The Black Dahlia (2006)

“The basic rule of homicide applied: nothing stays buried forever. Corpses. Ghosts. Nothing stays buried forever. Nothing. ” – Bucky

Number of Times Seen – 1 (27 Nov 2018)

Brief Synopsis – Two homicide detectives investigate the murder of an aspiring actress in Hollywood during the late 1940’s not realizing how it will affect their personal and professional lives.

My Take on it – This is a film that I heard about not long after it was released but never had a real interest in seeing what it was all about until now.

The premise is quite interesting but they fail to present it in a very coherent and enjoyable fashion.

Both Aaron Eckhart and Josh Hartnett are great actors but something just doesn’t feel right with their performances here.

They lack real chemistry together especially given the fact that they are suppose to be partners and have worked together for so long quite closely together.

The story doesn’t flow well enough and there is a constant feeling that things are being drawn out too much instead of being concise and to the point.

The case that this film deals with is actually a well known unsolved murder case that to this day still remains a real mystery as to what happened.

This film gives a plausible explanation as to what possibly occurred but even that is all speculation since the truth has never been revealed and probably never will since everyone involved with the case has been long gone in the 70 years since it transpired.

Bottom Line – Interesting idea that just isn’t presented well enough to remain interesting throughout. Eckhart and Hartnett are both great actors but we don’t feel the right kind of partnership chemistry that they supposedly have together. The story doesn’t flow well enough and things seem to be drawn out too much over the course of the film. The unsolved murder is quite intriguing and they give a very impressive explanation of it all but something still constantly feels off.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – David Fincher had originally planned to direct and intended to make a three-hour version shot entirely in black and white. Fincher subsequently left the project, apparently because he doubted that he would be able to make the film exactly the way he envisioned. (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (6/10)

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