The Black Dahlia (2006)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers (WGA):

Josh Friedman (screenplay)
James Ellroy (novel)

Release Date:

15 September 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Inspired by the most notorious unsolved murder in California history.

Plot:

Two policemen see their personal and professional lives fall apart in the wake of the "Black Dahlia" murder investigation.

Plot Keywords:

Black Dahlia | Murder | Death | Actress | 1940s

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Josh Hartnett	...	Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert
Scarlett Johansson	...	Kay Lake
Aaron Eckhart	...	Lee Blanchard
Hilary Swank	...	Madeleine Linscott
Mia Kirshner	...	Elizabeth Short
Mike Starr	...	Det. Russ Millard
Fiona Shaw	...	Ramona Linscott
Patrick Fischler	...	Deputy DA Ellis Loew
James Otis	...	Dolph Bleichert
John Kavanagh	...	Emmett Linscott
Troy Evans	...	Chief Ted Green
Anthony Russell	...	Morrie Friedman
Pepe Serna	...	Tomas Dos Santos
Angus MacInnes	...	Capt. John Tierney (as Angus MacInnis)
Rachel Miner	...	Martha Linscott

Also Known As:

Black Dahlia (Germany)
Die schwarze Dahlie (Germany) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, some grisly images, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Australia:MA | Ireland:16 (theatrical rating) | UK:15 | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) | Malaysia:18PL | Indonesia:Dewasa | Singapore:M18 | Taiwan:R-18 | Philippines:R-18 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Germany:16 | Finland:K-15 | Greece:K-13 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Hong Kong:IIB | USA:R (certificate #41496) | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | Brazil:16 | Spain:18 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Denmark:15

Filming Locations:

Alto-Nido Apartments -1851 N. Ivar Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Rose McGowan's character Sheryl Saddon appears to be inspired by a real person, one Sherryl Maylond, who had shared a room with Elizabeth Short and six other girls.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: During the pigeon-shooting sequence outside hotel near beginning of film, the Dr. Pepper logo stenciled on wooden crate is a latter day Seventies typeface not introduced until years after the 1940's, when the scene is set.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ofcr. Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert: [voiceover] Mr. Fire versus Mr. Ice. For everything people were making it out to be, you'd think it was our first fight. It wasn't. And it wouldn't be our last.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in JCVD (2008)

Soundtrack:

In the Mood

Satisfying noir-fans

Being a James Ellroy-disciple the knowledge of an adaption of the terrific novel filled me with a combination of fear and expectation: Fear... can it ever be as great as the book? Expectation... Curtis Hanson did an excellent job with L.A. Confidential, so why not? - And now I've seen the result of DePalma's work. First of all, don't even compare it with the L.A. Confidential movie. Black Dahlia is told in a radical different way, being much more synthetic, expressive and theatrical. This is not a very common way of telling stories in modern movies, however this method made me recall the typical 'over-acting' as seen in the 40's noir movies (like Double Indemnity). Was this intentionally? - Probably, yes. It feel a bit weird to begin with, but at the end of the show I had to admit: It works. The movie clearly tries to describe all the details from the book, which sometimes makes it loose its own breath. The original story had so many details, and took place over a very long period of time. This is one of the points where the movie sometimes stumble. It's simply trying too hard. One thing that is hard to criticize is the stunning visuals. The movie is absolutely beautiful, making every scene a work of art. The other highly successful point I would have to mention is Hilary Swank. She IS a femme fatale, by definition. Fans of the classic film-noir genre will most likely be more than satisfied. Keep a look-out for this one, and be ready to be thrilled.