie? What did you think about it?

Which is your favorite crime film?

Let us know in the comments.

CREDITS

Directed by Roman Polanski.

Written by Robert Towne.

Produced by Robert Evans.

Music by Jerry Goldsmith.

Cinematography by John A. Alonzo.

Edited by Sam O'Steen.

Starring Jack Nicholson as J.J. "Jake" Gittes, Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Mulwray, John Huston as Noah Cross, Perry Lopez as Lt. Escobar, John Hillerman as Yelburton, Darrell Zwerling as Hollis Mulwray, Diane Ladd as Ida Sessions, Roy Jenson as Claude Mulvihill, Roman Polanski as man with knife, Dick Bakalyan as Loach, Joe Mantell as Walsh, Bruce Glover as Duffy, Nandu Hinds as Sophie, James O'Reare as lawyer, James Hong as Evelyn's butler, Beulah Quo as maid, Jerry Fujikawa as gardener, Belinda Palmer as Katherine, Roy Roberts as Mayor Bagby, Noble Willingham as councilman, Elliott Montgomery as councilman, Rance Howard as irate farmer, George Justin as barber, Doc Erickson as customer, Fritzi Burr as Mulwray's secretary, Charles Knapp as Morty the mortician, Claudio Martinez as boy on horseback, Federico Roberto as Cross's butler, Allan Warnick as clerk, John Holland as farmer in the valley, Jesse Vint as farmer in the valley, Jim Burke as farmer in the valley, Denny Arnold as farmer in the valley, Burt Young as Curly, Elizabeth Harding as Curly's wife, John Rogers as Mr. Palmer, Cecil Elliott as Emma Dill, Paul Jenkins as policeman, Lee de Broux as policeman, Bob Golden as policeman.

Produced by Robert Evans Productions.

Distributed by Paramount.

Released on June 20, 1974.

Running time: 130 minutes.

Genre: Crime.

Poster art by Jim Pearsall.

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Text (c) 2024 by Alex S. Garcia.

Header image: screenshot of the film’s title card.

Film poster courtesy of IMDB.