The Black Dahlia

I watched it yesterday... honestly, I was pretty disappointed. It’s an okay movie, but there is absolutely nothing special or standout about it. I’m giving it a three out of ten.😁

He saw Brian De Palma and Goodfellas, which are definitely better.
Scarface 🙏

Honestly, might be the absolute worst movie I’ve sat through in a theater in forever. And trust me, I’ve seen some garbage, even back when I was still hanging out with my toxic ex 😬

Look, I wouldn’t say I was blown away. I’m not sure how the original story goes, but the storytelling in this movie is just messy. It feels disjointed and scattered, and after a while, you lose interest because you can't tell what's actually happening. Honestly, it feels like Brian De Palma only focused on the plot during his breaks from filming beautiful shots. Visually? It's stunning. I loved that little nod to Alfred Hitchcock during the scene where the detectives are waiting for John Nash, with that camera movement swinging over the building and back. It was beautifully shot, just completely lacking any sense of direction.

I watched the film. I’m a huge fan of Brian De Palma—really am—but I have to rip this one apart. Even though a lot of his early work got trashed by critics only to become absolute classics later, The Black Dahlia isn't going to be one of them. An incredibly weak script and a totally incoherent plot are just the tip of the iceberg here. Then you have all this wasted talent with great actors delivering what felt like over-the-top performances to me. There was potential for something great, but of course—as usual—DePalma prioritized style over actually finishing a coherent movie. Sure, there are certain sequences that are stylistically perfect, but that simply isn't enough to save it.

Look, I’m going to go against the grain here and say—I actually liked the movie. To be honest, the plot is a complete mess, and I guess Brian De Palma didn't really have a clear vision for what he was trying to achieve with this project—but the fact remains that the man is a master. Even when he's working at a subpar level, he's still better than most directors out there. The only real issue is that DePalma seemingly didn't know how to tie everything together, even though every single individual scene is executed beautifully. You end up watching it and enjoying yourself, while simultaneously wondering, "what the hell..." 😕 The acting is decent, and Hillary Swank is absolutely great. No matter how incoherent the story gets, I can't honestly say the film is bad—because when I weigh everything up, I genuinely had a good time, partly because of the genre and certainly because of the director. I’ll definitely watch it a few more times, though I really hope De Palma finds his footing again soon. It's such a shame, because the film truly had the potential to be a masterpiece. He should have studied 'Devil in a Blue Dress' more closely 🙏 🙏 🙏

Oh, and I have to mention—that murder scene involving Mrs. Fire's character is classic De Palma, and in my opinion, it's much more impactful than that siege scene everyone keeps talking about 🙏

Anyone catch this movie yet? I’m actually halfway through the book it was based on right now, and honestly, it’s such a great read. I saw the film too, and it was pretty decent... nothing mind-blowing, but alright.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387877/

It wasn't really anything special for me, honestly. The book was pretty much the same deal—kind of a letdown compared to his other stuff in that L.A. Quartet series. The only thing that actually caught my interest was how he took a real case (which he does in most of his books) and I ended up digging up some actual photos of the real Dahlia... both alive and dead... just gruesome. Also, I've never really been able to get into Josh Hartnett playing a "hard-boiled" detective.

briskhound2 said:I just can't get into Josh Hartnett as a "gritty" detective.

It doesn't quite fit—but other than that, the film was actually really good... just a heads-up though, people usually end up disappointed after reading the book. It’s nothing weird—it’s just that they have this specific vision while reading and won't let themselves change it, and that vision almost never matches what the director had in mind.

I just finished the book—it was okay, I guess, maybe a little bit overhyped
The film was honestly such a letdown. Plus, I’m really not a fan of that moody vibe Scarlett Johansson brings to her roles, and I feel like Hartnett could've definitely done better.

I thought the book was amazing, honestly the ending caught me totally off guard.
The film, though? Not quite there. It could've been way better—felt a little slow at times...
Hartnett was solid, but I just couldn't see Hilary Swank as Madeline; she didn't really fit the part for me. Scarlett could've given a stronger performance, even if she looks great on screen.

It didn't really blow me away—it wasn't even about the murder itself, more like just about the detective working the case.

honestly, I'm pretty disappointed... :/