Chinatown (1974), Roman Polanski's noir classic about the corrupt underbelly of Los Angeles, won all the awards of its day and is cited as the mold for crime thrillers for many years to come. Rotten Tomatoes does not have a negative review of the film and Spike Lee says its his favorite. But watching it from today's perspective, does it truly meet the high standard of these accolades?
For me the answer is: "yes, for the most part". First, its amazing how many recent films have ripped off many of the elements of this film. In fact, L.A. Confidential (1998) won more Oscars than Chinatown did and completely copied its "how L.A. once was" style, its noirish tone and its musical score (compare here and here). If film plagiarism was a crime, Confidential's director Curtis Hanson and screenwriter Brian Helgeland would still be in jail today. And surprisingly, Matt Damon was not the first person to utter the famous line "How 'bout them apples" in Good Will Hunting (1997); Jack Nicolson's character, J.J. Gittes, uttered the line a quarter century before him! Finally, Chinatown truly sets the standard for suspense- long slow pacing is interrupted abruptly by tense music followed usually by a burst of action and often violence.
But is it perfect? No. At times the pacing of the film is too slow for my tastes (L.A. Confidential suffered the same malady). Polanski needs the slow pacing to keep the audience guessing as Gittes slowly unravels a complex mystery. And this is really a small quibble, especially given the backdrop of today's rock em', sock 'em non-stop action overkill film industry. In the end, if you thought the revelation that Luke's father is Dark Vader, then you will enjoy the fabulous familial plot twist that Chinatown throws out near the end of the film.
