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Chinatown (1974)

15 130 min  -  Crime | Drama | Mystery  -   20 June 1974 (USA)
8.4
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Ratings: 8.4/10 from 110,333 users   Metascore: 86/100 
Reviews: 367 user | 153 critic | 10 from Metacritic.com

A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.

Director:

Roman Polanski
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Chinatown -- A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water. Chinatown -- Clip: Your husband was murdered Chinatown -- Clip: Of course I'm respectable, I'm old
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson ...
Faye Dunaway ...
John Huston ...
Perry Lopez Perry Lopez ...
John Hillerman John Hillerman ...
Darrell Zwerling Darrell Zwerling ...
Diane Ladd ...
Roy Jenson Roy Jenson ...
Mulvihill
Roman Polanski ...
Richard Bakalyan Richard Bakalyan ...
Loach (as Dick Bakalyan)
Joe Mantell Joe Mantell ...
Bruce Glover ...
Duffy
Nandu Hinds Nandu Hinds ...
Sophie
James O'Rear James O'Rear ...
Lawyer
James Hong ...
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Storyline

JJ 'Jake' Gittes is a private detective who seems to specialize in matrimonial cases. He is hired by Evelyn Mulwray when she suspects her husband Hollis, builder of the city's water supply system, of having an affair. Gittes does what he does best and photographs him with a young girl but in the ensuing scandal, it seems he was hired by an impersonator and not the real Mrs. Mulwray. When Mr. Mulwray is found dead, Jake is plunged into a complex web of deceit involving murder, incest and municipal corruption all related to the city's water supply. Written by garykmcd  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Water | Detective | Murder | Corruption | Private Detective  | See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese | Spanish

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Barrio Chino See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$30,000,000 (Worldwide) (January 2000)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Because this film was the first of a planned trilogy, Jack Nicholson turned down all detective roles he was offered so that the only detective he played would be Jake Gittes. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: When Jake tails Evelyn's car as she is going to the house where she stashed the girl, we can see that the sun is starting to come up, but when Jake parks in front of the house and starts nosing around, it is pitch black and clearly the middle of the night. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Jake Gittes: All right, Curly. Enough's enough. You can't eat the Venetian blinds. I just had them installed on Wednesday.
See more »

Connections

Featured in John Huston: The Man, the Movies, the Maverick (1989) See more »

Soundtracks

"The Way You Look Tonight"
(1936)
from the film "Swing Time"
Music by Jerome Kern
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields See more »