Chinatown
I am a big fan of mysteries, but I never have found one that I like. Clue was probably the closest winner because it was not only mysterious, it was smart and funny. However, Chinatown is better. It contains wonderful acting, a perfect screenplay, and plot twists galore. This one kept me guessing until the end. The visual style is not something I like, but what can you expect from a 1974 movie.
What you can expect is a wonderful story. It begins with J.J. Gittes (played wonderfully by Jack Nicholson) finishing a case about an unfaithful wife. This small scene shows a lot of character of Gittes. He is sensible and cynical, intelligent and well dressed, and he also stick to a personal code that he has. After he sends his client on his way, a woman who claims to be Evelyn Mulwray (Diane Ladd) asks for his help on her unfaithful husband, Hollis Mulwray (Darrrell Zwerling). He takes pictures of the husband cheating on her. He later is shocked to find the pictures in the newspaper along with a story. Soon, the real Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) shows up with a lawsuit.
That begins the mystery. It is wonderful and does what mysteries should do: open with a problem so phenomenal that it seems that we'll never solve it, and then solve the case with a perfect logic. I don't think I've ever seen a mystery so well crafted. Robert Towne must be a very skillful writer to do this. His screenplay is one of the most perfect examples of a visual story. For those who study screenplays, this one should be at the top of your list.
The actual mystery involves a dam but because of the plot twists and gradual unraveling of those plot twists, I can't tell more. It would be unfair to the producers who have worked so hard to bring us such a wonderful movie. One of the highlights, and one of my favorite things in mysteries, is the way that it drops hints and clues here and there that build up to the finale (which is one of my only discrepancies that I had with the movie). The ending finished the story off, but I was also disappointed, not that it was over, but that it didn't end the way I wanted it to. But I guess I'll have to live with it.
The performances are probably the biggest highlight of the movie. Jack Nicholson portrays his character so perfectly that I forgot he was Jack Nicholson and thought of him as J.J. Gittes. Many actors these days can't do it. Faye Dunaway is very good but I found myself disliking her character. I don't know why... and that may be a reason that I didn't like the ending. John Huston and Perry Lopez give off good supporting roles, and at one part, Roman Polanski, the director, gives a cameo as a man with a knife in a gruesome scene.
Chinatown is rated R. This would probably be PG-13 these days although the swearing might have given it an R rating. There is a little violence, including a scene where Gittes gets his nose cut. There is some nudity but no on-screen sex. However, the story is perfect and the performances are great. I suggest this movie, and I guess that is the reason it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards for that year. I guess.