Entertainment
Jack Nicholson Crime Thriller Classic Is Still One Of The Greatest Of All Time
Netflix has just loaded up a Jack Nicholson classic. Here’s everything you need to know about it.
By Rick Gonzales
| Published
Chinatown is often regarded as the peak of Hollywood’s film noir style and one of the greatest detective stories of all time. It stars Jack Nicholson at the peak of his powers, and it’s a must-see for anyone who likes, well, watching moving images of any type on a screen.
Jack Nicholson had already been around Hollywood for a number of years before he was offered Chinatown, a part that Towne wrote especially with him in mind. With an early career that consisted of appearances on many TV series, it wasn’t until the mid-‘60s that Nicholson began to see more time in feature films. One of his earliest successes came with the 1969 film Easy Rider. He then went on to Five Easy Pieces, Carnal Knowledge, and The Last Detail before Chinatown came knocking.
Jake Gittes Investigates
Jack Nicholson plays Jake Gittes in Chinatown, a private investigator operating in pre-war Southern California. Hired by a mysterious woman to investigate her husband’s alleged infidelity, Gittes becomes entangled in a web of deception and corruption far beyond what he initially anticipates. As he delves deeper into the case, he uncovers a labyrinth of personal and political scandals that culminate in a shocking revelation.
Chinatown weaves a tale of intrigue and betrayal against the backdrop of a morally ambiguous society. Directed by Roman Polanski and written by Robert Towne, the film has left an unforgettable mark on cinematic history with its gripping narrative and stellar performances.
The Best Way To Watch Chinatown
Chinatown is available to stream on some of the usual algorithm-controlled culprits. You should avoid them entirely.
There’s only one right way to watch Chinatown, and that’s on Blu-ray. In 2024, with the format fading and being abandoned by most movie studios, Paramount stepped up and released a50th anniversary Blu-ray and 4K edition of Chinatown.
This version of the movie includes three new featurettes, including A State of Mind, where author Sam Wasson digs into the movie’s long-term influence; Chinatown Memories with producer Hawk Koch reflecting on the production; and The Trilogy That Never Was, which explores the failed plans for a third Jake Gittes movie after The Two Jakes.
The set also carries over the excellent Robert Towne and David Fincher commentary track along with the older Water and Power documentary, which remains one of the best extras ever produced for the film because it explains the real Los Angeles history behind the story. Paramount also bundled in the sequel, The Two Jakes, on its own Blu-ray disc, making the release feel more substantial than the average anniversary edition.
Making Chinatown
Robert Towne’s script, which won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay, is often considered, as well as the movie, as one of the greatest of all time. But the script wasn’t without its controversy. Initially, the script ran 180 pages, and Towne definitely had different ideas about how the movie would end.
Not wanting to give away the ending, we’ll just say that the two (Towne and Polanski) parted ways based on the fact that Polanski saw the ending differently. In fact, Polanski himself rewrote the ending a few days before he shot the final scene.
Chinatown Got A Sequel You Should Avoid
Chinatown was originally set to be a trilogy, following Jack Nicholson’s Gittes through his time as a private investigator. It took 16 years, but Towne and Nicholson did team up for the second part, The Two Jakes, though its lackluster box-office performance shut down the idea of a trilogy.