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Chinatown (1974)

130 min  -  Crime | Drama | Mystery  -   20 June 1974 (USA)
8.4
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Ratings: 8.4/10 from 124,859 users   Metascore: 86/100 
Reviews: 384 user | 164 critic | 10 from Metacritic.com

A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

Director:

Roman Polanski
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Title: Chinatown (1974)

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Top 250 #78 | Won Oscar. Another 20 wins & 22 nominations See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson Jack Nicholson ...
Faye Dunaway Faye Dunaway ...
John Huston John Huston ...
Perry Lopez Perry Lopez ...
John Hillerman John Hillerman ...
Darrell Zwerling Darrell Zwerling ...
Diane Ladd Diane Ladd ...
Roy Jenson Roy Jenson ...
Mulvihill
Roman Polanski Roman Polanski ...
Richard Bakalyan Richard Bakalyan ...
Loach (as Dick Bakalyan)
Joe Mantell Joe Mantell ...
Bruce Glover Bruce Glover ...
Duffy
Nandu Hinds Nandu Hinds ...
Sophie
James O'Rear James O'Rear ...
Lawyer
James Hong James Hong ...
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Storyline

JJ 'Jake' Gittes is a private detective who seems to specialize in matrimonial cases. He is hired by Evelyn Mulwray when she suspects her husband Hollis, builder of the city's water supply system, of having an affair. Gittes does what he does best and photographs him with a young girl but in the ensuing scandal, it seems he was hired by an impersonator and not the real Mrs. Mulwray. When Mr. Mulwray is found dead, Jake is plunged into a complex web of deceit involving murder, incest and municipal corruption all related to the city's water supply. Written by garykmcd  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Water | Murder | Detective | Corruption | Investigation  | See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese | Spanish

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Китайски квартал See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$30,000,000 (Worldwide) (January 2000)
See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Penthouse See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Cameo: [Roman Polanski] the hood who slits Jake's nose. See more »

Goofs

Anachronisms: When Jake gets home after following Mrs. Mulwray and his phone rings, it is clearly not the sound of a 1937 telephone. The sound of his placing the receiver on the cradle is authentic, but the ringer is no earlier than the sixties. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Jake Gittes: All right, Curly. Enough's enough. You can't eat the Venetian blinds. I just had them installed on Wednesday.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in "Action: Love Sucks (#1.8)" (0000) See more »

Soundtracks

"The Way You Look Tonight"
from the film "Swing Time"
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields See more »