The Black Dahlia

 

Being a James Ellroy-disciple the knowledge of an adaption of the terrific novel filled me with a combination of fear and expectation: Fear... can it ever be as great as the book? Expectation... Curtis Hanson did an excellent job with L.A. Confidential, so why not? - And now I've seen the result of DePalma's work. First of all, don't even compare it with the L.A. Confidential movie. Black Dahlia is told in a radical different way, being much more synthetic, expressive and theatrical. This is not a very common way of telling stories in modern movies, however this method made me recall the typical 'over-acting' as seen in the 40's noir movies (like Double Indemnity). Was this intentionally? - Probably, yes. It feel a bit weird to begin with, but at the end of the show I had to admit: It works. The movie clearly tries to describe all the details from the book, which sometimes makes it loose its own breath. The original story had so many
details, and took place over a very long period of time. This is one of the points where the movie sometimes stumble. It's simply trying too hard. One thing that is hard to criticize is the stunning visuals. The movie is absolutely beautiful, making every scene a work of art. The other highly successful point I would have to mention is Hilary Swank. She IS a femme fatale, by definition. Fans of the classic film-noir genre will most likely be more than satisfied. Keep a look-out for this one, and be ready to be thrilled.