Chinatown

Chinatown was my favorite of the film noir type movies. Chinatown had many similarities to classic noir films and many differences from a typical film noir. Jake Gittes was like the traditional hard-boiled detective because he was determined to find out who set him up, just because he wanted to know. Also Gittes is similar to the character in Kiss Me Deadly, because they both have the same profession. Gittes doesn't smoke as much as the Jeff Bailey in Out of the Past, but smoking is still used to give that film noir feel in Chinatown. The main difference that sets Chinatown apart from the classic film noir movies is that Chinatown is in color, so Chinatown had brighter scenes to darken with low-key lighting.

At first the character of Evelyn Cross Mulwray seems like she is being set up as the classic femme fatale. Evelyn Mulwray is dangerous, seductive, and mysterious, which is what you would expect to see in a film noir. As the film goes on though Evelyn seems nothing like the classic femme fatale as she begins to lose it, and eventually is shot and killed. The way that girl was Evelyn's daughter and sister was pretty weird. Even though it was a pretty depressing ending with Evelyn Mulwray getting shot I liked the way it all ended.