History YMMV / Chinatown

** The "sister, daughter" slapping scene.

* RealismInducedHorror: Everything about Noah Cross is horrific, but it becomes even '''more''' horrific that people like him actually exist. The parallels with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein#Second_criminal_case the Jeffrey Epstein case]] (American financier convicted of sexual crimes who had connections with very powerful individuals) are there.

* NightmareFuel: The final scene where [[spoiler: Cross gets away with his crimes, Evelyn is shot and killed by the police Jake called, and Katherine is taken away before Jake's eyes, all while they tell him to forget it even happened]].

--> "You're a very nosy fella, kittycat. You know what happens to nosy fellas? No? Wanna guess?"

* RealismInducedHorror: Everything about Noah Cross is horrific, but it becomes even '''more''' horrific that people like him actually exist. The parallels with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein#Second_criminal_case the Jeffrey Epstein case]] (an American financier convicted of sexual crimes who had connections with very powerful individuals) are there.

* RealismInducedHorror: Everything about Noah Cross is horrific, but it becomes even '''more''' horrific that people like him actually exist. The parallels with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein#Second_criminal_case the Jeffrey Epstein case]] (a socialite convicted of sexual crimes who had connections with very powerful individuals) are there.

* OvershadowedByControversy: While ''Chinatown'' is generally agreed to be an excellent film, what people who haven't seen it tend to know about it is that it includes [[spoiler: ParentalIncest]] as a major plot point and is one of the few works of fiction to end in [[TheBadGuyWins a complete and utter victory for the villains]]. The BigBad of the movie [[spoiler: also happens to be a pedophile]], and while it was made well before Creator/RomanPolanski's arrest for child molestation, it has still prompted cynical comparisons between the character and the director. Adding to the unease is the fact that it was Polański who insisted on changing the original screenplay ending [[note]][[spoiler: a BittersweetEnding where the villain is shot dead by his daughter and she's arrested (but her daughter--who is a product of incest--is saved from a life of sexual abuse and the villain and his corrupt water-utility operation loses its mastermind)]][[/note]] to the ending in the movie.

** And [[spoiler:Creator/JohnHuston]] somehow wasn't even nominated for Best Supporting Actor, despite playing one of the most memorable and chilling screen villains of all time.

* CompleteMonster: [[spoiler:[[EvilOldFolks Noah Cross]] is a [[FauxAffablyEvil seemingly jovial, charming]] businessman who is working to stop a drought impacting Los Angeles. In truth, however, Cross is a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive ruthless sociopath]] who is purposefully enabling the drought to work towards creating fertile land he can sell for real estate. Cross murders anyone who could stand in his way, be it random innocents or his own son-in-law, and is revealed to have ignored serious warnings about the stability of the St. Francis Dam, showing zero remorse for the hundreds left dead when the dam inevitably burst due to his own greed. The true extent of Cross' evil is put on display as his daughter Evelyn is revealed to have been [[VillainousIncest raped as a teenager by Cross]], and in the present, Cross is attempting to get his hands on Evelyn's ChildByRape, Katherine. In the end, after Evelyn is killed, Cross fakes horror at the scene before swiftly dragging Katherine away, planning to use her as Evelyn's replacement for Cross's pleasure. Noah Cross has stood out for decades as one of cinema's most memorable, and depraved, villains, a reputation handily earned.]]

* GeniusBonus: Noah Cross' constant (and most likely deliberate) mispronouncing of Jake's name as "Gits" takes on further meaning once you know that, in British slang, the term "git" refers to a foolish or annoying person.
* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:The sexual abuse Noah Cross commits within the movie]] could be seen in a whole new light after director Creator/RomanPolanski was infamously involved in something similar. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19918_6-terrible-decisions-that-gave-us-great-movie-moments_p2.html This]] article on Website/{{Cracked}} explicitly notes the parallels between how [[spoiler:Cross]] gets off [[KarmaHoudini scott-free]] for his crimes and how Polański himself escaped jail time by fleeing the U.S.

** Jake wants the truth, but suffers dire consequences from it. One could say that [[Film/AFewGoodMen he can't handle the truth.]]
** Creator/JamesHong plays plays the minor role working as a butler for the a lead female character named [[Film/EverythingEverywhereAllAtOnce Evelyn]].
* ItWasHisSled: It's such a famous film that the WhamLine "[[spoiler:She's my sister and my daughter!]]" has lost its power as TheReveal to many.
* LoveToHate: ''Everything'' about [[spoiler:Noah Cross]]. His wicked schemes, ruthless behavior, fake joviality, [[spoiler: abuse of his daughter]], and [[spoiler: beating the law]] make him one of the vile, and memorable, movie villains.

* MoralEventHorizon: If there was any kind of sympathy for [[spoiler:Noah Cross]], it is long gone when it's revealed that [[spoiler:he fathered a daughter [[ParentalIncest upon his own daughter,]] Mrs. Mulwray, by rape]].
* NightmareFuel: The final scene where [[spoiler:Cross gets away with his crimes, Evelyn is shot and killed by the police Jake called, and Katherine is taken away before Jake's eyes, all while they tell him to forget it even happened]].

** Creator/JohnHuston, as Noah Cross, has all of two (three at a push), very brief, scenes in this very long film. And he's often remembered as [[spoiler:one of the most despicable villains in cinematic history.]]
* OvershadowedByControversy: While ''Chinatown'' is generally agreed to be an excellent film, what people who haven't seen it tend to know about it is that it includes [[spoiler:ParentalIncest]] as a major plot point and is one of the few works of fiction to end in [[TheBadGuyWins a complete and utter victory for the villains]]. The BigBad of the movie [[spoiler:also happens to be a pedophile]], and while it was made well before Creator/RomanPolanski's arrest for child molestation, it has still prompted cynical comparisons between the character and the director. Adding to the unease is the fact that it was Polański who insisted on changing the original screenplay ending [[note]][[spoiler:a BittersweetEnding where the villain is shot dead by his daughter and she's arrested (but her daughter--who is a product of incest--is saved from a life of sexual abuse and the villain and his corrupt water-utility operation loses its mastermind)]][[/note]] to the ending in the movie.

** [[spoiler:Evelyn Mulawray. Not only was she raped by her father Noah Cross at the age of 14, but she ran away from home and faces a lot of social stigma. Furthermore, she met a miserable end when she is shot in the eye and her daughter Katherine Cross kidnapped by her abusive father]].
** [[spoiler:Speaking of Katherine Cross, special mention goes to the fact that she was a product of Noah's rape and since her mother was killed, she'll spend the rest of her life as a victim of sexual abuse by her grandfather]].
** [[spoiler: Hollis Mulwray. He knows what a ridiculously evil man Noah Cross is and wants to keep him from controlling the city’s water supply. He refuses to build a dam knowing it will not be safe based on an earlier accident that killed hundreds of people. He marries Evelyn out of what is implied to be sympathy for her tragic background, and genuinely cares for Katherine as a Father Figure. For all this good he’s set up to be publicly humiliated as an adulterer and murdered by a man who gets away with everything.]]

* CaptainObviousReveal: That Kitty Berman is [[spoiler: Kate Mulwray, especially since Kitty is a nickname for Katherine.]]

* SoOkayItsAverage: The movie requires extensive knowledge of ''Chinatown'' to understand and lacks any of the shocking twists of the original film. Most agree its a perfectly servicable detective film, though.
* ToughActToFollow: ''Chinatown'' is considered one of the greatest movies ever made so ''The Two Jakes'' was always going to be disappointing to some.

* TrueArtIsAngsty: Robert Evans, the film's producer, wanted Roman Polański as director because he thought Polański, a European, would have a DarkerAndEdgier vision of the USA more suited to the script. For his part, Polański also insisted that the script's conclusion be changed from a BittersweetEnding reminiscent of classic film noir stories to a stark and nihilistic DownerEnding, thinking that they needed to go all the way now that the Hays Code was gone and that it was necessary for ''Chinatown'' to be a truly special film and not just a cookie-cutter Hollywood movie where everything magically works out in the end.

----

!! Chinatown

!! The Two Jakes

* LoveToHate: ''Everything'' about Noah Cross. His wicked schemes, ruthless behavior, fake joviality, [[spoiler: abuse of his daughter]], and [[spoiler: beating the law]] make him one of the vile, and memorable, movie villains.

* OvershadowedByControversy: While ''Chinatown'' is generally agreed to be an excellent film, what people who haven't seen it tend to know about it is that it includes ParentalIncest as a major plot point and is one of the few works of fiction to end in [[TheBadGuyWins a complete and utter victory for the villains]]. The BigBad of the movie also happens to be a pedophile, and while it was made well before Creator/RomanPolanski's arrest for child molestation, it has still prompted cynical comparisons between the character and the director. Adding to the unease is the fact that it was Polański who insisted on changing the original screenplay ending [[note]][[spoiler:a BittersweetEnding where the villain is shot dead by his daughter and she's arrested (but her daughter--who is a product of incest--is saved from a life of sexual abuse and the villain and his corrupt water-utility operation loses its mastermind)]][[/note]] to the ending in the movie.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The movie requires extensive knowledge of ''Chinatown'' to understand and lacks any of the shocking twists of the original film. Most agree its a perfectly servicable detective film, though.

* ContinuityLockout: The chief reason ''The Two Jakes'' failed. Despite ''Chinatown's'' many ItWasHisSled moments, ''Jakes'' required a ''lot'' of knowledge of the previous film for it to have a full impact.

* VindicatedByHistory: Though it's not nearly the classic [[FirstInstallmentWins the original is]], some retrospective reviews have come to recognize ''The Two Jakes'' as a worthy sequel to ''Chinatown'', especially if one watches the films back-to-back.

* EvilIsCool: [[spoiler:Well, maybe "cool" isn't the right word to describe [[HateSink such an evil bastard]] as Noah Cross, but he's still memorable for his smooth voice and ingratiating demeanor, which can easily make viewers forget just how nasty he is, and his being portrayed by Creator/JohnHuston of all people just adds to the film's allusions to the great noirs of the past. Plus, he serves as a deconstruction of the usual noir gunsels and low-rent tough guys who'd typically serve as the antagonists in those films, as he's a powerful and respected businessman who (in another twist) ends up as a KarmaHoudini]].

* HarsherInHindsight: [[spoiler:The sexual abuse Noah Cross commits within the movie]] could be seen in a whole new light after director Creator/RomanPolanski was infamously involved in something similar. [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19918_6-terrible-decisions-that-gave-us-great-movie-moments_p2.html This]] article on Website/{{Cracked}} explicitly notes the parallels between how [[spoiler:Cross]] gets off [[KarmaHoudini scott-free]] for his crimes and how Polanski himself escaped jail time by fleeing the U.S.

** The "Man with a Knife" (played by the film's director) only appears in one scene with only one line of dialogue (he barely appears later in the background of a sequence), but also sports one of the most memorable lines and is memorably creepy and jumpy, as well as [[spoiler: scarring Jake's face for the remainder of the film]]. Polanski wasn't supposed to be in the role himself. Circumstances forced him into doing the part himself -- and his natural accent gave the character a weaselly Creator/PeterLorre feel.

* OvershadowedByControversy: While ''Chinatown'' is generally agreed to be an excellent film, what people who haven't seen it don't know about it is that it includes ParentalIncest as a major plot point and is one of the few works of fiction to end in [[TheBadGuyWins a complete and utter victory for the villains]]. The BigBad of the movie also happens to be a pedophile, and while it was made well before Creator/RomanPolanski's arrest for child molestation, it has still prompted cynical comparisons between the character and the director. Adding to the unease was the fact that it was Polanski who insisted on changing the original screenplay ending [[note]][[spoiler:a BittersweetEnding where the villain is shot dead by his daughter and she's arrested (but her daughter... who is a product of incest... is saved from a life of sexual abuse and the villain and his corrupt water-utility operation loses its mastermind)]][[/note]] to the ending in the movie.
* TrueArtIsAngsty: Robert Evans, the film's producer, wanted Roman Polanski as director because he thought Polanski, a European, would have a DarkerAndEdgier vision of the USA more suited to the script. For his part, Polanski also insisted that the script's conclusion be changed from a BittersweetEnding reminiscent of classic film noir stories to a stark and nihilistic DownerEnding, thinking that they needed to go all the way now that the Hays Code was gone and that it was necessary for ''Chinatown'' to be a truly special film and not just a cookie-cutter Hollywood movie where everything magically works out in the end.

* VindicatedByHistory: Some retrospective reviews have recognized ''The Two Jakes'' as a worthy sequel to ''Chinatown'', especially if one watches the films back-to-back, but it's not the classic [[FirstInstallmentWins the original is]].

* GeniusBonus: Noah Cross' constant (and deliberate) mispronouncing of Jake's name as "Gits" takes on further meaning if you know in British slang, the term "git" means a foolish or annoying person.

* EvilIsCool: Well maybe "cool" isn't the right word to describe [[HateSink such an evil bastard]] as [[spoiler:Noah Cross]], but he's still memorable for his smooth voice and ingratiating demeanor, which can easily make viewers forget just how nasty he is, and his being portrayed by [[spoiler:Creator/JohnHuston]] of all people just adds to the film's [[spoiler:allusions to the great noirs of the past]]. Plus, he serves as a deconstruction of the usual noir gunsels and low-rent tough guys who'd typically serve as the antagonists in those films, as he's [[spoiler:a powerful and respected businessman who (in another twist) ends up as a KarmaHoudini]].

* EvilIsCool: Well maybe "cool" isn't the right word to describe [[HateSink such an evil bastard]] like Noah Cross, but he's still memorable for his smooth voice and innocent demeanor which can easily make viewers forget just how nasty he is, and being portrayed by the late great director Creator/JohnHuston of all people just adds to the film's allusions of the great noirs of the past. Plus, he serves as a deconstruction of the usual noir gunsels and low-rent tough guys that would serve as antagonists in those films, as he's a powerful businessman who's a KarmaHoudini.

** [[spoiler:Creator/JohnHuston]] plays one of the most chilling villains of all time, and wasn't even nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
** And then there's Creator/JackNicholson losing Best Actor. The award (largely seen as a sympathy Oscar) was instead given to Creator/ArtCarney for the relatively forgettable ''Film/HarryAndTonto''.

** And then there's Creator/JackNicholson losing Best Actor. The award (largely seen as a sympathy Oscar) was given to Creator/ArtCarney for the forgettable fluff piece ''Film/HarryAndTonto''.

** [[spoiler:Creator/JohnHuston]] plays one of the most chilling villains of all time, and wasn't even nominated for a supporting Oscar.

** The film won an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] for Best Screenplay, but probably would have won a few more, perhaps even Best Picture, if not for the misfortune of being released in the same year as ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII''. A lesser example than most, because the winner is also a great film. ''Chinatown'' did beat ''The Godfather Part II'' for Best Drama at the Golden Globes.
** [[spoiler:Creator/JohnHuston]] plays one of the most chilling villains of all time, and yet was not nominated for a supporting Oscar.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/JerryGoldsmith's beautifully evocative score, highlighted by the main title theme with its melancholy trumpet solo. Possibly the famous replacement score ever; Philip Lambro's thrown-out score was released on a limited edition release which [[ExecutiveMeddling leaves the movie's name off the packaging]]. Lambro was ''not'' happy about being TheOtherMarty, leading to a CreatorBreakdown. [[https://j-j-gittes.blogspot.com/2014/03/chinatown-lambro-score.html Story here]].

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/JerryGoldsmith's beautifully evocative score, highlighted by the main title theme with its melancholy trumpet solo. Possibly the famous replacement score ever; Philip Lambro's thrown-out score was released on a limited edition release which [[ExecutiveMeddling leaves the movie's name off the packaging]]. Lambro was ''not'' happy about being TheOtherMarty.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Music/JerryGoldsmith's beautifully evocative score, highlighted by the main title theme with its melancholy trumpet solo. Possibly the famous replacement score ever- Philip Lambro's thrown-out score was released on a limited edition release which [[ExecutiveMeddling leaves the movie's name off the packaging]]. Lambro was ''not'' happy about being TheOtherMarty.

* GeniusBonus: Noah Cross' constant (and deliberate) mispronouncing of Jake's name as "Gits" takes on further meaning if you know in British slang, the term "git" means a foolish and annoying person.