Song that sampled this film (first 30 seconds): th-cam.com/video/5MetCdZfTTo/w-d-xo.html ... Again another incredible film that I personally feel, captures the expert craftsmanship behind filmmaking and why it’s something to strive towards for anybody interested in storytelling. From subtle hinting of the end by showing her head accidentally on the horn from an earlier scene..to intentional camera movement setting into frames that can be interpreted to the detail. Similar to Amadeus, Chinatown is a beautiful homage to master level filmmaking. In my opinion. Definitely plan on creating a video about it that explains why it’s so inspiring, in the very near future.
This is more like an idea but could you maybe react to Shang Chi and the legend of the 10 rings it has so many breautiful shots and i loved the visuals. I also think you would lobe Yelana from the Black widow movie
Robert Towne's screenplay is considered one of the best ever written. You can find a copy of it very likely. And Ronan Polanski is one of the very greatest of directors. I'd love to see what you think of his THE NINTH GATE, one of my favorites of his.
I had someone tell me when I was in the military this exact quote about woman , he gave no mention or credit to the movie. Years later I saw the movie and realized alot of people are just unoriginal hacks.
If you are interested in Noir, I would highly suggest Sunset Boulevard (1950). Directed by Billy Wilder who is among the greatest directors of the golden era.
The actor who played the ultimate evil Noah Cross is a brilliant director in his own right, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948) is one of the best movies ever made, a timeless must watch.
@@Quotenwagnerianer I wonder if that was true with his great swansong film "The Dead", which seemed to me to be so full of care and love for the Irish, that I can't imagine it made by a director acting as a tyrant.
Fun fact, shortly after this film, Jack Nicholson was advised by a reporter that, who he had thought was his mother was actually his grandmother. And that who he thought was his sister, was his mother. She had him at a young age and they covered it up. They both died before he found out. That’s when he really took on crazier roles.
It's interesting how much this movie mirrors real life. In addition to that Jack Nicholson thing, I feel like the line "You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything" also fits Polanski's life.
@@jori1 I always thought “ Roman , why ? Your wife was horribly murdered and yet you barely put yourself above the Manson family level with that move and it is not like you couldn’t have had another beautiful legal age female companion “
@@dagnabbit6187 Not just the murder of his pregnant wife, he also survived the holocaust as a child. It would be pretty surprising if neither of those things effected his mental health in some way.
This was another film my grandmother took me to see when I was 16 and it was playing at the theater. I remember I started to cry when he reaches up at the end and covers her eyes, the horror of it hit me so hard at that moment and I've never forgotten it. My second memory was of my grandmother's excited expression when the lights went up and she said "wasn't it so GOOD?" And I had to admit that, ending aside, it was an awesome movie. She was the only family I had growing up and I was so lucky that not only did she have an incredible passion for film, but that she loved sharing it with me. That little look of joy on her face in the theater still stays with me and I think about it whenever I see films like this one that ask us to wrestle with the darker parts of being human. Yeah, it's horrifying, but isn't it great? So glad you reacted to this one too!
The man who played Noah Cross is John Huston, a legendary filmmaker who made The Maltese Falcon, one of the first and most influential of the Noir movement throughout the 40's and 50's.
This is one of the best movies ever made imo. One of the best crafted stories full of twists and subtly. It is rich in themes of greed, corruption and power. It’s dark and fascinating. The music is great. The outfits are great. The ending is ICONIC. It is one of the 10 best films ever imo
One of the beautiful things about this movie is how everything comes full circle, including director Roman Polanski's decision to cast John Huston as Noah Cross. John Huston (one of the greatest directors of all time), is credited with directing what many consider the very first film noir, The Maltese Falcon. The decision to cast him in Chinatown, a film many consider the defining neo-noir film, is pure genius and certainly a nod to Huston's great influence on the genre and filmmaking as a whole. John Huston's The Maltese Falcon, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Asphalt Jungle, The African Queen and others helped shape cinema as we know it.
When this film came out, the industry wasn't in the "nothing but happy endings" mode that came with the Spielberg / Lucas era of film. No one came out of this film disappointed, but staggered by it's twists and turns and originality and everyone loved it. Other Jack films from this era that are must watches - One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest - The Last Detail - Five Easy Pieces
I've said it before, I'll say it again: There's who you are BEFORE "She's my sister! She's my daughter!" and there's who you are AFTER. That moment changes you.
The problem is that I grew up with Pinky and the Brain so when I finally saw this as an adult the impact was dulled by the memory of "She's a mouse AND a hamster?"
The first time I realized the depravity and sheer horror of that revelation, there was no going back. Jake became too invested in this and didn't leave sleeping dogs lie. Hence, he paid the ultimate price and has to live with that for all of his days.
With the recent passing of Sidney Poitier, I hope you’ll make an opportunity to react to In the Heat of the Night soon, if you haven’t already seen it. It’s one of those films I never tire of watching. Also, you’ve been picking some really great movies lately.
@@JamesVSCinema I recommended another Sidney Poitier movie to you, "Sneakers," the DAY BEFORE he died. Crazy coincidence. Whatever movie you pick, I'm sure you'll love it. Sidney Poitier was widely respected for decades for a good reason. There's never going to be another actor quite like him. RIP.
In the Heat of the Night is a wonderful movie, but if possible I'd recommend reading the book first. The movie is superior to the book as drama, but does not even attempt to preserve the ingenuity of the murder mystery in the book, which is extraordinarily clever. Better to read the book first and appreciate the very surprising but perfectly prepared solution, rather than letting the movie give away the solution without doing anything to make it interesting -- that's not where the movie's interests lie. Then watch the movie, and watch the beautiful performances and character interactions. That way you can enjoy the best of both, and both are more than worth the effort. I don't know if you would have time to do this, but I can tell you that it will be really rewarding if you do.
You should watch Double Indemnity! One of the absolute best film noirs ever! Barbara Stanwyck is glorious in it, and Edward G Robinson steals the whole movie.
I was shown this in a film class on screenwriting along with some other greats, a noir's noir, with the teacher being this older, kooky guy who had a library of knowledge in his head. I was loving every second of it, but apparently I was one of only a few, because enough students were complaining about him on the grounds, "His tastes are too old, so like, uh, we aren't learning anything!" For real. I couldn't believe the mindset and how the school actually fired him for this midway through the year, but he got his justice when he sued them back for age discrimination and won. I mean, if you can't learn something from a movie like Chinatown you pretty much can't learn anything at all, or may as well not even try. The other students embodied where movies have gone lately, sad to say, but it's really, really nice to see wiser sorts like around here who draw from a more complete picture for inspiration. The feeling here is way more fun, about as good as any class with everyone joining in together. Anyway, what I love about noir beyond the usual formula is they start dreamy, other-worldly, and then they hit with stark reality, and this is no less dark in its subject matter than anything more modern like L.A. Noir or whatever, so it shows what that class knew.
Wow, that story really bummed me out in a huge way. I'm shocked. Angry. I mean, we're talking 1970s, we're talking one of the greats, a film-school staple. And wow, the history of film, going back to the very beginning, is fascinating and rich. I'm just shaking my head in disbelief, especially when we've been living through decades of rehash. So you'd think you'd want to be in touch with the source. When a piece of art can transcend time and speak directly to a person's heart, mind and soul......it's one of the most magical things in existence. It breaks my heart that these students and the college itself could be so stupid. They really missed out, that's what it comes down to. Their loss.
Holy damn-when I got this notification, I clicked right away. Nothing better than to see you react to an absolute classic film like this. Thanks James! 😁 Made me forget about my Covid pains for a while.
@@JamesVSCinema Thanks, man-hope you keep well yourself! I know you get suggestions all the time, but one I’d highly recommend from this era (and one nobody else is reacting to) is the 1973 film “Papillon” with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman.
Love how you dropped the self-censoring at the finale, no question lol. And you pretty much nailed the Chinatown motif, it’s not a place in the film as much as it is a feeling. The unstoppable force of good intentions meets the immovable object of evil out of your depth
I will never forget the day I first saw this movie. I had nothing particular to do that day,, and I saw in the newspaper an ad for this new movie, opening that day. I'd heard no advance word about it, but I love detective films, so this sounded like a pleasant way to kill a couple of hours. I went in to the theater (a wonderful old theater that no longer exists) expecting nothing more than that, and went out knowing that I had just seen one of the greatest movies ever made, on its opening day.
Chinatown might be one of the best movies I've ever seen. With that being said, I've only watched it once in full for obvious reasons. It's just so soul crushing and infuriating.
I love how this movie really captures the aesthetic, look and feel of that time period. Movies today rarely seem to really capture the look of past time periods in the 20th century. Drives me nuts when I see something set in, let's say, the 70s or 60s and the hair/makeup or even the sets don't look like it's from that period. It's cool to see this era covered though, which doesn't always get a lot of attention in film.
In my Top 3 favorite films of all-time and one of very few true perfect films & masterpieces in cinema history. Despite how terrible of a human the creator of this film is, he still crafted a well shot, well acted, well written and overall well developed piece of art, and if it wasn't for the character of Jake Gittes played to perfection by Jack Nicholson I wouldn't want to write and create characters and try to be a smart writer. What a HECK of a film. 🙌
Chinatown is among Polanski's early film masterpieces, which include Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion, and are well worth checking out. Nicholson's role here shows what he could do before he developed the tics and bad habits of later films, another good performance being in "The Passenger".
As an avid cinephile and filmmaker myself...films I highly recommend (in case you haven't seen these flicks), I'll provide 10: Koyaanisqatsi (1982), Nausicaa (1984), High & Low (1963), Moonlight (2016), the original 1954 uncut version of Godzilla, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), M (1931), Wings of Desire (1987), Persepolis (2007), and The Great Dictator (1940)
The sign of a great movie is that it sucks you in and you are no longer watching the movie but you are in it. Great writing, directing and acting. This is a movie that is watchable multiple times because you try to find clues that you missed before that bring you to the conclusion of the movie. Even though I knew that shotgun blast was coming in the orange grove I stilled jumped. The Maltese Falcon is a movie you should watch. Another movie that isn't a noir film but is fantastic is White Heat with James Cagney, that movie is top of the world.
The way Noah Cross covers his daughters face as he drags her off at the end shows his monstrosity in full effect. I shudder every time I think of the future that lies in wait for that girl. Oh god 😢
This is considered one of the greatest screenplays in film history. I had to read and study parts of it in film school. About your reaction to the ending: forget it, James. It's Chinatown.
Wow, James, I didn't even dare to dream about you reacting to this masterpiece. I am a very happy man right now. This movie has one of the best scripts ever written and Jack Nicholson is just perfect as Jake.
I did and I loved your reaction to the ending. I had the same feeling when I first watched this movie, I was angry because I was invested in the main characters but at the same time I was really glad that the creators had been so brave to serve the public such a bleak ending. Great film.
I've watched a ton of these and I think this might be the first time actually hearing James swear on video, but for a film as dark, cynical, and emotionally devastating as Chinatown, I think it's appropriate. That ending will haunt me forever. If you haven't seen it I would 100% recommend The Pianist.
Damn bro, you’ve been killing it with these videos recently. This is one of those films I can watch two times in a week. It’s definitely top 20 film I’ve ever seen.
I remember seeing this the first time, in film class at uni, that ending. I sat there opening mouthed in shock. Horrific, shocking, worthy of every plaudit it ever got
I saw this film a few years ago and I remember not being crazy about it in the moment but once that ending hit, oh hell it really hit. The ending makes the entire viewing experience memorable for me. It's so effed up in the best way possible. I will never forget the feelings that ending gave me.
You said 'effed up in the best way possible'?? Pardon me, but how exactly is that the 'best way possible'?? It seems like a lot of men on here have said the same thing about this movie and how 'amazing it is' because of how evil Cross is. Are you saying you actually liked the movie and the ending?? The guy who played Cross looked like he was enjoying himself a little too much as the evil guy who drains the city's water supply, is rich, molested his daughter for years, and none of the characters in the movie seemed to care enough to stop him!
A masterful screenplay. When I was quarantined with covid I spent a day watching, in this order, McCabe & Mrs Miller, There Will Be Blood, Chinatown, Bugsy and Casino. If anyone has a good deal of time on their hands, it was an amazing playlist. Great reaction by the way.
Great movie, great reaction. My favorite Faye Dunaway film is Bonnie and Clyde (1967). It's very different from Chinatown but maybe even more influential.
The greatest ending to any movie I've ever seen. Not a nice ending but so real and a searing indictment of the way the rich can get away with anything. Great reaction mate.
Seconding others, 1967's _In The Heat Of The Night_ is essential viewing. And John Huston's filmography of classics is one to dive into: _The Maltese Falcon_ (1941 - Huston kicks off the '40s Noir genre here) _The Man Who Would Be King_ (1975 - Sean Connery & Michael Caine in one of the greatest adventure films ever made)
Sir Sean’s all-time favorite film he was in. Watched it the day of his passing. Made for a very emotional experience, coupled with watching Robin and Marian (1976) the following day- in light of the aforementioned context, the ending of that film was a particularly strong emotional punch
24:56 - Wow, James, you absolutely nail the entire movie right there, you are totally getting it, and on the first viewing! Brilliant. The father is played by John Huston, one of the greatest directors ever and practically the inventor of film-noir ("The Maltese Falcon", "The Asphalt Jungle" and tons of incredible movies). He also was the father of Jack Nicholson's girlfriend at the time: Angelica Huston! So when he asks Nicholson, "are you sleeping with her?" in the movie, it definitely had meaning outside of the movie! :D Fantastic reaction to one of the truly great ones!
Brilliant reaction to this classic bro! They totally rip your heart out of your chest with the ending. Great script by Robert Towne, music by legendary Jerry Goldsmith. Noah Cross was played by master director John Huston. Curly, our character at the beginning of the movie, who came back to help Jack was Burt Young (Rocky). Another great film worth checking out is the 1973 best picture winner The Sting with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Thanks!
This film has a "top tier" movie ending that beautifully mimics the troubling moments most of us have experienced in life. The movie score at the beginning of the film is just a beautiful piece of music, but after that ending, the score becomes a concise theme of what we have all witnessed watching this brilliant film. God bless!
Land, water, corruption and power... The history of LA in a nut shell. Los Angeles is the perfect city for Noir, it was literally built on blood and secrets.
The most reserved part I remember Jack playing in was About Schmidt. He got nominated for it & many thought he would win his 4th oscar for it but he was upset by Adrian Brody
Watching your video here, I never really thought about the visual metaphor of water through-out the film and your commentary on the motivations on Jack Nicholson's character made me love this film even more. Thank You, James!
Love this movie. When that smokey trumpet plays I get goosebumps. My favorite film from the 70s . Won so many awards and deserved every one. 👍 great reaction.
A top 10 director of all time, John Huston, as Noah Cross. He was also the father of actress Angelica Huston, who was Nicholson’s partner for almost 20 years. John Huston directed an incredible body of work over more than 50 years. His father was the legendary actor Walter Huston.
“'Course I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough” Is my all time favourite Movie line.
When I was in college sometime before the dawn of time, my screenwriting professor believed that Chinatown came as close to perfect as it was possible form film to be. We spent an entire quarter (or semester, I fo0rget if this was before or after we made the switch) studying this script and this movie. This movie taught me more about the art of cinema than any other single source. James' early comment about learning things with Jake is spot on. One of the things to learn from this movie is that perspective = identification. Polanski was careful throughout to make sure that every single thing comes to us through Jake's eyes. Only once do we ever learn something before Jake does: when Jake is telling the dirty joke without knowing that Evelyn is behind him. This very carefully, silently, and subtly transfers a portion of audience identification from Jake to Evelyn. Even this one technique and fact was revelatory to me.
You might know this already, but Jerry Goldsmith wrote the score for Alien (1979) as well as for Chinatown. He was also selected by Director Curtis Hanson to score his film L.A. Confidential (which you reacted to before!) because Goldsmith's music, according to Hanson, "scared the crap out of me!"
Many essays/criticisms/documentaries insist "Chinatown" is one of the best screenplays ever. I was 19, dating a 24-year-old, when I saw this movie at its release. ......considered myself pretty sophisticated. But the "slapping scene" made me realize that there was a LOT going on in the world I knew nothing about. I could talk about this movie for hours. Wonderful reaction, James. Thanks for posting.
Was so looking forward to this reaction! Faye Dunaway has some incredible titles to her name and Network especially is a *MUST* though I'm also fascinated by what you'd think of Bonnie & Clyde.
I strongly sugest for you to read "The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood", its one of the best books I ever read and its all about the making of this incredible movie. At the end of the book you really understand why this type of film was never made again, they took a special time of the industry and it was never the same.
Notice that James Hong played Evelyn Mulwray's Chinese valet, in 1974's "Chinatown". In 1982, James Hong had a role in another great Film Noir, the futuristic masterpiece "Blade Runner". Hong played the genetic eye designer, questioned by the two male replicants in his freezing cold laboratory.
The actor who played the villain Noah Cross is the genius filmmaker John Huston, who's considered "the Ernest Hemingway of American cinema". His films are must-sees including "The Maltese Falcon", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", "The African Queen", "The Asphalt Jungle", "Fat City", "The Man Who Would Be King", "Moby Dick", "The Red Badge of Courage", "Prizzi's Honor" and many more classics.
I watched this last night with my partner, this has been one of my favourite movies for a long time and to get to share the experience with her was wonderful. Damn I just knew that you would have a video for this, loved the movie and loved watching your reaction.
"she's gorgeous..." wow for once James, always the acute observer, seems distracted by a lady's sheer beauty ! Faye Dunaway earned her second Oscar nomination for that role. Amazing actress.
I got chills just looking at your thumbnail. I freaking love this movie and the great news? The first time watching is just getting through the mystery part! Every time you watch this movie, you'll get something out of it, as I'm sure you discovered just by editing it./Yeah, Nicholson never only played loonies! He always did good guys and bad guys, and everything in between. / Faye Dunaway I'm sure you remember from "Network". She's also Bonnie, in "Bonnie And Clyde", the gangster movie that really kicked off the American "new wave" (which includes stuff like "Chinatown" and these 70s classics you've been watching). Highly recommend that one!/You talk about how great the writing is; they teach this script in film school! A legendary screenplay by Robert Towne. (he also helped write "Bonnie & Clyde", but was uncredited).
Chinatown is often lauded for is amazing directing and acting, and it should be. One of the all time greats. What is often not discussed is this is one of the first “twist” endings. Long before Seven, Usual Suspects and Six Sense. The impact of the big reveal will stick with you always. Amazing movie.
I'm halfway through this video and I can't wait to see your reaction to the ending. LATER: Watching you watch this was almost like seeing it again for the first time. I saw Chinatown when it came out in 1974 and it completely devastated me. It's so dark and so brutal; Noah Cross is one of the greatest villains in movies. And yet the movie itself is so beautiful because it's so well made. All of the pieces fit together so tightly, everyone involved in it is at the top of their game. I don't know how many times I've seen it since then but it never fails to hold me from start to finish. Glad you enjoyed one of the greatest movies ever made. Good luck with your future career.
As others will have mentioned, the creepy old man-monster was played by famed director, John Huston, who is widely credited with inventing Film Noir and its tropes. At the very least, the first movie that he directed was the first Great Film Noir, "The Maltese Falcon" -- still one of the best in the genre. He also directed Humphrey Bogart in "Treasure of the Sierra Madre", which co-starred the director's father Walter, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role. The Huston acting dynasty includes Angelica Huston and Danny Huston. And their progenitor, Walter, was Canadian, so y'all are welcome! One of my favourite John Huston movies is 1975's "The Man Who Would Be King", based on a Rudyard Kipling novel. It starred Michael Caine and a post-James Bond Sean Connery, in one of the greatest adventure movies ever filmed. I mean, Adventure with a Capital A, man.
~Wow - what a GREAT reaction to a tremendous movie. Just loved the Puddle-River-Sea analogy - I'd not figured that for myself, when I watched 'Chinatown'. Chutzpah to Roman Polanski for this movie. He did the 'Dick Noir' genre and knocked it clean out the ball park. Great that you likened 'Chinatown' to 'No Country...' too, but remember, this was 35 years the predecessor to the Coen Brothers. (Great choice of play-out music dude. Always a lovely bonus to listen to 'Purple jacket....' Respec'
What a punch in the gut, right? You get so invested in the characters and the story, it makes you take it personally when disaster strikes. There's not a whole lot of movies that can do that so effectively. That's art, man. Art in its truest, darkest, most brutally beautiful form. What a film.
Oh man, this is gonna be great! Dude keep doing you James. And I loved the shots of the countryside you uploaded yesterday. It was so incredibly gorgeous, really reminds me of the assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. That’s a Picture you should watch I think it’s right up your alley.
How have you never heard of this film before? It’s one of the greats! Glad you finally got to see it though. One of the best scripts of all time, expertly directed.
One of my all time favorites! I re-watch every couple of years, and I always catch more details. Directing, acting, editing, cinematography, score are all on point but none of them would be worth a damn without Robert Towne's absolutely bulletproof script. I also highly recommend this films sequel "The Two Jakes". It's not as good as this (what could be?) but it's a solid effort.
21:00 I didn't get the impression Jake thought she was necessarily guilty of anything just that she had relevant information that she didn't want to talk about
Legendary John Huston. The films he directed are classics that are definitely worth checking out: The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The Asphalt Jungle, The African Queen, The Misfits.
4:12 Yelling man is Rance Howard, father of Ron Howard. You cut out the scene where the director, Roman Polanski, comes onscreen for just a few minutes to slit Nicholson’s nose (and he spends the rest of the movie with that huge ridiculous bandage) as if to say, “This isn’t your movie. It’s mine.”
We weren’t mad as hell, just resigned that it was going to end badly, and yeah it did. Saw this in the Cinema, amazing. It’s the noir kid, it’ll get ya eventually
Song that sampled this film (first 30 seconds): th-cam.com/video/5MetCdZfTTo/w-d-xo.html
...
Again another incredible film that I personally feel, captures the expert craftsmanship behind filmmaking and why it’s something to strive towards for anybody interested in storytelling. From subtle hinting of the end by showing her head accidentally on the horn from an earlier scene..to intentional camera movement setting into frames that can be interpreted to the detail.
Similar to Amadeus, Chinatown is a beautiful homage to master level filmmaking. In my opinion. Definitely plan on creating a video about it that explains why it’s so inspiring, in the very near future.
that song is dope
This is more like an idea but could you maybe react to Shang Chi and the legend of the 10 rings it has so many breautiful shots and i loved the visuals. I also think you would lobe Yelana from the Black widow movie
You should take a look at Bonnie and Clyde with Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty it broke a lot of rules for its time.
@@molehansman247 beautiful film. That scene with Adrian and the piano in moonlight is pure movie magic. Shame he’s such a despicable person.
Robert Towne's screenplay is considered one of the best ever written. You can find a copy of it very likely. And Ronan Polanski is one of the very greatest of directors. I'd love to see what you think of his THE NINTH GATE, one of my favorites of his.
"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown". Probably one of the most quoted and memed lines of all time.
Love that line. Hits like hell now.
Forget it, Nicholas. It's Sanford.
@@TomEyeTheSFMguy I actually got that reference!
@@alexa.english174 great on you.
@@JamesVSCinema the sequel "Two Jakes" is great too!
"Politicians, ugly buildings and whores all get respectable if they last long enough" - Best quote from a movie.
Sent shivers.
I had someone tell me when I was in the military this exact quote about woman , he gave no mention or credit to the movie. Years later I saw the movie and realized alot of people are just unoriginal hacks.
If you are interested in Noir, I would highly suggest Sunset Boulevard (1950). Directed by Billy Wilder who is among the greatest directors of the golden era.
Or Double Indemnity.
Or "Touch of Evil" (1958) from Orson Welles
..and if you are interested in neo-noir, then give William Friedkin's 1985 film "To Live and Die In LA" a viewing.
PLEASE SUNSET BOULEVARD
@@Gravyballs2011 perhaps too obvious but another classic neo-noir is LA Confidential
The actor who played the ultimate evil Noah Cross is a brilliant director in his own right, The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (1948) is one of the best movies ever made, a timeless must watch.
Yup, John Huston, he also directed the Maltese Falcon, one of the most iconic films in films noir.
Directed his dad, Walter, to an oscar in it.
By todays standards he was a horrible director, because he was an absolute tyrant on set.
@@Quotenwagnerianer Todays standards are irrelevant. Actors that don't like it can decide not to work with someone.
@@Quotenwagnerianer I wonder if that was true with his great swansong film "The Dead", which seemed to me to be so full of care and love for the Irish, that I can't imagine it made by a director acting as a tyrant.
Fun fact, shortly after this film, Jack Nicholson was advised by a reporter that, who he had thought was his mother was actually his grandmother. And that who he thought was his sister, was his mother. She had him at a young age and they covered it up. They both died before he found out. That’s when he really took on crazier roles.
Holy crap…
It's interesting how much this movie mirrors real life. In addition to that Jack Nicholson thing, I feel like the line "You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything" also fits Polanski's life.
@@JamesVSCinema not a whole lot else to say but that...
@@jori1 I always thought “ Roman , why ? Your wife was horribly murdered and yet you barely put yourself above the Manson family level with that move and it is not like you couldn’t have had another beautiful legal age female companion “
@@dagnabbit6187 Not just the murder of his pregnant wife, he also survived the holocaust as a child. It would be pretty surprising if neither of those things effected his mental health in some way.
This was another film my grandmother took me to see when I was 16 and it was playing at the theater. I remember I started to cry when he reaches up at the end and covers her eyes, the horror of it hit me so hard at that moment and I've never forgotten it. My second memory was of my grandmother's excited expression when the lights went up and she said "wasn't it so GOOD?" And I had to admit that, ending aside, it was an awesome movie. She was the only family I had growing up and I was so lucky that not only did she have an incredible passion for film, but that she loved sharing it with me. That little look of joy on her face in the theater still stays with me and I think about it whenever I see films like this one that ask us to wrestle with the darker parts of being human. Yeah, it's horrifying, but isn't it great? So glad you reacted to this one too!
Your grandma was one hell of a lady.
What a wonderful memory of your grandmother! Thanks for sharing.
The man who played Noah Cross is John Huston, a legendary filmmaker who made The Maltese Falcon, one of the first and most influential of the Noir movement throughout the 40's and 50's.
This is one of the best movies ever made imo. One of the best crafted stories full of twists and subtly. It is rich in themes of greed, corruption and power. It’s dark and fascinating. The music is great. The outfits are great. The ending is ICONIC.
It is one of the 10 best films ever imo
“Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown.”
Really feels like it’s being said to the viewer.
One of the beautiful things about this movie is how everything comes full circle, including director Roman Polanski's decision to cast John Huston as Noah Cross. John Huston (one of the greatest directors of all time), is credited with directing what many consider the very first film noir, The Maltese Falcon. The decision to cast him in Chinatown, a film many consider the defining neo-noir film, is pure genius and certainly a nod to Huston's great influence on the genre and filmmaking as a whole. John Huston's The Maltese Falcon, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Asphalt Jungle, The African Queen and others helped shape cinema as we know it.
When this film came out, the industry wasn't in the "nothing but happy endings" mode that came with the Spielberg / Lucas era of film. No one came out of this film disappointed, but staggered by it's twists and turns and originality and everyone loved it. Other Jack films from this era that are must watches - One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest - The Last Detail - Five Easy Pieces
I've said it before, I'll say it again: There's who you are BEFORE "She's my sister! She's my daughter!" and there's who you are AFTER. That moment changes you.
The problem is that I grew up with Pinky and the Brain so when I finally saw this as an adult the impact was dulled by the memory of "She's a mouse AND a hamster?"
The first time I realized the depravity and sheer horror of that revelation, there was no going back. Jake became too invested in this and didn't leave sleeping dogs lie. Hence, he paid the ultimate price and has to live with that for all of his days.
With the recent passing of Sidney Poitier, I hope you’ll make an opportunity to react to In the Heat of the Night soon, if you haven’t already seen it. It’s one of those films I never tire of watching.
Also, you’ve been picking some really great movies lately.
Appreciate that Brett! And I’m sure I’ll hit that up sooner than later!
@@JamesVSCinema I recommended another Sidney Poitier movie to you, "Sneakers," the DAY BEFORE he died. Crazy coincidence. Whatever movie you pick, I'm sure you'll love it. Sidney Poitier was widely respected for decades for a good reason. There's never going to be another actor quite like him. RIP.
Seconded.
Strongly!
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner is also a good watch.
In the Heat of the Night is a wonderful movie, but if possible I'd recommend reading the book first. The movie is superior to the book as drama, but does not even attempt to preserve the ingenuity of the murder mystery in the book, which is extraordinarily clever. Better to read the book first and appreciate the very surprising but perfectly prepared solution, rather than letting the movie give away the solution without doing anything to make it interesting -- that's not where the movie's interests lie. Then watch the movie, and watch the beautiful performances and character interactions. That way you can enjoy the best of both, and both are more than worth the effort. I don't know if you would have time to do this, but I can tell you that it will be really rewarding if you do.
You should watch Double Indemnity! One of the absolute best film noirs ever! Barbara Stanwyck is glorious in it, and Edward G Robinson steals the whole movie.
Absolutely! Night Of The Hunter needs to be seen too!
I absolutely love John Huston as the villain in this.
He was a hell of a director, too. He made a lot of great movies.
And he was the second-best Gandalf we ever got.
And such an interesting timber to his voice. I've heard him narrating many things, and he's a natural genius at it.
@@magicbrownie1357, he was perfect as The Lawgiver in whichever Planet of the Apes movie he showed up in. That voice!
And was a villain in real life, too. Probably worse than Polanski. Read Black Dahlia Avenger for more on this...
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is one of my favorite films.
I was shown this in a film class on screenwriting along with some other greats, a noir's noir, with the teacher being this older, kooky guy who had a library of knowledge in his head. I was loving every second of it, but apparently I was one of only a few, because enough students were complaining about him on the grounds, "His tastes are too old, so like, uh, we aren't learning anything!" For real. I couldn't believe the mindset and how the school actually fired him for this midway through the year, but he got his justice when he sued them back for age discrimination and won. I mean, if you can't learn something from a movie like Chinatown you pretty much can't learn anything at all, or may as well not even try. The other students embodied where movies have gone lately, sad to say, but it's really, really nice to see wiser sorts like around here who draw from a more complete picture for inspiration. The feeling here is way more fun, about as good as any class with everyone joining in together.
Anyway, what I love about noir beyond the usual formula is they start dreamy, other-worldly, and then they hit with stark reality, and this is no less dark in its subject matter than anything more modern like L.A. Noir or whatever, so it shows what that class knew.
Wow, that story really bummed me out in a huge way. I'm shocked. Angry. I mean, we're talking 1970s, we're talking one of the greats, a film-school staple. And wow, the history of film, going back to the very beginning, is fascinating and rich. I'm just shaking my head in disbelief, especially when we've been living through decades of rehash. So you'd think you'd want to be in touch with the source. When a piece of art can transcend time and speak directly to a person's heart, mind and soul......it's one of the most magical things in existence. It breaks my heart that these students and the college itself could be so stupid. They really missed out, that's what it comes down to. Their loss.
@@TTM9691 more than simply stupid, I am pretty sure they were not only incorrect and narrow minded but add ignorance as well to the mix.
Holy damn-when I got this notification, I clicked right away. Nothing better than to see you react to an absolute classic film like this. Thanks James! 😁 Made me forget about my Covid pains for a while.
Of course!! I hope you get all your needs done with that!
@@JamesVSCinema Thanks, man-hope you keep well yourself! I know you get suggestions all the time, but one I’d highly recommend from this era (and one nobody else is reacting to) is the 1973 film “Papillon” with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman.
Love how you dropped the self-censoring at the finale, no question lol. And you pretty much nailed the Chinatown motif, it’s not a place in the film as much as it is a feeling. The unstoppable force of good intentions meets the immovable object of evil out of your depth
"For all my viewers out there who probably don't hear me cuss, I am sorry"
Forget it, James, it's Chinatown.
Glad you watched this. One of the best screenplays ever written!
Thanks Daniel, me too!
I will never forget the day I first saw this movie. I had nothing particular to do that day,, and I saw in the newspaper an ad for this new movie, opening that day. I'd heard no advance word about it, but I love detective films, so this sounded like a pleasant way to kill a couple of hours. I went in to the theater (a wonderful old theater that no longer exists) expecting nothing more than that, and went out knowing that I had just seen one of the greatest movies ever made, on its opening day.
Chinatown might be one of the best movies I've ever seen. With that being said, I've only watched it once in full for obvious reasons. It's just so soul crushing and infuriating.
I love how this movie really captures the aesthetic, look and feel of that time period. Movies today rarely seem to really capture the look of past time periods in the 20th century. Drives me nuts when I see something set in, let's say, the 70s or 60s and the hair/makeup or even the sets don't look like it's from that period. It's cool to see this era covered though, which doesn't always get a lot of attention in film.
"The two Jakes" directed by Jack Nicholson is the sequel, not of course the same level but rather pleasant to watch imo
In my Top 3 favorite films of all-time and one of very few true perfect films & masterpieces in cinema history. Despite how terrible of a human the creator of this film is, he still crafted a well shot, well acted, well written and overall well developed piece of art, and if it wasn't for the character of Jake Gittes played to perfection by Jack Nicholson I wouldn't want to write and create characters and try to be a smart writer. What a HECK of a film. 🙌
Yeah this film is packed with incredible intention to detail.
Chinatown is among Polanski's early film masterpieces, which include Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion, and are well worth checking out.
Nicholson's role here shows what he could do before he developed the tics and bad habits of later films, another good performance being in "The Passenger".
As an avid cinephile and filmmaker myself...films I highly recommend (in case you haven't seen these flicks), I'll provide 10: Koyaanisqatsi (1982), Nausicaa (1984), High & Low (1963), Moonlight (2016), the original 1954 uncut version of Godzilla, Grave of the Fireflies (1988), M (1931), Wings of Desire (1987), Persepolis (2007), and The Great Dictator (1940)
sadly the rights owners for the studio ghibli movies are cracking down hard on the reaction channels
The sign of a great movie is that it sucks you in and you are no longer watching the movie but you are in it. Great writing, directing and acting. This is a movie that is watchable multiple times because you try to find clues that you missed before that bring you to the conclusion of the movie. Even though I knew that shotgun blast was coming in the orange grove I stilled jumped. The Maltese Falcon is a movie you should watch. Another movie that isn't a noir film but is fantastic is White Heat with James Cagney, that movie is top of the world.
12 minutes in, “She’s a victim to everyone’s motivation.” Dude. 🎯 Wait’ll you see how much.
An otherworldly film. Absolutely timeless
This movie is definitely a 70’s movie. It’s cynicism leaves you genuinely pissed off by the end. It’s perfect at what it was trying to do.
It was a golden time in Hollywood when almost every good movie had a depressing ending.
The way Noah Cross covers his daughters face as he drags her off at the end shows his monstrosity in full effect. I shudder every time I think of the future that lies in wait for that girl. Oh god 😢
This is considered one of the greatest screenplays in film history. I had to read and study parts of it in film school.
About your reaction to the ending: forget it, James. It's Chinatown.
What do you study in film school? I mean about the film Chinatown, what do they teach you and why is it technically the best screenplay of all time
Wow, James, I didn't even dare to dream about you reacting to this masterpiece. I am a very happy man right now. This movie has one of the best scripts ever written and Jack Nicholson is just perfect as Jake.
Hope you enjoyed the video!!
I did and I loved your reaction to the ending. I had the same feeling when I first watched this movie, I was angry because I was invested in the main characters but at the same time I was really glad that the creators had been so brave to serve the public such a bleak ending. Great film.
I've watched a ton of these and I think this might be the first time actually hearing James swear on video, but for a film as dark, cynical, and emotionally devastating as Chinatown, I think it's appropriate. That ending will haunt me forever. If you haven't seen it I would 100% recommend The Pianist.
Damn bro, you’ve been killing it with these videos recently. This is one of those films I can watch two times in a week. It’s definitely top 20 film I’ve ever seen.
I remember seeing this the first time, in film class at uni, that ending. I sat there opening mouthed in shock. Horrific, shocking, worthy of every plaudit it ever got
I saw this film a few years ago and I remember not being crazy about it in the moment but once that ending hit, oh hell it really hit. The ending makes the entire viewing experience memorable for me. It's so effed up in the best way possible. I will never forget the feelings that ending gave me.
Yeah that ending shook me indefinitely.
You said 'effed up in the best way possible'?? Pardon me, but how exactly is that the 'best way possible'?? It seems like a lot of men on here have said the same thing about this movie and how 'amazing it is' because of how evil Cross is. Are you saying you actually liked the movie and the ending?? The guy who played Cross looked like he was enjoying himself a little too much as the evil guy who drains the city's water supply, is rich, molested his daughter for years, and none of the characters in the movie seemed to care enough to stop him!
@@brynne77he’s an actor he’s playing a character
A masterful screenplay. When I was quarantined with covid I spent a day watching, in this order, McCabe & Mrs Miller, There Will Be Blood, Chinatown, Bugsy and Casino. If anyone has a good deal of time on their hands, it was an amazing playlist. Great reaction by the way.
You have very good taste in movies 🍿
Twenty dwarves took turns doing handstands on the carpet - "Bugsy" Siegel
Great movie, great reaction. My favorite Faye Dunaway film is Bonnie and Clyde (1967). It's very different from Chinatown but maybe even more influential.
The greatest ending to any movie I've ever seen. Not a nice ending but so real and a searing indictment of the way the rich can get away with anything. Great reaction mate.
This ending will never leave you.
Seconding others, 1967's _In The Heat Of The Night_ is essential viewing.
And John Huston's filmography of classics is one to dive into:
_The Maltese Falcon_ (1941 - Huston kicks off the '40s Noir genre here)
_The Man Who Would Be King_ (1975 - Sean Connery & Michael Caine in one of the greatest adventure films ever made)
The Man Who Would be King deserves to be better known.
Sir Sean’s all-time favorite film he was in. Watched it the day of his passing. Made for a very emotional experience, coupled with watching Robin and Marian (1976) the following day- in light of the aforementioned context, the ending of that film was a particularly strong emotional punch
James, I'd love to see you react to 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' w/ Jack Nicholson. One of the best movies of all time, imho.
Yes!! Favorite acting from an entire cast I've seen in a movie
24:56 - Wow, James, you absolutely nail the entire movie right there, you are totally getting it, and on the first viewing! Brilliant. The father is played by John Huston, one of the greatest directors ever and practically the inventor of film-noir ("The Maltese Falcon", "The Asphalt Jungle" and tons of incredible movies). He also was the father of Jack Nicholson's girlfriend at the time: Angelica Huston! So when he asks Nicholson, "are you sleeping with her?" in the movie, it definitely had meaning outside of the movie! :D Fantastic reaction to one of the truly great ones!
Brilliant reaction to this classic bro! They totally rip your heart out of your chest with the ending. Great script by Robert Towne, music by legendary Jerry Goldsmith. Noah Cross was played by master director John Huston. Curly, our character at the beginning of the movie, who came back to help Jack was Burt Young (Rocky). Another great film worth checking out is the 1973 best picture winner The Sting with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Thanks!
This film has a "top tier" movie ending that beautifully mimics the troubling moments most of us have experienced in life. The movie score at the beginning of the film is just a beautiful piece of music, but after that ending, the score becomes a concise theme of what we have all witnessed watching this brilliant film. God bless!
Land, water, corruption and power... The history of LA in a nut shell.
Los Angeles is the perfect city for Noir, it was literally built on blood and secrets.
The most reserved part I remember Jack playing in was About Schmidt. He got nominated for it & many thought he would win his 4th oscar for it but he was upset by Adrian Brody
Watching your video here, I never really thought about the visual metaphor of water through-out the film and your commentary on the motivations on Jack Nicholson's character made me love this film even more. Thank You, James!
What I love about Chinatown is that it's a real mystery film. We don't enough of those.
Love this movie.
When that smokey trumpet plays I get goosebumps.
My favorite film from the 70s .
Won so many awards and deserved every one.
👍 great reaction.
I remember watching this for my film class on a big theatre screen it was such a good movie
so glad you finally got to watch this, pretty sure I reacted to the dips and dives of this movie pretty much the same way when I first watched this
A top 10 director of all time, John Huston, as Noah Cross. He was also the father of actress Angelica Huston, who was Nicholson’s partner for almost 20 years. John Huston directed an incredible body of work over more than 50 years. His father was the legendary actor Walter Huston.
“'Course I'm respectable. I'm old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough” Is my all time favourite Movie line.
I'm so happy you finally watched this movie.
This and L.A. Confidential are two of my favorite crime noir films I've seen these past couple of years.
If you want another neo-noir masterpiece, check out Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye. IMO, one of the great movies of the '70s.
Robert Towne's screenplay is next-level. I finally checked this one off my list during Quar 2020, and I'm so, so glad I did.
When I was in college sometime before the dawn of time, my screenwriting professor believed that Chinatown came as close to perfect as it was possible form film to be. We spent an entire quarter (or semester, I fo0rget if this was before or after we made the switch) studying this script and this movie. This movie taught me more about the art of cinema than any other single source.
James' early comment about learning things with Jake is spot on. One of the things to learn from this movie is that perspective = identification. Polanski was careful throughout to make sure that every single thing comes to us through Jake's eyes. Only once do we ever learn something before Jake does: when Jake is telling the dirty joke without knowing that Evelyn is behind him. This very carefully, silently, and subtly transfers a portion of audience identification from Jake to Evelyn. Even this one technique and fact was revelatory to me.
You might know this already, but Jerry Goldsmith wrote the score for Alien (1979) as well as for Chinatown. He was also selected by Director Curtis Hanson to score his film L.A. Confidential (which you reacted to before!) because Goldsmith's music, according to Hanson, "scared the crap out of me!"
Filmmmaking aside, I really enjoyed how invested you got in this one.
This movie is depressing, but not nearly as depressing as talking over the iconic line in the end. Just tears my heart out.
He IS an absolute monsterman!
Many essays/criticisms/documentaries insist "Chinatown" is one of the best screenplays ever. I was 19, dating a 24-year-old, when I saw this movie at its release. ......considered myself pretty sophisticated. But the "slapping scene" made me realize that there was a LOT going on in the world I knew nothing about. I could talk about this movie for hours. Wonderful reaction, James. Thanks for posting.
Was so looking forward to this reaction! Faye Dunaway has some incredible titles to her name and Network especially is a *MUST* though I'm also fascinated by what you'd think of Bonnie & Clyde.
Fun Fact: The subplot to "Who framed Roger Rabbit" was a proposed second sequel to this movie.
IMO "The Two Jakes" doesn't get enough mention or love.
I strongly sugest for you to read "The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood", its one of the best books I ever read and its all about the making of this incredible movie. At the end of the book you really understand why this type of film was never made again, they took a special time of the industry and it was never the same.
You could write a paper on the parallels between "Chinatown" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".
Roger rabbit was definitely a film noire
Omg you are so good at guessing "the energy" of the characters. That's so cool, such great judgement.
Loved watching this with you. Possibly your best reaction yet!
Notice that James Hong played Evelyn Mulwray's Chinese valet, in 1974's "Chinatown". In 1982, James Hong had a role in another great Film Noir, the futuristic masterpiece "Blade Runner". Hong played the genetic eye designer, questioned by the two male replicants in his freezing cold laboratory.
Double Indemnity is amazing noire movie and my favorite from the genre so I recommend to watch it
The actor who played the villain Noah Cross is the genius filmmaker John Huston, who's considered "the Ernest Hemingway of American cinema". His films are must-sees including "The Maltese Falcon", "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre", "The African Queen", "The Asphalt Jungle", "Fat City", "The Man Who Would Be King", "Moby Dick", "The Red Badge of Courage", "Prizzi's Honor" and many more classics.
The term, "Chinatown," means that you can't change the past, you have to move forward with the future, because that's how the world is now.
I watched this last night with my partner, this has been one of my favourite movies for a long time and to get to share the experience with her was wonderful. Damn I just knew that you would have a video for this, loved the movie and loved watching your reaction.
"she's gorgeous..." wow for once James, always the acute observer, seems distracted by a lady's sheer beauty ! Faye Dunaway earned her second Oscar nomination for that role. Amazing actress.
One detail I love is how just investigating one thing leads to a whole rabbit hole of conspiracies, murder, incest and greed.
Just like how a body of water is usually found.
I got chills just looking at your thumbnail. I freaking love this movie and the great news? The first time watching is just getting through the mystery part! Every time you watch this movie, you'll get something out of it, as I'm sure you discovered just by editing it./Yeah, Nicholson never only played loonies! He always did good guys and bad guys, and everything in between. / Faye Dunaway I'm sure you remember from "Network". She's also Bonnie, in "Bonnie And Clyde", the gangster movie that really kicked off the American "new wave" (which includes stuff like "Chinatown" and these 70s classics you've been watching). Highly recommend that one!/You talk about how great the writing is; they teach this script in film school! A legendary screenplay by Robert Towne. (he also helped write "Bonnie & Clyde", but was uncredited).
I love the Chinatown soundtrack. That trumpet oh god its beautiful - perfect for a nightcap on my balcony at the end of the day
Chinatown is often lauded for is amazing directing and acting, and it should be. One of the all time greats. What is often not discussed is this is one of the first “twist” endings. Long before Seven, Usual Suspects and Six Sense. The impact of the big reveal will stick with you always. Amazing movie.
I'm halfway through this video and I can't wait to see your reaction to the ending.
LATER: Watching you watch this was almost like seeing it again for the first time. I saw Chinatown when it came out in 1974 and it completely devastated me. It's so dark and so brutal; Noah Cross is one of the greatest villains in movies. And yet the movie itself is so beautiful because it's so well made. All of the pieces fit together so tightly, everyone involved in it is at the top of their game. I don't know how many times I've seen it since then but it never fails to hold me from start to finish. Glad you enjoyed one of the greatest movies ever made. Good luck with your future career.
As others will have mentioned, the creepy old man-monster was played by famed director, John Huston, who is widely credited with inventing Film Noir and its tropes. At the very least, the first movie that he directed was the first Great Film Noir, "The Maltese Falcon" -- still one of the best in the genre. He also directed Humphrey Bogart in "Treasure of the Sierra Madre", which co-starred the director's father Walter, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role. The Huston acting dynasty includes Angelica Huston and Danny Huston. And their progenitor, Walter, was Canadian, so y'all are welcome!
One of my favourite John Huston movies is 1975's "The Man Who Would Be King", based on a Rudyard Kipling novel. It starred Michael Caine and a post-James Bond Sean Connery, in one of the greatest adventure movies ever filmed. I mean, Adventure with a Capital A, man.
~Wow - what a GREAT reaction to a tremendous movie.
Just loved the Puddle-River-Sea analogy - I'd not figured that for myself, when I watched 'Chinatown'.
Chutzpah to Roman Polanski for this movie. He did the 'Dick Noir' genre and knocked it clean out the ball park.
Great that you likened 'Chinatown' to 'No Country...' too, but remember, this was 35 years the predecessor to the Coen Brothers.
(Great choice of play-out music dude. Always a lovely bonus to listen to 'Purple jacket....' Respec'
What a punch in the gut, right? You get so invested in the characters and the story, it makes you take it personally when disaster strikes. There's not a whole lot of movies that can do that so effectively. That's art, man. Art in its truest, darkest, most brutally beautiful form. What a film.
I was waiting to see your reaction to the twist of the movie. And you didn't disappoint. Great movie and great acting from start to finish
Oh man, this is gonna be great! Dude keep doing you James. And I loved the shots of the countryside you uploaded yesterday. It was so incredibly gorgeous, really reminds me of the assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. That’s a Picture you should watch I think it’s right up your alley.
I’ve watched it on the channel! And thanks man!
@@JamesVSCinema oh damn! Didn’t know. I gotta check that out thanks dude!
Awesome Work Bro, Thanks!!! 👍👍 Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸
This movie is arguably a *perfect* film. No flaws and so effective.
How have you never heard of this film before? It’s one of the greats! Glad you finally got to see it though. One of the best scripts of all time, expertly directed.
One of my all time favorites! I re-watch every couple of years, and I always catch more details. Directing, acting, editing, cinematography, score are all on point but none of them would be worth a damn without Robert Towne's absolutely bulletproof script.
I also highly recommend this films sequel "The Two Jakes". It's not as good as this (what could be?) but it's a solid effort.
Jazz musician here. I performed most of the music from this movie in different configurations. Either with big bands, jazz combos, etc.
I remember watching this movie about 25 years ago. No other movie hit me like this one did and I've seen a LOT of movies.
I took some screenwriting classes in college and every textbook I had to buy used this script as an example of a perfect screenplay.
21:00 I didn't get the impression Jake thought she was necessarily guilty of anything just that she had relevant information that she didn't want to talk about
A must-see for filmmakers. And a script worthy of academic study.
John Huston was great in this one..not a bad director too. 😉
Legendary John Huston. The films he directed are classics that are definitely worth checking out: The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, The Asphalt Jungle, The African Queen, The Misfits.
4:12 Yelling man is Rance Howard, father of Ron Howard.
You cut out the scene where the director, Roman Polanski, comes onscreen for just a few minutes to slit Nicholson’s nose (and he spends the rest of the movie with that huge ridiculous bandage) as if to say, “This isn’t your movie. It’s mine.”
I've always thought that Noah Cross would make an excellent story for a semi prequel.
We weren’t mad as hell, just resigned that it was going to end badly, and yeah it did. Saw this in the Cinema, amazing. It’s the noir kid, it’ll get ya eventually