Chinatown
Watched Chinatown again to see if I still liked it and also hoping that this time I'd understand wtf was going on. It really delivers and is such a solid movie.
Couple of things stood out to me.
Firstly, something I like about Chinatown is how understated it is. There's plenty of scenes with very little in frame which draws you in to the subject and atmosphere of the scene rather than distracting you with too much unnecessary information. Also the performances aren't too flashy and Jack Nicholson plays it pretty straight considering how expressive he can be. The other thing is just how good the lighting is. That car driving scene as they leave the orange orchards putting Dunaway and Nicholson in a soft golden glow against the purple sky as dusk settles in. Just beautiful. The subtlety makes this a timeless classic that will never go out of style.
It does however lose 1 star for what is an absolute fizzer of an ending.
9/10