Chinatown

[Bushwood 16]

Recently, I saw Chinatown on Netflix for the first time. Thought it was really good. Jack Nicholson killed it, as usual. The ending was definitely tragic.

Reviews online said that it's considered one of the best, if not, the best movie script of all time. To be honest, I don't see it.

To be honest, i think "The Sting" had a better script.

Since many of you are bigger movie buffs than me, any thoughts and comments might help explain.

[mr. sunshine 2,827]

Robert Towne, who is still with us at age 89, was the "script doctor." Didn't even know what that was until Robert Towne became one

[Genco 3,041]

46 minutes ago, Bushwood said:

Recently, I saw Chinatown on Netflix for the first time. Thought it was really good. Jack Nicholson killed it, as usual. The ending was definitely tragic.

Reviews online said that it's considered one of the best, if not, the best movie script of all time. To be honest, I don't see it.

You don't know what you're talking about you dumb Okie.

[GhostOfTomJoad 9,339]

It's brilliant, and a film that gets better with repeat viewings. 

[atomheartbevo 89,735]

35 minutes ago, GhostOfTomJoad said:

It's brilliant, and a film that gets better with repeat viewings. 

Exactly what I tell people about that 1989 classic, Bat Bitch.

[DixonHur 11,342]

I cringe every time Roman cuts Jake's nose

[DeepEastTexas 644]

Good movie, far from the best script of all time. Not even the best in its genre, I'd say The Usual Suspects is a far better script. Just my opinion though. 
 

Nicholson was great, as was John Huston.

Edited April 7 by DeepEastTexas

[ztejas 43,491]

Butch Cassidy is my favorite script of all time.

[Upgrayedd 5,815]

You’re fucking like a goddamnn chinamen

[Eskimohorn 5,637]

Good movie, far from the best script of all time. Not even the best in its genre, I'd say The Usual Suspects is a far better script. Just my opinion though. 
 
Nicholson was great, as was John Huston.

Well Chinatown was nominated for 11 Oscars and the only thing that won was screenplay. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt since Towne was writing for Jack Nicholson and McQuarrie for Stephen Baldwin.

Though adapted from a book, best screenplay in this genre is LA Confidential.

[DeepEastTexas 644]

11 hours ago, Eskimohorn said:

Well Chinatown was nominated for 11 Oscars and the only thing that won was screenplay. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt since Towne was writing for Jack Nicholson and McQuarrie for Stephen Baldwin.

Though adapted from a book, best screenplay in this genre is LA Confidential.

The Usual Suspects also won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Made a star out of Spacey. It's likely LA Confidential doesn't have Spacey in the cast without his Oscar performance in The Usual Suspects. 
 

Don't get me wrong, love all three films. This is film making at its best. I just give the edge to TUS. The one thing both LAC and Chinatown have over TUS is setting. Those time periods in LA are perfect for the genre. 

[Eskimohorn 5,637]

The Usual Suspects also won an Oscar for Best Screenplay. Made a star out of Spacey. It's likely LA Confidential doesn't have Spacey in the cast without his Oscar performance in The Usual Suspects. 
 
Don't get me wrong, love all three films. This is film making at its best. I just give the edge to TUS. The one thing both LAC and Chinatown have over TUS is setting. Those time periods in LA are perfect for the genre. 

Respect TUD but “by far the better script” is suspect

[DeepEastTexas 644]

4 minutes ago, Eskimohorn said:

Respect TUD but “by far the better script” is suspect

Fair.  I thought the overall story was better in TUS, but I also think Chinatown had some great film noire lines in the movie.  One of my favorites is when Huston's character asks Nicholson if he is sleeping with his daughter and Jake responds with "if you want an answer to that question, Mr. Cross, I'll put one of my men on the job". 

[RPM 26,326]

Chinatown is one of those very rare "perfect" films. Cast, crew, cinematography, script. Everything clicked.

[henrygandorf 29,193]

it's hard to evaluate something like a screenplay 50+ years after it came out, because it inspired so many movies you've seen since.  it's like the stupid argument people get into about pulp fiction and how telling a story out-of-sequence isn't that special (duh, because pulp fiction basically invented it).

chinatown used twists and turns in ways that were revolutionary at the time, and we learn a lot about jake - both who he is and how he got that way - through his actions and his relationships, which is another thing that wasn't really done in in the 50's and 60's.  we were coming off decades full of westerns, musicals, and plays-turned-movies, so original screenplays (and many adapted from books) like this were hard to come by.  godfathers, the sting, chinatown, the conversation, the early 70's all the way up through president's men and jaws really changed hollywood.

go read "easy riders, raging bulls" if you want more insight.  that decade was dark and dingy and inspired the gritty and cool movies of the 90's, my favorite movie decade.

i've seen this movie 25+ times and i notice something new every time.

 

[BHMCruiser 1,814]

"Are you alone?"

Jake, looking at the others in his office:

"Isn't everybody?"

[C-Man 27,234]

On 4/7/2024 at 12:24 AM, Eskimohorn said:

Well Chinatown was nominated for 11 Oscars and the only thing that won was screenplay. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt since Towne was writing for Jack Nicholson and McQuarrie for Stephen Baldwin.

Though adapted from a book, best screenplay in this genre is LA Confidential.

Chinatown came out the same year as The Godfather II so I don't fault it for "only" winning one Academy Award.

Chinatown is a phenomenally good movie. I use some variation of "Forget it, Jake -- it's Chinatown" line all the time.

[Eskimohorn 5,637]

Chinatown came out the same year as The Godfather II so I don't fault it for "only" winning one Academy Award.
Chinatown is a phenomenally good movie. I use some variation of "Forget it, Jake -- it's Chinatown" line all the time.

In the context of screenplay discussion, I implied the screenplay was exceptional. It was the foundation of an all-time movie. Not disparaging the movie at all which was part of my Columbia House VHS collection along with Se7en and some others.

[Bateshorn 9,928]

I'll be the outlier here: Chinatown is good, not great. It gets draggy for me, but I realize I'm the exception. 

Jack is excellent of course, "Forget it Jake, It's Chinatown" is easily one of the most qoutable lines in movie history (Although I use it less than "Deserves got nothing to do with it") but when I think of 5-10 greatest movies ever, Chinatown isn't something that springs immediately into my head.  

@henrygandorf is right: that was such an epically productive time for Hollywood.  It is my fervent hope that as comic book mania recedes, much like Western's, we will see another burst of creativity and innovative film making. 

Edited April 10 by Bateshorn

[Michael Knight 12,989]

On 4/7/2024 at 12:24 AM, Eskimohorn said:

Well Chinatown was nominated for 11 Oscars and the only thing that won was screenplay. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt since Towne was writing for Jack Nicholson and McQuarrie for Stephen Baldwin.

Though adapted from a book, best screenplay in this genre is LA Confidential.

I mean no you're wrong, Chinatown is one of the greatest screenplays of all time. The only competition is like the Godfather, Citizen Kane and Casablanca 

[Michael Knight 12,989]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:20 PM, henrygandorf said:

 it's like the stupid argument people get into about pulp fiction and how telling a story out-of-sequence isn't that special (duh, because pulp fiction basically invented it).

 

no like everything else Tarantino copied it and popularized it for stupid people

[Michael Knight 12,989]

1 hour ago, Bateshorn said:

 

@henrygandorf is right: that was such an epically productive time for Hollywood.  It is my fervent hope that as comic book mania recedes, much like Western's, we will see another burst of creativity and innovative film making. 

I mean we already saw it but it was on TV instead, you're not going to get the kind of creative freedom you got from New Hollywood without some sort of triggering cultural event and generally something has to collapse for a movement to happen, there's only one French New Wave.

[henrygandorf 29,193]

1 hour ago, Michael Knight said:

no like everything else Tarantino copied it and popularized it for stupid people

that's why i used the word "basically".

[DixonHur 11,342]

23 hours ago, Michael Knight said:

I mean no you're wrong, Chinatown is one of the greatest screenplays of all time. The only competition is like the Godfather, Citizen Kane and Casablanca 

Oof, talk about overrated films.

[Gatorubet 30,249]

6 minutes ago, DixonHur said:

Oof, talk about overrated films.

if you say that about The Third Man, I’ll cut you!

[DixonHur 11,342]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:20 PM, henrygandorf said:

it's like the stupid argument people get into about pulp fiction and how telling a story out-of-sequence isn't that special

Not to start that argument, but non-linear story telling has been used since ancient times.  The Iliad and Odyssey are both non-linear.

[lateshow 1,304]

7 minutes ago, DixonHur said:

Not to start that argument, but non-linear story telling has been used since ancient times.  The Iliad and Odyssey are both non-linear.

#bookfag