While Chinatown is a '70s crime classic, its ending tries to subvert expectations in a way that doesn’t totally work.

Set in 1937, Chinatown follows the exploits of private detective Jake Gittes (Nicholson) as he investigates a series of deaths linked to water and land deals in Los Angeles' then-unincorporated ...

Jack Nicholson's "Chinatown" sequel "The Two Jakes" was ignored on its initial release — but it's an even better, deeper film than the 1974 classic.

The English novelist P.D. James once wrote that murder mysteries aren’t about death, but about “the restoration of order,” stealth theodicies sealed by happy endings. We expect an orderly ...

Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown. And that's said by one of Nicholson's assistants after everything's gone wrong, after Faye Dunaway has been killed and the evil father is free.

Towne, who died July 1, was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for his screenplay for The Last Detail, and won the Academy Award in 1975 for his screenplay for Chinatown. Originally broadcast in 1988.

Towne, who died July 1, was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for his screenplay for The Last Detail, and won the Academy Award in 1975 for his screenplay for Chinatown. Originally broadcast in 1988.

Towne, who died July 1, was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for his screenplay for The Last Detail, and won the Academy Award in 1975 for his screenplay for Chinatown. Originally broadcast in 1988.

Towne, who died July 1, was nominated for an Oscar in 1974 for his screenplay for The Last Detail, and won the Academy Award in 1975 for his screenplay for Chinatown. Originally broadcast in 1988.