Chinatown
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Metascore
86 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 10 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 86 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson, John Huston
  • Summary: Jack Nicholson is private-eye Jake Gittes, living off the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-war Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extramarital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together for one, unforgettable night in Chinatown. (Paramount)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    100
    A nearly flawless example of movie composition, with close examination revealing how carefully it was put together. For those who take a less studious and more visceral approach to movie viewing, it's also worth noting that Chinatown is a superior thriller - one that will keep viewers involved and "in the moment" until the final, mournful scene has come to a conclusion.
  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    [Nicholson's] performance is key in keeping Chinatown from becoming just a genre crime picture--that, and a Robert Towne screenplay that evokes an older Los Angeles, a small city in a large desert.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    100
    A wonderfully brooding, suspenseful revisitation of the land of film noir, Chinatown is not only one of the greatest detective films, but one of the most perfectly constructed of all films.
  4. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Jessica Winter
    80
    In 1974 a director, a screenwriter, and a producer (Robert Evans, who for once deserves a few of the plaudits he's apportioned himself) could decide to beat a genre senseless and then dump it in the wilds of Greek tragedy. [Review of August 8, 2003 re-release]

See all 10 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. camdenl
    10
    The last stand of film noir.... in color.
  2. Summersausage
    10
    The best Neo-Noir movie ever made. It combines all the intrinsic motivators of the sole and the hunting of human beings. It still got shunned from the Oscars though because of the godfather. I don't have much to say other than the best, simply the best… Expand
  3. grandpajoe6191
    8
    I enjoyed Jack Nicholson's slow yet piercing performance as well as the cinematography, However what makes this one stand amongst other movies is Roman Polanski. His humor-full, danger-full, masterful direction hits the jack pot.… Expand
  4. ERG1008
    7
    Private Investigator, woman hires him to catch her cheating husband, husband's real wife turns up, husband drowns, corruption, twists & turns.
    Film noir with Jack Nicholson doing what he does best before he started grunting his way through films. It has a great atmosphere with it set in 1930s Los Angeles & helped by good dialogue, music & locations.
    Definitely an influence for later films with LA Confidential & Basic Instinct taking from this..    … Expand

See all 19 User Reviews

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