A black film with errors, as opposed to a black comedy of errors! (The Black Dahlia (DVD))

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	The Black Dahlia (DVD)
Date:	08/12/08 (27 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Aaron Eckhart

Disadvantages: Pretty much everything else

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 adaptation, L.A. Confidential. However, while Confidential was a clever and effective film, The Black Dahlia is just too dark and emotionless to grab my interest.

I had heard promising things about this film, and with the history of L.A. Confidential to support it, I expected a lot more. The curious sexual tension between the male and female leads of the film is the only stirring element, with Scarlett Johanssen and Hilary Swank oozing sex appeal but not giving up an inch of acting talent - they seem to have left it at home.

And sadly the same can be said of Hartnett, although he does have moments where his on screen charisma seeps through. Eckhart, on the other hand, is broody and powerful on the screen, with his charisma taking over. The actor does much bette than the others, and is highly believable in the role of troubled cop. The remainder of the cast do well, but it is more like the majority of the cast left their skills in 1940, as opposed to using them to give a portrayal of a 1940s crime.

The cinematography is very dark, and the direction seems to have taken a curiously downward turn from De Palma, who is normally so reliable. The screenplay is not impressive, and the story does leave a little to be desired in its application onto the screen, and I'm not sure whether this is due to the screenplay adaptation or the original story from Ellroy itself.

Overall, I found it very hard to enjoy this film. It was confusing, and I often wasn't sure as to who was supposed to have done what. The story plodded along being rather unclear until minutes before the end, when I finally got the gist, and even then I wasn't impressed. I won't be watching the film again. I understand what the idea was, but it didn't work at all for me. This seemed a surprise to me, as L.A. Confidential was a very good film. The chalk and cheese of James Ellroy adaptations.

The DVD, if you really want to buy it, is available from amazon.co.uk for £4.98, and the copy I have seen has no extras.

Summary: Not a good film adaptation of James Ellroy's book of the same name