Chinatown

Look back through Hollywood history and each decade had a few stars that rose above the others, those with movies that are often as much remembered and revered for the performances as the movie itself. There was Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy in the 1930s all the way through to the 2000s with George Clooney and Johnny Depp. Looking at the 1970s, several names pop up, but one especially stands out, Lakers fan extraordinaire and three-time Oscar winner Jack Nicholson.

Now officially one of Nicholson's best roles was in the closing months of 1969 -- an Oscar-nominated role in Easy Rider -- but he just kept on rolling into the 70s. And while his turn as Randall MacMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest will most likely always be remembered as Nicholson's best and most famous role, another part deserves recognition, his turn as private detective Jake 'J.J.' Gittes in Roman Polanski's 1974 detective story and period piece Chinatown.

This may come across more critically than I intend it to, but Nicholson in his personal life has become a caricature of himself in certain ways. It's easy to forget what a great actor he really is with 12 Oscar nominations to his name. His turn as Jake Gittes is typically solid Nicholson, both fiery and emotional but also calm and understated at times when the scene calls for it. He brings some charm to a character that could easily be despicable in the hands of a lesser actor, and as the lead character serves as the audience's guide because he sees exactly what we see and little else as a 1930s murder sets off an odd set of circumstances.

Working as a private detective in 1930s Los Angeles, Jake 'J.J.' Gittes (Nicholson) specializes in marriage cases and one day takes on a contract from a woman questioning if her husband is cheating on her. The husband, Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling), has become a notable public figure recently as head of the water department for a city suffering through a drought. Jake discovers Hollis is seeing a woman, but soon after the story breaks, the real Mrs. Mulwray, Evelyn (Faye Dunaway), shows up questioning how Jake got onto her husband's case. But before Jake can resolve anything, Hollis turns up dead in one of the city's water reservoirs. So starts a mystery that begins to unravel for Jake that includes corruption, phony business deals, and all sorts of shady dealings that Evelyn may or may not be involved with.

Made and released in 1974, Chinatown brings late 1930s Los Angeles to life so perfectly, so vividly that it's incredibly easy to get caught up in this winding murder mystery. Polanski films all over the city in a wide variety of locations, and everything looks immaculate from the backgrounds to the clothes -- all the guys go for the cool, stylish suit and a fedora look -- to the period cars. Everything looks and feels so authentic you're waiting for Robert Mitchum or Barbara Stanwyck to walk onto the set and join Nicholson and Dunaway in their scenes. All this is helped by Jerry Goldsmith's score that blends jazzy themes with understated music that helps drive the story and action along.

The DVD special features offered interviews with screenwriter Robert Towne, Polanski, and producer Robert Evans, all of them agreeing that this is a movie that would be difficult to make for today's audiences, and they're right. I try to avoid huge generalities about audiences because movies are subjective to each and every person watching, but movies now in 2010 and their audiences are different. Chinatown is never slow-paced, but Polanski does take his time building the story. It is a mystery that requires you to pay attention with clues hinted at and then dealt with later. This all comes together in a famously downbeat ending -- very 70s in its cynicism -- with one of the all-time great lines, 'Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.'

As I wrote before, Nicholson's private detective is a great performance and Dunaway is an ideal choice for a character we're led to believe is the femme fatale present in almost every noir ever made. Not so fast though as her Evelyn isn't letting Jake in on everything he needs to know, including one rather large twist toward the end. A great counter to Nicholson, and one of Dunaway's best parts which also earned an Oscar nomination (the movie earned 11 overall). Hollywood legend John Huston is on-screen for maybe 10 minutes tops in an 130-minute movie, but leaves a huge impression, as for what that impression is I'll let you find out what. Perry Lopez, Burt Young, Richard Bakalyan, Diane Ladd, Roy Jenson and John Hillerman round out the cast.

A classic film on many levels starting with the acting and continuing on down the line with Polanski's directing and John Alonzo's cinematography that echoes movies made 30 and 40 years earlier, Chinatown should definitely be on your list to see.

Chinatown <----trailer (1974): ****/****