Chinatown
June 1974
4
4
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Synopsis
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4.4
70 total
5 39
4 23
3 5
2 1
1 2
Gene Siskel
As much as I admire the work of both Polanski and Nicholson, I found Chinatown tedious from beginning to just before the end.
A.D. Murphy
Roman Polanski's American made film, first since Rosemary's Baby shows him again in total command of talent and physical filmmaking elements.
Don Druker
Polanski's film suggests that the rules of the game are written in some strange, untranslatable language, and that everyone's an alien and, ultimately, a victim.
The hard-boiled private eye coolly strolls a few steps ahead of the audience.
Jessica Winter
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.
Vincent Canby
A new private-eye melodrama that celebrates not only a time and a place (Los Angeles) but also a kind of criminality that to us jaded souls today appears to be nothing worse than an eccentric form of legitimate private enterprise.
Critic reviews
Gene Siskel
As much as I admire the work of both Polanski and Nicholson, I found Chinatown tedious from beginning to just before the end.
A.D. Murphy
Roman Polanski's American made film, first since Rosemary's Baby shows him again in total command of talent and physical filmmaking elements.
Don Druker
Polanski's film suggests that the rules of the game are written in some strange, untranslatable language, and that everyone's an alien and, ultimately, a victim.
Jessica Winter
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.
Vincent Canby
A new private-eye melodrama that celebrates not only a time and a place (Los Angeles) but also a kind of criminality that to us jaded souls today appears to be nothing worse than an eccentric form of legitimate private enterprise.
James Berardinelli
It takes a Herculean effort to transform this type into a character and to replace the formula with a story, and Chinatown's success in both of these regards is one of the reasons it is universally viewed as a classic.
User reviews
Cast and credits
Actors | Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, John Hillerman, Diane Ladd, Darrell Zwerling, James Hong, Noble Willingham, Denny Arnold |
Producers | Robert Evans |
Director | Roman Polanski |
Writers | Robert Towne |
Additional information
Rotten tomatoes® score
Audio language
Subtitles
English
Rental period
Start within 30 days, finish within 48 hours.
Info cards
Run time
130 minutes
Rating
R
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