Nothing stays buried
 Jan 28th, 2009
Advantages:
Not awful, some good performances
Disadvantages:
Didn't grab me, visually too busy
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Story
Characters / Performances
Special Effects
How does it compare to similar films?
more
  sunmeilan
About me:
I've never been a big message leaver, but I would like to thank everyone that has read and rated my ...
Member since:05.05.2005
Reviews:950
Members who trust:366
Review rated by 66 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
Two policemen, Dwight Bleichert (known as Bucky) and Lee Blanchard become involved in the investigation into the murder of Elizabeth Short, a wannabe actress who was found badly mutilated. Bucky and Lee are friends, but their friendship takes a complicated turn when the investigation begins to involve them on a personal level - and the fact that Bucky is in love with Lee's girlfriend Kay does not help matters. To try and forget about Kay, Bucky turns to Madeleine Linscott, but soon finds that she is somehow linked to Elizabeth Short. Unable to trust Lee, Madeleine or Kay, can Bucky piece together what happened to Elizabeth Short? I really liked the sound of this film when it first came out; I love film noir and hard-boiled detective stories a la Dashiell Hammett, and this looked very much of that ilk. Plus it is based around a true story - Elizabeth Short really was murdered, although her murderer was never discovered. Then the reviews started coming in, and I don't think I read a single positive one, which put me off for a while. Curiosity eventually got the better of me though, and in any case, I often find I enjoy films that others have slated. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case with this film.
Josh Hartnett plays Bucky Bleichert, and I think gives a really good performance here. Of the two policemen, Bucky is the better developed character - he has to be really because he tells the story. Hartnett is completely convincing as the straight cop who just wants to do his job. Unfortunately, Bucky's life is complicated by an ailing
father, who appears to be suffering from dementia, and his love for first Kay and then Madeleine. However, this gives Hartnett a real chance to get his teeth into the role, and he really does have to run the whole gamut of emotions. I have two minor issues with his performance though. One is his hairstyle, parted down the middle, as presumably was the fashion in the 1940s when the film is set - unfortunately, it really doesn't suit him and he looks a bit daft. Secondly, he has a quiet voice and a habit of running his words together, so when he is doing his voice-overs to explain the story, it was sometimes hard to catch what he was saying. Most of the time, it didn't really matter, but occasionally, I missed something and had to rewind the DVD. I really enjoyed Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight, no mean feat as I didn't particularly enjoy the film as a whole. As Lee Blanchard, he is a little bit under-whelming. He didn't give a bad performance; he just didn't really grab my attention - which is perhaps surprising when he has some really over-the-top temper tantrums. I think too, his character just isn't that developed, so it is hard to really feel anything much for him. The same can be said for Scarlett Johansson as Kay and Hilary Swank as Madeleine, although their roles are even less well developed. I couldn't help but feel that they were slightly wasted in this film - the roles could have been managed by more or less any attractive actress.
As a Brit, a couple of British/Irish actors caught my attention. Ian McNiece, who is all over British TV in programmes such as Inspector Morse, Lewis and Doc Martin, plays the coroner. It's only a brief role, but he looks completely natural in the role. More importantly, there is Fiona Shaw (Aunt Petunia in the Harry Potter movies) who plays Madeleine Linscott's mother Ramona. This is, as it turns out, quite a pivotal role, and by no means an easy one, because Ramona is mentally ill, but Shaw gives it her all and is great, as always. The story is a reasonable one - it is based on a true story after all. Unfortunately, it just isn't told very well. Obviously, it is told mainly from the point of view of the two policemen investigating the case, so this muddies the water quite a lot - the emphasis is initially very much on their relationship and Kay's part in all that, which takes the concentration away from Elizabeth Short. And I found Bucky's voice-overs quite annoying because they weren't always that clear. Basically, it feels as if there is so much going on that the main story, Short's murder and how she came to be murdered, becomes diluted, and as a result, the film rather loses its way.
Directed by Brian De Palma, there is no doubt that this is visually a very well-made film. Unfortunately, I think a little bit too much effort has gone into the cinematography - it is just way too busy for me. In each scene, there always seems to be about ten people, all talking over each other and moving around, which I found highly distracting. When it comes to film-making, I prefer simplicity, strong colours and as few characters as possible; with all that De Palma throws into the mix, I almost ended up with a migraine. The 1940s clothes that the women wear are, for me, the only real highlight of the visuals. There is a lot of violence in the film and some fairly graphic shots of dead bodies and fighting. At the beginning of the film, Bucky and Lee fight each other in a boxing match, and we are treated to slow motion shots of blood and teeth flying around the boxing ring. I watch a lot of horror films and am rarely disturbed by violence, but there is something about boxing and the fact that it is supposed to be a 'sport' that I find disturbing. Then there are the dead bodies. Elizabeth Short's is particularly harrowing, because of the strangulation mark around her neck, then there are a couple of other deaths that are less than wholesome. In short, if this is likely to offend, or you are thinking about letting children see it, then you may want to think again. In my opinion, the rating of 15 is probably about right.
There are no extras on the DVD that I have. It is possible to select scenes and to add subtitles as necessary (perhaps that's what I should have done for Josh Hartnett!), but that is all. I didn't dislike this film, I didn't ever consider turning it off, and I would like to read the book by James Ellroy on which the film is based. However, nor did it really grab me. I think that the story should have been simplified and I think there should have been less going on in each scene. This is definitely not a film to watch when you want something light-hearted, because it requires that little bit too much concentration. Unfortunately, concentration is not something that I felt was worthwhile to use on this film. If you like any of the main actors, or you really like film noir, then it might be worth a watch, but I wouldn't recommend going out of your way - no doubt it will be shown on television soon. Three stars out of five.
The DVD is available from play.com for £4.99. Classification: 15
Running time: 121 minutes
Compare Prices
sorted by Price
Read more on this product
Products you might be interested in
|
|
![The Black Dahlia [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78189382.jpg)
by (5%):
This product has not yet been reviewed.
14.02.2009 14:26
I remember looking this up on Wiki a while ago, and the police photographs from the time are published. It's all a bit grim. xx
30.01.2009 11:33
I remember the poor reviews when it was released and nobody seems to have warmed to it with the passage of time. David
30.01.2009 10:49
Back with an E as promised. Brilliant review.