Quite an engaging and mysterious film. It’s about Jack Nicholson who plays a private investigator Gittes, hired to help couples find out if their spouse is cheating. In this one case, involving a Mr Mulwray (chief engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power), Gittes becomes entangled and consumed in what we see is an increasingly complex story. I was quite shocked when we find out Mr Mulwray is dead (eventually we find out he was drowned) and immediately became suspicious of his wife. I was again shocked, though in a more physical way, when we hear the bullet shots when Gittes is in the orange groves − they literally made me jump!
I can understand why this film has been praised for its scriptwriting and won so many awards because it absorbs this audience in a psychological, thrilling tale, and unlike many other Hollywood films, the audience doesn’t always have the upper hand or an all-knowing status − we want to find out information just as much as the characters do. This film really made me think about what the audience is positioned to feel toward and about the characters. At first, it may seem like we should be almost frowning upon the private investigator’s practice, an idea emphasised with that sly joker face of Nicholson’s. Nevertheless, as the story progresses, our sympathies start to lie with him and he becomes the only one we can trust − he pretty much becomes a victim. Strange connection but reminds me of a quote from Pirates of the Caribbean, where Jack Sparrow says something like “a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest”. but we never know if Gittes is really in control or if he’s just a pawn in someone else’s larger plan.
The film really let Polanski’s darkness shine through (excuse the pun) with the sister/daughter situation. Speaking of, Polanski has a cameo has a character who slices Gittes’ nose − so not dark at all! The suspense also builds up really well near the end. Interesting use of Chinatown as some sort of strange, mysterious place − I think having such a mystifying setting really adds another layer to this film.
I can understand why this film has been praised for its scriptwriting and won so many awards because it absorbs this audience in a psychological, thrilling tale, and unlike many other Hollywood films, the audience doesn’t always have the upper hand or an all-knowing status − we want to find out information just as much as the characters do. This film really made me think about what the audience is positioned to feel toward and about the characters. At first, it may seem like we should be almost frowning upon the private investigator’s practice, an idea emphasised with that sly joker face of Nicholson’s. Nevertheless, as the story progresses, our sympathies start to lie with him and he becomes the only one we can trust − he pretty much becomes a victim. Strange connection but reminds me of a quote from Pirates of the Caribbean, where Jack Sparrow says something like “a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest”. but we never know if Gittes is really in control or if he’s just a pawn in someone else’s larger plan.
The film really let Polanski’s darkness shine through (excuse the pun) with the sister/daughter situation. Speaking of, Polanski has a cameo has a character who slices Gittes’ nose − so not dark at all! The suspense also builds up really well near the end. Interesting use of Chinatown as some sort of strange, mysterious place − I think having such a mystifying setting really adds another layer to this film.
4/5
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