...but I was rather disappointed that this movie did not truly cover the investigation(s) into The Black Dahlia murder. Maybe I should have read the back of the DVD before picking it up. Thank God I only paid $5 on the used rack at Blockbuster.

The only part I liked was that it was filmed in a 1940’s noir type. Some of the lighting and script were great.

But overall, this movie sadly falls flat and I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Muddled film noir-adaptation of a book by James Ellroy, the film is set in the 1940’s where two policemen try to unravel the murder of a Hollywood wannabe starlet. They work on their own relationship as well as that between one of them and the other’s girlfriend. Viewable, but I’d much sooner recommend L.A. Confidential.

What the hell was up with the fatigued girl marching and doing push ups? If i didn’t snag this movie from the bargin rack at the local movie rental place, I’d be pissed off!

Plain and simple: the cinematography is great and the film noir mood is amazingly authentic, but the plot is so disorganized it almost makes the film not worth watching. I’m not quite sure what story they were trying to tell, but the focus on the famous Black Dahlia murder only took up about 10% of the film. So, as someone who had a preexisting interest in the facts surrounding the murder, it not only lacked the story I was hoping for, but the story it DID tell was delivered so poorly that any chance of redeeming itself was lost.

I’ve never been a big Brian De Palma fan; although very technically gifted, he often leaves me cold (The Untouchables and Body Double being two exceptions). I like crime movies, so I thought I’d give The Black Dahlia a shot. The story was poorly told; I felt like I was being dragged along instead of being led through the mystery. The actors put in mostly acceptable performances, but nothing I was particularly impressed with. Ultimately, aside from some nice technical moments, I was unimpressed: De Palma’s “homaged” so many people that this time I felt like he was ripping himself off.