A fairly early Jack Nicholson masterpiece with a star cast and engaging storyline. Essentially a 'noir-type' genre film set in 1940s southern California. Gumshoe Jake Gittes (Nicholson) finds himself engaged in shadowing his client's husband who is suspected of adultery but the plot unfolds into something far broader and sinister when the subject turns up dead in a virtually dry resevoir. The dead man was a big player in the Water Works company (Chief Engineer) and his wife's father, Noah Cross (John Huston) is an even bigger player. The real story is about the Water Company's proposals to build a dam using public funds to counteract the effects of the drought on the city of LA, although their real intention is to divert water elsewhere in order to irrigate existing worthless arid land, which they have purchased in advance through various nefarious methods, in order to capitalise on its considerably increased future value, once the dam is finished and the purchased land is properly irrigated and redeveloped. Gumshoe Gittes, starts to realise early on that there's more to the situation than adultery and begins digging, putting himself in contact with the players and consequently in significant danger. Eventually, it becomes clear that the human casualties were merely expendable lives in the eyes of the water supply monopolists, with a dramatic finale involving the death of Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), the character whose dead husband kick started Gittes investigation & discovery of the 'real story'. It's an exquisitely crafted story with a cameo appearance from director Roman Polanski and a substantial character role for John Huston (Noah Cross), perhaps better known for being on the other side of the camera.Read full review
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Great film great cast a must watch if a fan of good movies
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Everything about the film is very good: story, actors and directing.
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One of Jack Nicholson's best performances and a nice build up through the plot to a surprise ending.
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Good film
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