- One of the greatest pure narrative films and screenplays in the history of cinema.
- It is not simply a beautiful mechanism that is set-up and unravels— it sprawls—nuanced and layered. You sometimes hear about a film being “a great novel but on film” and this would quality (though of course it is an original screenplay).
- A meditation on power, corruption—an intelligent political fog or labyrinth (featuring both incest and water rationing)-that updates (and improves upon) the best detective films of the studio system Hollywood era (superior detective films like Maltese Falcon). It is, first off- a stunning who-done-it. It subverts and examines and redefines the genre though not in the same way Altman’s Long Goodbye from the previous year does. This film, with a few changes, could have come out in 1943—Altman’s film could not have.
- The opening titles are gorgeous but feel a bit pastiche (the last time you’ll feel that way the entire film- the boxy aspect ratio from the 1940’s)—then you go right into the semi-graphic (clearly not 1930’s/40’s) still frame photos of the cheating wife with Burt Young.
- John Huston is not only perfect as Noah Cross- but a clear nod to Chandler, Hammett– as he’s the director of the Maltese Falcon of course
- Strong retro-luminous Jerry Goldsmith score—it is one of cinema’s finest musical scores. Complex themes, dissonance,
- Strong singular split diopter shot at the city hall meeting

Strong singular split diopter shot at the city hall meeting
- Superior use of period lighting- one great shot at the morgue
- Another standout is when Jack opens his office to reveal Dunaway standing there against the venetian blinds—it is 1 hour in—door is halfway open- a great frame

Another standout is when Jack opens his office to reveal Dunaway standing there against the venetian blinds—it is 1 hour in—door is halfway open- a great frame
- Creamy golden hues- the color yellow, orange, cream, brown in the production design and visual scheme – Polanski has every detail right down to the yellow drapes where Jack is snooping around following Dunaway and his night with her.

Creamy golden hues- the color yellow, orange, cream, brown in the production design and visual scheme– the decor, the wardrobe– this is a great shot here of Jack in the color-coated maze
- The smirk from Jack is so good- overall he underplays the role- mostly, like F. Scott Fitzgerald says he’s a man defined by his actions, but there are moments for Jack that are undeniably Jack—we have him calling the hall of records kid a “weasel” under his breathe. Jack’s “your wife crossed her legs a little too quick” line. “Too tell you the truth, I lied a little”. It is there with the best of Bogart.
- Polanski and Towne (screenplay) so are patient—when looking through a desk Jack checks (and Polanski shoots) every drawer and what’s inside. It leads to nothing. Towne and Polanski are building a house here
- The water- brilliant- so important for LA- mythic. A magnificent shot at dusk at the riverbed. A great “LA is a small town” line—perfect as maybe no actor more associated with LA either at this point than Jack- Mr. Laker court-side

A magnificent shot at dusk at the riverbed
- The character is impeccably built from a formal standpoint—he never listens—someone tells him to wait and he goes ahead- again and again—

a great pair of shots here

and the choice of color of the car– no mistake
- “Chinatown” is not only the perfect title- but a key character in the film- a largely unspoken fabled past, theme and undercurrent
- The period detail and craft involved- such a high level- it’s all Polanski—it is in the service of the narrative and character- but the paranoia is all him. There’s an eerie panic and dread in the air that’s in Rosemary’s Baby, The Ghost Writer and all his best work—it’s a rigged game and our protagonist is helpless against it- powerful evil men and their system—the machine
- The nose- it not only creates a memorable hallmark— but it works for the narrative- a reminder of the seriousness as we’re chasing abstracts
- The scene where Nicholson and Dunaway make love is superb—we have the Goldsmith horns form the score and then, another throwback, they cut to his cigarette after—then the overhead shot of them in bed together is spectacular

Nicholson and Dunaway- an absolute acting masterclass
- Freud and narrative strength here- Dunaway is naked and then when Jack mentions he met her father she immediately covers up
- The narrative- again, which is perfect- comes back to Burt Young at the end with bookends—similar to the funeral owner in The Godfather– favor is returned
- Narrative economy- the butler “bad for glass”- line would come back as well with the tide-pool
- The daughter/sister scene with Dunaway is an absolute acting masterclass
- Polanski is clearly in love with the period and architecture- it shows
- Love Noah Cross’ (Huston)’s line about how he wants to own the future
- The epic finale is justifiably iconic as well… it’s not only the “forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown” line but the JFK-like head-wound in Dunaway with the haunting horn from the score and then we drift into the sky above Chinatown almost like we’re Dunaway watching

The epic finale is justifiably iconic as well… it’s not only the “forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown” line but the JFK-like head-wound in Dunaway with the haunting horn from the score

…and then we drift into the sky above Chinatown almost like we’re Dunaway watching
- A towering Masterpiece
Hey Drake can you recommend me films that are similar to this one?
@Randy—- sure– LA Confidential, Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, The Long Goodbye is a good one from Altman– Polanski’s The Ghost Writer form 2010 has some of the paranoia for sure. Night Moves from 1975 is a strong one. Devil in a Blue Dress with Denzel.
This film is unbelievable. I cannot recall the last time I was blown away like this by any piece of cinema. Completely unreal, I could say it’s perfect. The narrative is brilliant, Nicholson is quietly excellent and Dunaway is fantastic – an impeccable performance. I thought that it had common themes with several other Polanski films – it is always our protagonist who is battling against a system that is inadvertently against him. This point is definitely linked to his political views and his perception of capitalism and society. Everyone is either ignorant or the enemy and I think you get the same impression from Rosemary’s Baby and the Tenant, as well. I believe the finale makes this very apparent, as well as the scene outside the nursing home. (Spoiler alert) The “villain’s” victory that is however downplayed from a directorial POV, with the camera focusing instead on the protagonist’s perception of the events is just such a typical Polanski thing.
@Georg— great stuff here. A fantastic addition to the page. Thanks for sharing. Yes- the systemic corruption, often one lone person left fighting against it (and losing)- happens in Chinatown, Rosemary’s Baby, Ghost Writer… thanks again Georg
“Strong retro-luminous Jerry Goldsmith score”. It’s so perfect it’s unbelievable. The music perfectly sets the mood.
What are some of your best movie scores of all time? What would a shortlist of a few movies be?
Also what are your best movies with no music? Winter Light? Sidney Lumet movies?
wizard of oz, singin in the rain, and inside llewyn davis have some of the best scores of all time. but those are more music based movies. lord of the rings has probably the best score ever. would you count 2001 with the classical music? star wars, lawrence of arabia, the graduate, casablanca, raging bull, gone with the wind, jurassic park. these are all on the shortlist in my opinion. RZA from the wu tang clan did a great work on Kill Bill vol. 1, i have to say that because in case tarantino ever finds this website i don’t want to fuel his ego, as he didn’t write the music anyways, haha. what do you consider on the shortlist.
what did that tarantino comment mean?
nevermind. i was mostly trying to imply that directors are not responsible for the score, and that kill bill’s soundtrack has nothing to do with the ‘genius of Tarantino’.
@Azman and m
m certainly has a great list here. I’d add Vertigo , Blade Runner, There Will Be Blood, Adventures of Robin Hood, The Good The Bad and The Ugly…. there are so many more
the no score one is interesting…. had thought about that much… Haneke’s films do not have musical scores typically… I know Cuaron’s Roma, right?
Taxi Driver.
And I wouldn’t be so quick to deny credit to Directors when it comes to scoring.
I agree. The directors decide when the music is used and how often it is used. The composers write entire scores and directors only use the parts of the song they think are the best. Sometimes directors choose their own music (Scorsese Raging Bull) and sometimes director choose to completely the score their composer has written for them. (Alex North’s score in 2001 a space odyssey).
Completely ignore*. Sorry for my grammar and punctuation.
I Iove Vertigo’s score. I agree with Drake on that one. The kiss scene is (maybe) the greatest moment/scene in cinema. Certainly in my top 15. Like drake, Vertigo is also (probably ) in my top 10 and my best film of the 50s.
“Bernard Hermaans score doesn’t hurt it[Vertigo]. ” – Martin Scorsese.
that’s a good debate. greatest scene in cinema history. for me it has to be the scene at the end of return of the king where frodo and bilbo leave middle earth. the stargate sequence from 2001, raging bull opening, i drink your milkshake, dorothy enters Oz, singin in the rain lina exposed, kane’s freakout ‘rosebud’, the godfather ‘i never wanted this for you’, its a wonderful life prayer. all honorable mentions for me.
@m – haha this is fun as well. I need to get back to my regular posts though. haha. I’m not going to do “scene” because there’s too much debate on what is a scene– is it a take, a series of takes, a shot?—I’ll just say that every time I see them i’m floored by The Searchers the ending final shot, the unplugging of HAL in 2001, Mr Harris awhile ago reminded me of the Sugar Ray fight in Raging Bull, the 360 degree green-lit bedroom scene in Vertigo, Copa shot in Goodfellas (is that a scene?)… haha ok I’m done.
Did you update any of this review?
Are you watching the top 100 movies again and reviewing them?
@Aldo- updated some and added some images. Now that I’ve had the site up and running for 3 years+ I’ll be revisiting films and updating pages on films I’ve already seen since 2017
Okay it’s true, it has more images and more text.
I have a question, the images that you put usually are captures or do you take them from the internet?
What are some of the best final lines in movie history? Of the top of my head: there’s Billy Wilder’s movies: “nobody’s perfect, closer than than Walter, Alright DeMille I’m ready for my close up and, shut up and deal” and Chinatown.
What are some other movies like this with great ending lines?
I just noticed this question. I will add to the great choices that have already been suggested. Here are some in random order:
2001: A Space Odyssey: “Its origin and purpose are still a total mystery.”
Casablanca: “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful frienship.”
Psycho: “They’ll see, and they’ll know, and they’ll say, ‘Why, she wouldn’t even harm a fly.'”
There Will Be Blood: “I’m finished!”
Aguirre, the Wrath of God: “I am the Wrath… the Wrath of God. Who else is with me?” (then cuts to the Sun to indicate that no one is with him)
Goodfellas: “I get to live the rest of my life like a schnook.”
Mulholland Drive: “Silencio…”
Raging Bull: “I’m the boss!” (combined with some grunting)
Persona: “Nothing.” (I’m not positive this is the final line)
Lost in Translation: *whisper whisper*
Black Swan: “Perfect. It was perfect.”
Manhattan: “You’ve have to have a little faith in people.”
Apocalypse Now’s and The Silence of the Lambs’ famous lines near their endings (“The horror… the horror” and “I’m having an old friend for dinner) would be included if they were actually the last line.
We’re on the Chinatown page and you forgot Adios from Touch of Evil? How could you?
Haha. I don’t recall that line or the later sections of Touch of Evil too well, although I have a vague image of Orson’s character falling in the river. However, the opening tracking shot is thoroughly engraved in my mind.
How come no one has mentioned “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn”??? I think that is one of the most iconic final lines in cinema.
@Gohan – Yeah I am still yet to see Gone with the Wind (1939) but I have known of this line for a long time even before I got really into film.
A few other to add:
The Usual Suspects (1995) “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist. And like that…he’s gone.”
Fight Club (1999) “You met me at a very strange time in my life.”
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) – “Something had happened. A thing which, years ago, had been the eagerest hope of many, many good citizens of the town, and now it had come at last; George Amberson Minafer had got his comeuppance. He got it three times filled, and running over. But those who had so longed for it were not there to see it, and they never knew it. Those who were still living had forgotten all about it and all about him.”
At least that should have been the final lines of the film with Orson Welles as the narrator, it is so perfect but sadly the studio changed it for the worst (still one of the greatest films of all time though)
@Azman clockwork orange i was cured all right. Also breathless. ‘What did he say?’ “He said you disgust me'”
Love this great and expanded review on Chinatown.Will there be an expanded review on The Conversation and Rumble Fish soon?two great films
Great picks, a few more…
Inglourious Basterds – I think this just might be my masterpiece
Citizen Kane – Rosebud (not technically the line close by close enough)
Dark Knight – Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So, we’ll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A Dark Knight
Fight Club – We met at a very strange time in my life
The Lady from Shanghai – The only way to stay out of trouble is to grow old, so I guess I’ll concentrate on that. Maybe I’ll live so long that I’ll forget her. Maybe I’ll die trying
Seven – Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part
Sunset Boulevard – Alright Mr DeMille, I’m ready for my closeup.
[…] Chinatown – Polanski […]
My Mount Rushmore of Noir/Neo Noirs:
Chinatown (1974)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Double Indemnity (1944)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
honorable mentions:
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Big Sleep (1946)
Out of the Past (1947)
Chinatown (1974)
– First viewing in 4K Ultra High Def
– Jerry Goldsmith’s score at the introduction evokes an intense feeling of sorrow and regret with his score with heavy use of trumpet sounds.
– Nicholson’s JJ Gittes is one of the great noir performances of all time
– Great split diopter shot at 5:45 when Gittes goes to the Department of Water and Power meeting to start following Hollis Mulwray
– So much has been written about the screen play over the years that it is taught in film courses and held up as the golden standard for screenplays, even the most minor characters introduced early like Burt Young’s curly or the young kid riding the horse come back later in the movie
– The shot at the 11:15 mark there is a Cinematic Painting, gorgeous shot of JJ Gittes watching Mulwray at sunrise while smoking a cigarette just before he is soaking wet from the water runoff.
– Love the barbershop scene and the transition with JJ telling the inappropriate joke in front of the real Mrs. Mulwray, shows he can be crass.
– Great blocking at 34:33 with Dunaway speaking to Escobar after Mulwray’s body is discovered
– Faye Dunaway is terrific although I would put Bonnie and Clyde as her greatest performance, still this is an absolutely fabulous performance particularly the way she reacts to mentions of her father (lighting up multiple cigarettes, stuttering, covering up her body, etc.)
– John A. Alonzo served as the ASC and what a great job he does, I think there are more beautiful shot than people realize especially the skyline shots. There are so many things to praise from the acting, to screenplay, to quotable lines, to the directing, and pacing that the cinematography gets overlooked in my opinion
– 38:30 another museum art quality shot of Jake investigating the area where he followed Mulwray
– The use of color was something that I noticed more this time than prior viewings, a lot of yellow, yellow, cream, brown, and gray colors and this is matched in the film’s mise-en-scene particularly the clothing and suites. Apparently, this was intended to create a “dried out” look for LA given the water droughts central to the main plot.
– 1:09:00 painterly shot of Gittes looking out toward the direction of the orange groves
– John Huston gives the films 3rd best performance after Nicholson and Dunaway, I chimed in on a discussion on the 1974 page recently related to this subject
– “Course I’m respectable. I’m old. Politicians, public buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough” John Huston as Noah Cross, this movie is filled with quotable lines.
– The recreation of the 1930s LA with the vehicles, clothing, etc. is amazing
– Final Verdict: A Colossal Masterpiece (my # 9 all-time film)