The Black Dahlia - James Ellroy

Shedding No Light On The Black Dahlia

Advantages: Looks Good
Disadvantages: Practically Everything Else

The Black Dahlia is set in 1940s Los Angeles. Two cops, Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and his partner, Lee Blanchard, investigate the death of Elizabeth Short, a young woman found brutally murdered. Bucky soon realizes that his girlfriend had ties to the deceased, and soon after that, he begins uncovering corruption and conspiracy within the police department. - This is taken from imdb.com because I really can't think of a better or less concise way of describing the plot The Black Dahlia is a film of contrasts; a film of unscrupulous beauty and startling ugliness, of engaging intelligence and mystifying stupidity, of rousing energy and overwhelming laziness. Stuck between 50's chic and modern-day cynicism it has no-where to go, has nothing to say and falls flat in practically everything it attempts to do. Uneven and confusing ...

JayHall1991 04.04.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Black Dahlia (DVD)

The Black Dahlia

Advantages: Captures the era well and i like the way the secrets are unveiled.
Disadvantages: Not 100% true to the book, it cut alot of parts out.

Directed by Brian De Palma, this 1940's-style film is an good adaptation of the novel (of the same name) written by the brilliant crime writer, James Ellroy. It was relesed in September 2006 and hosts a number of stars taking big roles including; Josh Hartnett (of 40 Days and 40 Nights), Scarlett Johansson (of Lost in Translation), Aaron Eckhart (of Erin Brockovich) and Hilary Swank (of Million Dollar Baby). I had read the novel and decided to see watch the film to see if it was all that i had imagined. It is a somewhat dark film, with the mystery and smokiness of the 1940's crime scene. Hartnett plays the role of Dwight "Bucky" Bleichart, an ex boxer who becomes a warrants officer for the LAPD after the war. He partners up with Eckharts character, Lee Blanchard, also an ex boxer, and they become a crime fighting duo named Fire ...

shelley1986 01.06.2007 · Read full review
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Review of The Black Dahlia (DVD)

Fade to Black

Advantages: It looks great
Disadvantages: The direction is lurid, the writing sub-standard and the performances wear a thick coat of ham

One of California's most gruesome unsolved crimes is the murder of failed starlet Elizabeth Short. Based on James Ellroy's novel of the same name, "The Black Dahlia" follows two detectives as they investigate the horrific killing. Former boxers Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard are a chalk and cheese pairing. Bucky is young and idealistic, while Blanchard's experiences have made him jaded. They make a great team, sharing everything, including Blanchard's beautiful girlfriend Kay. But as they get ever deeper into the so-called Black Dahlia's case, it threatens to devour them. From the outset you can tell what "Scarface" director Brian De Palma is trying to do; create a slick, very grown-up modern film noir in the vein of "LA Confidential". Well, it certainly looks the part. Though the majority of the movie is shot in colour, it has ...

afy9mab 12.10.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Black Dahlia (DVD)