The Black Dahlia (DVD)

The Black Dahlia is set in 1940s Los Angeles. Two cops, Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and his partner, Lee Blanchard, investigate the death of Elizabeth Short, a young woman found brutally murdered. Bucky soon realizes that his girlfriend had ties to the deceased, and soon after that, he begins uncovering corruption and conspiracy within the police department. - This is taken from imdb.com because I really can't think of a better or less concise way of describing the plot The Black Dahlia is a film of contrasts; a film of unscrupulous beauty and startling ugliness, of engaging intelligence and mystifying stupidity, of rousing energy and ...  Read the complete review

Two policemen, Dwight Bleichert (known as Bucky) and Lee Blanchard become involved in the investigation into the murder of Elizabeth Short, a wannabe actress who was found badly mutilated. Bucky and Lee are friends, but their friendship takes a complicated turn when the investigation begins to involve them on a personal level - and the fact that Bucky is in love with Lee's girlfriend Kay does not help matters. To try and forget about Kay, Bucky turns to Madeleine Linscott, but soon finds that she is somehow linked to Elizabeth Short. Unable to trust Lee, Madeleine or Kay, can Bucky piece together what happened to Elizabeth Short? I really liked the sound of ...  Read the complete review

*This is a film only review* 'The Black Dahlia' is a 2006 film adaptation of the James Ellroy crime novel of the same name, and is directed by long established Hollywood director Brian Da Palma. The 'Black Dahlia' of the title is aspiring actress Elizabeth 'Betty' Short, a real life actress who was found brutally murdered in 1947. 'Bucky' Bleichart, played by Josh Hartnett and Lee Blanchard, played by Aaron Eckhart are two of the lead homicide cops working on solving the murder. Their investigation leads them into the seedy underbelly of Hollywood as they uncover corruption at the deepest levels. The somewhat fractuous relationship ...  Read the complete review

note: also appears in part on Flixster and The Student Room The Black Dahlia was one of the most-hyped films of 2006, and even had Oscar buzz before its release, which sadly proved to be entirely wrong when the film turned out to be quite a spectacular mess. However, it did have gorgeous cinematography, so it's probably the best-looking bad film out there. It's just a shame that with these performers and this crackling plot, Scarface director Brian De Palma couldn't wring out something a little more cohesive and interesting. The film begins with the discovery of a body, that of Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner), a beautiful young starlett who had just ...  Read the complete review

The Black Dahlia is a very dark and moody crime thriller filmed in the style of a film noir and set in the 1940s. Director Brian De Palma is known for his variety of filming styles, and here he tries to go moody with his lead males of Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart. However, despite a very dramatic feel to the feel, the plot and acting don't quite pull it off. Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard are partners in the Hollywood crime division, and following the death of the high profile Elizabeth Short, they start to investigate its suspicious nature. Loosely based on a Hollywood murder, the film attempts to match up to author James Ellroy's previous movie ...  Read the complete review