Rewind, Review, and Re-rate: ‘Chinatown’: A Perfect Storm of Writing, Direction, and Performance

Jack Nicholson J.J. 'Jake' Gittes and Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Cross Mulwray in "Chinatown." Paramount Pictures

Arriving at the peak of the “American New Wave” period, “Chinatown” marked the creative zenith for many of those involved in the production, and in particular Robert Towne, who went on to win multiple awards for his screenplay, still considered by most to be the finest of its kind ever written. Towne’s was the sole Oscar-winner (out of 11 nominations) in a year dominated by “The Godfather Part II.”

Pulling in over $29 million at the box office against just a $6 million budget, “Chinatown” obviously made a nice return on investment and received countless critical accolades but was and remains largely ignored by the masses. Even though it starred Jack Nicholson (as private eye Jake Gittes, who appears in every scene) and Faye Dunaway, the most bankable leading lady at the time, the bleak tone and noir subject matter didn’t exactly scream “crowd pleaser!”

Towne and Polanski Take Their Time

Propelled by a haunting and spare jazz score by Jerry Goldsmith, Towne and director Roman Polanski slowly unspool a story that initially appears unnecessarily complicated but in retrospect is the exact opposite. There are no red herring fake suspects, no ah-ha or gotcha plot reveals, and a total absence of lazy narrative sleight-of-hand. Towne’s dispensing of clues is slow, steady and without any type of “above it all” smugness. His almost painfully simple story succeeds because of superior plot and character development and Polanski’s deliberate pacing. Never once do things move along too slow or too fast.