The Black Dahlia (C or 2/4 stars)
'The Black Dahlia' is a film noir directed by Brian De Palma. It offers a little bit of everything; but that's a problem. Ex-boxers & current police detectives Bucky Bleichert & Lee Blanchard (Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart) are investigating the brutal murder of our Black Dahlia, Elizabeth Short (Mia Kershner). Her severed body (missing all organs) was found in a field outside of an abandoned studio lot. However, before - during - and after they solve this mystery, they try to resolve some personal issues surrounding them; involving a slew of nameless/faceless characters, & the woman they love, Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). Throw in a bisexual Black Dahlia-wannabe, Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), & her cooky family (including Fiona Shaw), and you've got quite the film in store.
Lee delves too deeply into the murder. Meanwhile, Bucky gets wrapped up in why Elizabeth was so brutally murdered. He finds out that she made several porn flicks, & that she had her own bisexual relations along the way. Did she know Madeleine Linscott? Furthermore, Bucky complicates matters by entering a bizarre love triangle btwn. him, Kay & Madeleine. Who killed Elizabeth Short? Why do it in that decisively brutal manner? Why is Lee going mad over this case (the answer is vague & baffling)? How will Bucky find his way out of this psychotic maze of a story? We find out in the last 10 minutes. But we're all so confused & mystified, that we actually wish the film to be longer so that we can absorb everything being thrown at us. I mean, random names & occurrences that are made reference to early on in the movie surface again & we discover that they are pivotal to the climax & main plot! This can annoy any moviegoer late in the game.
I'm disappointed in the acting effort, as well. Aaron Eckhart is fine until he begins going crazy for no reason. Scarlett Johansson looks the part, but couldn't grasp onto reality within her role. Swank has her moments as Madeleine. But her smoldering voice & nuanced performance is overshadowed by a floundering elitist accent. And while I'm most impressed with Josh Hartnett ... I feel he's guilty of having, what I call, the 'Leo DiCaprio' effect: a solid actor who can't escape his boyish looks yet. His looks aren't gritty enough to completely convince us. An actor with 5 yrs. on him and/or more gruff could have worked better -- but so what. None of these actors could work their magic because Brian De Palma aims to make these characters as superficial & silly as possible. I can't imagine why.
Other missteps? The title of this film really needed to be 'Fire & Ice' (the original title). 'Fire & 'Ice' are the nicknames of Lee & Bucky, the men at the center of the movie. This was their story, not Elizabeth Short's. By naming the film 'The Black Dahlia', and leading the public (through many trailers & commercials) to believe that the film focuses squarely on Elizabeth Short's untimely death ... a huge disservice was given to us. I enjoyed the story surrounding Lee & Bucky. But I spent way too much energy trying to figure out how and when the 'Black Dahlia' part of the story would take hold. And why (I concur with fellow critic, Kevin Lawlor) did De Palma try to show this film AS a 1940's flick, instead of trying to emulate a 1940's mood?
Every aspect of the film is goofy & overdone. Throw in the atrocious musical score & you've got a movie that is hard to take seriously. With a completely different score that veers from 1940's trumpets & focuses on real tension & drama ... we wouldn't have been subjected to such unbelievable melodrama. I am woeful as I close this review. This movie has everything in it to be great. The cast selection is stellar. The cinematography is exquisite. The novel from which the film is based provides so much potential for epic noir filmmaking. The way in which the story is told, & how it's executed is its ultimate downfall; a real shame. I like various parts of this film, but they were few & far between. With a different director & other tactical changes to plot, this could have been one for the ages.
Lee delves too deeply into the murder. Meanwhile, Bucky gets wrapped up in why Elizabeth was so brutally murdered. He finds out that she made several porn flicks, & that she had her own bisexual relations along the way. Did she know Madeleine Linscott? Furthermore, Bucky complicates matters by entering a bizarre love triangle btwn. him, Kay & Madeleine. Who killed Elizabeth Short? Why do it in that decisively brutal manner? Why is Lee going mad over this case (the answer is vague & baffling)? How will Bucky find his way out of this psychotic maze of a story? We find out in the last 10 minutes. But we're all so confused & mystified, that we actually wish the film to be longer so that we can absorb everything being thrown at us. I mean, random names & occurrences that are made reference to early on in the movie surface again & we discover that they are pivotal to the climax & main plot! This can annoy any moviegoer late in the game.
I'm disappointed in the acting effort, as well. Aaron Eckhart is fine until he begins going crazy for no reason. Scarlett Johansson looks the part, but couldn't grasp onto reality within her role. Swank has her moments as Madeleine. But her smoldering voice & nuanced performance is overshadowed by a floundering elitist accent. And while I'm most impressed with Josh Hartnett ... I feel he's guilty of having, what I call, the 'Leo DiCaprio' effect: a solid actor who can't escape his boyish looks yet. His looks aren't gritty enough to completely convince us. An actor with 5 yrs. on him and/or more gruff could have worked better -- but so what. None of these actors could work their magic because Brian De Palma aims to make these characters as superficial & silly as possible. I can't imagine why.
Other missteps? The title of this film really needed to be 'Fire & Ice' (the original title). 'Fire & 'Ice' are the nicknames of Lee & Bucky, the men at the center of the movie. This was their story, not Elizabeth Short's. By naming the film 'The Black Dahlia', and leading the public (through many trailers & commercials) to believe that the film focuses squarely on Elizabeth Short's untimely death ... a huge disservice was given to us. I enjoyed the story surrounding Lee & Bucky. But I spent way too much energy trying to figure out how and when the 'Black Dahlia' part of the story would take hold. And why (I concur with fellow critic, Kevin Lawlor) did De Palma try to show this film AS a 1940's flick, instead of trying to emulate a 1940's mood?
Every aspect of the film is goofy & overdone. Throw in the atrocious musical score & you've got a movie that is hard to take seriously. With a completely different score that veers from 1940's trumpets & focuses on real tension & drama ... we wouldn't have been subjected to such unbelievable melodrama. I am woeful as I close this review. This movie has everything in it to be great. The cast selection is stellar. The cinematography is exquisite. The novel from which the film is based provides so much potential for epic noir filmmaking. The way in which the story is told, & how it's executed is its ultimate downfall; a real shame. I like various parts of this film, but they were few & far between. With a different director & other tactical changes to plot, this could have been one for the ages.