It’s unusual for mainstream films to allow the villain to triumph, so when it happens, it’s a surprising conclusion to a story. This strategy has been used in a number of outstanding movies across a number of genres, and it makes for a powerful conclusion.
Almost every film has a battle between the heroes and the villains. Although the border between these two sides is sometimes blurred, most films present a plot that encourages viewers to root for the virtuous hero to triumph over the evil adversary. While many films live up to the audience’s expectation that the hero will triumph, others take a darker turn.
Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, based on a screenplay by Robert Towne. The California water wars, a series of fights over southern California water around the turn of the twentieth century in which Los Angeles interests acquired water rights in the Owens Valley, served as inspiration for the picture.
The film noir features many elements of film noir, including a multi-layered tale that is part mystery and half psychological drama, and was directed by Robert Evans and released by Paramount Pictures. It was the director’s final picture in the United States.
It was nominated for Golden Globes for Best Drama, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. It was ranked second among the top ten mystery films by the American Film Institute in 2008. In 1990, a sequel, The Two Jakes, starring Nicholson and directed by him, was released, with Robert Towne returning to write the screenplay. The film did not receive the same critical acclaim as its predecessor.
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