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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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MORE "FILM NO" THAN "FILM NOIR"!
Even though it is still one of California's unsolved murders, the whole Elizabeth Short case can be told in about 60 seconds. So making a 2 hour movie would be quite a feat. That's why the director factored the L.A. "Zoot Suit" riots of 1943, a boxing match, the killing of black pimps and prostitutes who were minding their own business, the dysfunctional love affair between Scarlett Johansson's character and Josh Harnett's partner, a bunch of very chic lesbians, and the bizarre wealthy family of a bi-sexual Hilary Swank (does her mother have Parkinson's or is that the actress' idea of an alcoholic socialite?)
We didn't hear about the murder until 20 minutes had passed and only then because it happened on the street behind the pimp shoot-out. Somehow the "first responders" on the Black Dahlia crime scene didn't hear all of that gun fire on the other side of the building. Instead of going to the rescue of their fellow officers, they and a dozen reporters stood transfixed on the naked body in the park. So much for "Officer down! Send back-up!" The best thing about this movie was the autopsy which was done in a compelling narrative by a jowly M.E. That's about all we learned about this murder victim who was made out to be a slut who slept with men AND women in exchange for a sandwich or pair of nylons. In fact, there was not one woman in this movie who was not depicted as prostitute, golddigger, or tramp. Only the lesbians had class and dignity - and there is a gang of them! (Look for an uncredited k.d. lang in a great piece of camp.)
Hartnett has the charisma of a grape. Johansson fits right in during an era when 20 year-old women looked like they were 35. But she handles a lame role like a pro. I don't know why Swank was even in the area. And that accent! I couldn't figure out if she was a "Valley Girl" or a Nazi!
Many of facts of the murder are wrong - Elizabeth Short's dad didn't live in Los Angeles - he lived in Vallejo, a good 8 hour drive north, 30 miles above San Francisco. Here he lives right down the street. Nothing was said about his staging him a suicide and sneaking off to Vallejo, abandoning Elizabeth's mother with 5 girls to raise alone in Massachusetts. He surfaced years later, trying to reunite with his wife, who declined. The "Zoot Suit Riots" were in 1943 and the Dahlia case was in 1947. Here they all happened within a few months. I understand "literary license" but here it wasn't used to make an existing story better - it was used to try to create something which wasn't much to start with.
The production has a great "film noir" feel - I was expecting Mickey Spillane to walk in. But this movies should have just been "FILM NO"! Brian De Palma, what were you thinking?
Rating: 
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SO MUCH POTENTIAL, SO MUCH WASTED 6 OUT OF 10
I like crime dramas, they are a very sophisticated form of film and most of them have been compelling and rather interesting and they really know how to deliver plots and twists. This film however, squanders the potential it has by not taking its interesting ideas anywhere. Scenes go back and forth and really don't have much to do with the Black Dahlia murder most of the time, but rather it feels like a chronicle of the life of a cop and his sexcapades while supposedly investigating a murder.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: The time is 1947, and a young fledgling star named Elizabeth Short is found dead, cut in half and her face mutilated. Two detectives Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard are assigned to the case and uncover a plethora of of buried secrets and lies about the murders, all while having relationship problems and threats of being kicked off the investigation for numerous reasons, and sleeping with every chick that comes their way.
STORY: SCORE- 5.5 OUT OF 10- The story presents a lot of interesting ideas, but never properly implements them into the fabric of the plot. Randomly cramming in scenes of sexuality and girl-on-girl scenes is not going to make a compelling crime drama, but rather it is a bit of annoyance, it's more of something that should be kept in the privacy of the bedroom. I'm fine with maybe one or two scenes of that nature, but it cannot be a major component of the damn plot.
MUSIC: SCORE- 8 OUT OF 10- I've always enjoyed the jazzy cop noir themes of this kind of music and it is present and accounted for in here, but it's not the best music for these kinds of themes.
COMPELLING FACTOR: SCORE- 6 OUT OF 10- The story is fairly enjoyable, but the plot twists really aren't things you haven't seen or heard before, so basically it's the same old song and dance of age-old plot twists.
PORN FACTOR: SCORE- 8.5 OUT OF 10- There sure are a lot of scenes of sexuality, and why have these girl-on-girl scenes been added?
PLOT TWISTS: SCORE- 5.5 OUT OF 10- There is basically nothing shocking, nothing surprising, or for that matter, anything you haven't seen already, go get your fix elsewhere. Go, just walk away and go find another crime drama.
OVERALL: SCORE- 6 OUT OF 10- This film's mediocrity is shocking, especially since it was made by the director of Scarface, a much better crime drama. What makes this film all the more sad is the fact the short film; Detective Story from the Animatrix; had a more compelling plot than this... and it was nine minutes long. You're better going and getting your fix from films like Pulp Fiction, Scarface, The Godfather, The Departed, or the superbly crafted animated film Renaissance, or perhaps Sin City. Whatever your preference, you're not missing anything if you don't watch this movie.
THE GOOD: Interesting story ideas, good music, some okay plot twists.
THE BAD: Good ideas don't go anywhere, it's more focused on the sexcapades of a detective and boring relationship problems.
Rating: -
Nothing but boring...
So the story is cool, some of the imagery is cool, but Josh Hartnett as a detective? No. Also, the pace was slow, and really did not give us much of an ending either.
Now, I am a big advocate of a movie with subtlety, which most people find slow and boring, but this is slow and boring, and without subtlety. Just a reason to put Mia Kirshner in some sexy scenes before she is killed.
Now, this was based on a true event from many years ago, and with true stories, Hollywood normally jazzes them up a bit. Now here, the story was changed and they added some stuff, but you know, it really did not add much to the movie. In the end, the movie is not about the murder or trying to catch a killer, it is about trying to gets more girls to woo over this Josh Hartnett person that can't act to save his life.
Rating: -
Expectations are an amazing thing...
Expectations can be a funny thing. They are but one factor that effects how much we like or dislike a given movie but nevertheless quite significant. How many movies(or books) did we dislike upon seeing or reading because our expectations were high or awry prior to examination? Have you ever read a book or seen a movie that you had low expectations for that was actually quite enjoyable?
Today I experienced just that with The Black Dahlia. I picked up a used copy for $5.00 knowing how it has been roasted here and elsewhere. Therefore my expectations were quite low. I was infinitely surprised at how entertaining this movie is! Not only was it visually stunning in the usual De Palma fashion but it was intellectually challenging and rewarding. It made me think. I like movies that do that and many don't these days. Too many are formulaic. I am afraid that many of the harsh critics of this movie unfairly compared it to the book(books are almost always better than the corresponding movie due to the imagination factor). I am afraid that many of the critics expected unfairly for it to be all about the Elizabeth Short murder. Maybe they should have read the book. Expectations.
I really enjoyed this movie and did not find it THAT hard to follow. Yes, I got confused a few times but not too much for an initial viewing of this complex movie. So five star to me means superb, four stars-excellent. In my opinion this is a good movie, thus I rate it 3 stars. I really feel that many have not given the movie a fair shake but so be it. We are all entitled to our own opinions. However I do wonder if we have become so conditioned in todays society that if something does not gel with our preconceived notions we prematurely reject it? Something to ponder.
I will keep this movie and watch it again. My copy of Raising Cain on the other hand long ago found the used bins. Now there was a boring movie. Extremely predictable with little surprise element. It remains my least favorite De Palma movie(and the only one I have not kept).
Rating: 
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Good however!!!
If you like China Town, The 2 Jakes and Devil in a Blue Dress, Then you will probably like this movie as well. The film noir mood is the hook.
No........ it isn't as good as any of the first there named above BUT they haven't made any of the above for 10 to 20 years.....and if your mouth is watering for something like the above then this may sooth your apetite.
Better than LA Confidential.
