Click here to copy URL

Chinatown

1974

Roman Polanski

Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez ...

7.9

47,246

Film noir. Mystery. Drama It is set during a heat wave in 1930s Los Angeles, whose residents are suffering from a water shortage as a result of an ongoing drought. Private investigator Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) runs a detective agency specializing in matrimonial strife and infidelity. When a client posing as the wife of the L.A. water commissioner hires him to spy on her husband, who is rumored to be having an affair with a younger woman, Jake uncovers a plot ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"'Chinatown' was seen as a neo-noir when it was released -- an update on an old genre. Now years have passed and film history blurs a little, and it seems to settle easily beside the original noirs. That is a compliment. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of four)"	POS
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"Mr. Polanski and Mr. Towne have attempted nothing so witty and entertaining, being content instead to make a competently stylish [movie]"	NEU
United States	A.D. Murphy Variety	"An outstanding picture (...) Richard Sylbert’s production design is magnificent (...) It lives up to the bruited expectations."	POS
United Kingdom	Philip French The Guardian	"Polanski's greatest achievement to date [2013], a neo-noir classic (...) this film is flawless."	POS
United Kingdom	Alastair Sooke Telegraph	"Jack Nicholson is superb in 'Chinatown' and he is helped in no small part by a pitch-perfect script (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Time Out	"The last gunshot here is the sound of the gate slamming on the Paramount lot of Evans' halcyon reign"	NEU
United Kingdom	Anthony Quinn The Independent	"Everything about 'Chinatown' is memorable (...) It all clicks together with the precision of a Swiss watch."	POS
United States	Jeremiah Kipp Slant	"'Chinatown' can be enjoyed on multiple levels. It’s a first-class detective story (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Angie Errigo Empire	"Detective thriller with a social agenda and an emotionally ripping finale. An absolute classic (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Don Druker Chicago Reader	"A bit abstract, though gorgeously shot (by John Alonzo) and cleverly plotted (by Robert Towne)"	POS
United Kingdom	Adrian Turner Radio Times	"Jack Nicholson here gives one of his best performances (...) A masterpiece that repays any number of viewings (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.