Review: The Black Dahlia
A few minutes in and I had to descibe to my brother what film noir is because The Black Dahlia is a pretty excellent example of the genre. However, more generally, it’s not really an excellent movie. The characters seemed a little blank and the plot didn’t exactly come together in a grand sweep of genius…more like the story’s key points were shaken up in a hat and then randomly arranged as the “conclusion.” I guess you get that with the tale of an unsolved murder. Redeeming qualities: Scarlett Johansson in old Hollywood style, Hilary Swank looking decidedly less manly than usual and a few (unintentionally) hilarious lines. Well worth watching if you are in the mood for a good old fashioned detective story. Josh Hartnett pulls off the jaded cop thing well, Aaron Eckhart is fantastic and who doesn’t like the 1940s aesthetic?
