China Town (1974) starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Hillerman, Perry Lopez, Burt Young, John Huston, Diane Ladd
“Are you alone?” the private eye is asked. “Isn’t everybody?” he replies.
Chinatown is an American film noir cult classic whose screenplay has become legendary among critics and filmmakers, often cited as one of the best examples of the craft. IMBD reduces the plot to a one-dimensional sentence: "A private detective hired to expose an adulterer finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder." Adultery is the deceit, but the film far more complicated and compelling than that gum shoe staple.
The story was inspired by the California Water Wars, a series of disputes over southern California water at the beginning of the 20th century. The wars arose when the mayor of Los Angeles came up with a plan to accommodate the growing needs of the city by importing water from elsewhere in California.
That's your corruption and murder.
Chinatown holds an approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 99% and an average rating of 9.31/10, with 66 out of 67 reviews being positive.
In 1991, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" and it is frequently listed as one of the greatest films of all time. At the 47th Academy Awards, it was nominated for 11 Oscars, with Towne winning Best Original Screenplay. The Golden Globe Awards honored it for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. The American Film Institute placed it second among its top ten mystery films in 2008.
Directed by Roman Polanski (currently under indictment and a fugitive from justice in France for child rape in America); Run time 2 hrs 10 minutes
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