Chinatown (1974)

Synopsis of Chinatown

"You may think you know what you're dealing with, but believe me, you don't," warns water baron Noah Cross (John Huston), when smooth cop-turned-private eye J.J. "Jake" Gittes (Jack Nicholson) starts nosing around Cross's water diversion scheme. That proves to be the ominous lesson of Chinatown, Roman Polanski's critically lauded 1974 revision of 1940s film noir detective movies. In 1930s Los Angeles, "matrimonial work" specialist Gittes is hired by Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) to tail her husband, Water Department engineer Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling). Gittes photographs him in the company of a young blonde and figures the case is closed, only to discover that the real Mrs. Mulwray had nothing to do with hiring Gittes in the first place. When Hollis turns up dead, Gittes decides to investigate further, encountering a shady old-age home, corrupt bureaucrats, angry orange farmers, and a nostril-slicing thug (Polanski) along the way. By the time he confronts Cross, Evelyn's father and Mulwray's former business partner, Jake thinks he knows everything, but an even more sordid truth awaits him. When circumstances force Jake to return to his old beat in Chinatown, he realizes just how impotent he is against the wealthy, depraved Cross. "Forget it, Jake," his old partner tells him. "It's Chinatown." Reworking the somber underpinnings of detective noir along more pessimistic lines, Polanski and screenwriter Robert Towne convey a '70s-inflected critique of capitalist and bureaucratic malevolence in a carefully detailed period piece harkening back to the genre's roots in the 1930s and '40s. Gittes always has a smart comeback like Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, but the corruption Gittes finds is too deep for one man to stop. Other noir revisions, such as Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973) and Arthur Penn's Night Moves (1975), also centered on the detective's inefficacy in an uncertain '70s world, but Chinatown's period sheen renders this dilemma at once contemporary and timeless, pointing to larger implications about the effects of corporate rapaciousness on individuals. Polanski and Towne clashed over Chinatown's ending; Polanski won the fight, but Towne won the Oscar for Best Screenplay. Chinatown was nominated for ten other Oscars, including Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Cinematography, Art Direction, Costumes, and Score. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

See All Chinatown Trailers and Clips

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

130 mins

Director(s):

Roman Polanski

Writer(s):

Robert Towne

Producer(s):

Robert Evans

Theatrical MPAA Rating:

R(Not For Children)

Categories:

Mystery & Suspense

• 1998 - American Film Institute - 100 Greatest American Movies
• 1974 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Director
• 1974 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Screenplay
• 1974 - British Academy of Film and Television Arts - Best Actor
• 1974 - Edgar Allan Poe Awards - Best Screenplay
• 1974 - Golden Globe - Best Picture - Drama
• 1974 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Picture - Drama
• 1974 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
• 1974 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Director
• 1974 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Screenplay
• 1990 - Library of Congress - U.S. National Film Registry
• 1974 - National Society of Film Critics - Best Actor
• 1974 - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Actor

Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

Looking for special editions of Chinatown?

See All Versions

Subtitles:

Check All Versions

Closed Captioning:

Check All Versions