Crime · Mystery · Thriller
American
1974 · Directed by Roman Polanski · 130 min
Los Angeles, 1937. Jake Gittes, a private investigator who specialises in discreet marital cases, takes what looks like a routine job of following a husband. The sunlit surface of the city soon starts to feel dangerous, and the case grows well beyond what he was paid to find.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining film of the New Hollywood period and the standard reference for neo-noir, it showed that classic genre structure could carry the cynicism of post-Vietnam, post-Watergate America.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a detective story in which the detective knows less than he thinks, and see how the film keeps you at his level.
Save this film, rate it and keep your notes.
Free, no ads. Your journal, your lists, a Cine Guide that remembers you.
Create your free space
