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Title: Chinatown (1974)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Jack Nicholson | ... | J.J. Gittes | |
| Faye Dunaway | ... | Evelyn Mulwray | |
| John Huston | ... | Noah Cross | |
| Perry Lopez | ... | Escobar | |
| John Hillerman | ... | Yelburton | |
| Darrell Zwerling | ... | Hollis Mulwray | |
| Diane Ladd | ... | Ida Sessions | |
| Roy Jenson | ... | Mulvihill | |
| Roman Polanski | ... | Man with Knife | |
| Richard Bakalyan | ... | Loach (as Dick Bakalyan) | |
| Joe Mantell | ... | Walsh | |
| Bruce Glover | ... | Duffy | |
| Nandu Hinds | ... | Sophie | |
 |
James O'Rear | ... | Lawyer (as James O'Reare) |
| James Hong | ... | Evelyn's Butler | |
In 1937 Los Angeles, private investigator Jake 'J.J.' Gittes specializes in cheating-spouse cases. His current target is Hollis Mulwray, high-profile chief engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, whose wife suspects him of infidelity. In following Mulwray, Gittes witnesses some usual business dealings, such as a public meeting for construction of a new dam to create additional water supply for Los Angeles, as fresh water is vital to the growing community during the chronic drought; Mulwray opposes the dam. Eventually Gittes sees Mulwray meeting with an unknown young woman who isn't his wife. Once news of the supposed tryst between Mulwray and this woman hits the media, additional information comes to light that makes Gittes believe that Mulwray is being framed for something and that he himself is being set up. In his investigation of the issue behind Mulwray's framing and his own setup, Gittes is assisted by Mulwray's wife Evelyn, but he thinks she isn't being ... Written by Huggo
The first time I saw it. After one of my buddies claimed it was the greatest movie every made. I mean, what could live up to that hype. Then, over the course of 20+ years I discovered a much wider world of films beyond what CBC and CTV showed late at night to pay the bills. We rented every B&W movie the video store had on tape. TCM came along. I discovered film noir. I drove Interstate 5 through California in the midst of a terrible multi-year drought. I visited Los Angeles. I discovered Arts & Crafts homes. Then I watched this movie again tonight. And I realized my buddy may have been right. It has Jack Nicholson before he became a caricature of himself. John Huston showing he was as good an actor as he was a director. And Faye Dunaway, my goodness, was she on fire for a decade or what. When she's trying to explain things to Nicholson in the third act and she's breaking down while doing so, if that doesn't get you, you have no heart. But you know what else? If you know the ending, the movie is more riveting. Because then you understand why the characters are addressing the things they do, and you're watching the characters act and react, which is where the magic lies. This is a superlative film. I feel like a dope for taking 20 years to properly appreciate it. I only wish my friend were still alive so I could tell him he was right.