The Black Dahlia

The atmosphere and the production design are flawless (I simply love films with this retro mood), unfortunately the story seemed too skeletal and it was even missing De Palma's visual tricks like in Snake Eyes or The Untouchables. Hartnett's sonorous, deep voice was beautifully suited to the role of the narrative guide, and at times it even seemed that De Palma had turned him into something called an "actor", but then the ghost of Gittes from the similarly tuned Chinatown appeared before my eyes and I immediately dismissed the idea. Hartnett tries, but he can't play the dark strings, he's such a "sunny boy", every moment I expected him to rip off his jacket and hat and jump on a skateboard, and that leaves the characters of actors a class better than him – Eckhart and Johansson – without much room to be more engaging. All in all, it comes out to a – forgettable – three points. (2007-01-09)

As an adaptation of the book by Ellroy, this deserves a full on left and right hook, but as a solid genre piece it isn’t all that bad. First we get a thorough introduction of characters and only then, around half way through, we happen to stumble upon the main storyline. It would be a mistake to confuse long-windedness with boredom. Here, the long inaugural exposition is just right, thanks to how the tension in the story builds up and climaxes. (2007-01-13)

James Ellroy is a classic, and the substance he delivers can't possibly disappoint, especially when Brian DePalma is directing. I admit that at times I had the feeling that this reference-laden and, to many, surrendering noir plaything would have been better under the direction of Martin Scorsese. On the other hand, DePalma's distinctive direction (fetish, violence, steady-cam) gives it a slightly different edge. It is perhaps less polished, but again more playful and fun, unafraid to go to the core of all the genre clichés in order to milk them for powerful moments like the scene on the stairs or the final absolution. I’m no connoisseur of the noir school, but I really like the few films I've seen. That's why I was very pleased with DePalma's tribute. He may not be the old provocateur anymore, but he is still a conscious filmmaker with a distinctly legible style. (2009-01-24)

The genre of gangster and noir films has a long tradition in the United States, and Brian De Palma is an experienced matador of film studios and has a wealth of experience with this genre. In his old age, he wanted to prove that he was not yet past his prime, and he made an ambitious film that may not be able to compete with his famous works such as The Untouchables, Scarface, or Carlito's Way, but it is still a watchable film that will please genre fans. De Palma definitely did not experiment, he played it safe, and the conventionality of the film is evidenced by the fact that out of the two femme fatales, the provocatively dressed one who looks like she just stepped out of a brothel is a real bitch, while the angelic-looking one is truly innocent. This film is not surprising, but there are still a few scenes where De Palma's talent shines through. In terms of acting, it is decent, and the male part of the audience will undoubtedly be pleased with the casting of Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank. Overall impression: 55%. (2009-03-13)

Brian De Palma was, according to many, one of the few directors (along with Steven Soderbergh) who could make a film noir in today’s time. I don’t know about Soderbergh—I’ll find out eventually—but De Palma simply didn’t succeed. His contribution to the great genre of the 1940s was supposed to be the film The Black Dahlia, which is based on true events from the second half of the 1940s in the United States. A horribly mutilated dead woman was found, and the killer had to be tracked down. This task fell primarily to two detectives, one with Josh Hartnett’s face and the other with Aaron Eckhart’s. By the way, the film had generally good casting, including the female roles—Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank are both favorites of mine. The story could have developed, but instead of focusing on the script, De Palma mainly pursued form. He presented the noir style to today’s audience as best as he could; it probably couldn’t have been done better. Josh Hartnett is a strong protagonist, a narrator who isn’t afraid to deal out punches and take them as well. There are also women (the women) whom he could fall in love with, not to mention plenty of people who seem one way at first glance but are quite different in reality. The visual and musical aspects are great; I have no complaints about the costumes. However, there’s the story, which tries to be full of twists but ultimately gets tangled up in itself and brings nothing good. I would either attempt a slightly more straightforward approach or develop the plot further so that the viewer could also uncover who is behind everything. Clues, hints, and the final realization would work well. But here, it feels too much like everything is happening according to the script. It’s not entirely right if I’m more interested in how the relationship between the young detective and his partner’s woman turns out than in the murderer. (2013-03-02)