The Black Dahlia (2006)
Average Rating: 4.8/10
Reviews Counted: 183
Fresh: 59 | Rotten: 124
Though this ambitious noir crime-drama captures the atmosphere of its era, it suffers from subpar performances, a convoluted story, and the inevitable comparisons to other, more successful films of its genre.
Average Rating: 4.4/10
Critic Reviews: 42
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 36
Though this ambitious noir crime-drama captures the atmosphere of its era, it suffers from subpar performances, a convoluted story, and the inevitable comparisons to other, more successful films of its genre.
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Average Rating: 2.7/5
User Ratings: 96,610
My Rating
Movie Info
Director Brian De Palma returns to the helm for the first time since 2002's Femme Fatale with this stylish screen adaptation of James Ellroy's novel detailing one of the most notorious unsolved murders in Hollywood history. Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) was a struggling actress looking to make a name for herself in 1940s-era Tinseltown. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, it was her grim fate that would ultimately overshadow anything she would accomplish during her short and tragic career. When police
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Cast
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Josh Hartnett
Dwight 'Bucky' Bleicher... -
Scarlett Johansson
Kay Lake -
Aaron Eckhart
Lee Blanchard -
Hilary Swank
Madeleine Cathcart Lins... -
Mia Kirshner
Elizabeth 'Betty' Short -
Mike Starr
Russ Millard -
Fiona Shaw
Ramona Linscott -
Patrick Fischler
Ellis Loew -
James Otis
Dolph Bleichert -
John Kavanagh
Emmett Linscott -
Troy Evans
Chief T. Green -
Anthony Russell
Morrie Friedman -
Pepe Serna
Dos Santos -
Angus MacInnes
Captain John Tierney -
Rachel Miner
Martha Linscott -
Victor McGuire
Bill Koenig -
Gregg Henry
Pete Lukins -
Jemima Rooper
Lorna Mertz -
Rose McGowan
Sheryl Saddon -
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Graham Norris
Cop -
Mike O'Connell
Shore Patrol -
Michael P. Flannigan
Desk Officer -
John Solari
Baxter Fitch -
Stephanie Moore
Baxter Fitch's Girlfrie... -
Noel Arthur
Gunman -
Todd Thomas
Gunman -
Steve Eastin
Detective -
Ian McNeice
Coroner -
Claudia Katz
Frolic Bartender -
Mia Frye
Laverne Bartender -
Richard Brake
Bobby DeWitt -
Bill Finley
George Tilden -
Joost Scholte
Madeleine's GI -
Fatso-Fasano
Dealer -
Alan Teo
Friedman Tough Guy -
Kiril Efremov
Friedman Tough Guy -
Petar Milchev
Perp -
k.d. lang
Love for Sale Singer in... -
Brian DePalma
Voice of Film Producer
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The Black Dahlia Trailer & Photos
All Critics (191) | Top Critics (43) | Fresh (64) | Rotten (126) | DVD (17)
Ellroy's prose crawls into characters' secret hearts and under the reader's skin, but its foetid horrors become kitschy here, the script too streamlined and the lead performances too shallow to dredge the story's depths.
Top CriticThe picture is a kind of fattened goose that's been stuffed with goose-liver pâté. It's overrich and fundamentally unsatisfying.
This is far from one of the director's better efforts and should be avoided by all those who are not sworn De Palma boosters.
Mr. De Palma and his collaborators have been unable to translate Mr. Ellroy's depth of feeling into cinematic equivalents.
There are moments when The Black Dahlia projects a spectral world, but its ghosts in broad daylight are elusive at best.
The Black Dahlia feels wobbly and uncertain.
An over indulgent and often confusing stab at film noir, The Black Dahlia leaves little to be desired as director Brian De Palma continues to prove that his best days are behind him.
Visual marvel after visual marvel
Unsolved Hollywood murder inspires dark '40s noir.
DePalma is like a magician who dazzles us with a trick only to show us, alas, it really was only a trick, and in the meantime he's stolen our watch.
You've barely time to soak up one revelation before another one is dumped on you from a great height.
Won't do much to dissuade the common rap against De Palma as a cold technician who takes projects just for the elaborate set pieces they provide him.
With skeletons flying out of the closet at every turn, this overplotted mess unfolds more like a dumb, daytime soap opera than a well-crafted crime thriller.
With skeletons flying out of the closet at every turn, this overplotted mess unfolds more like a dumb, daytime soap opera than a well-crafted crime thriller.
You have to wonder just how vibrant the film would have been during the Reagan or Clinton administration, when De Palma was in his prime.
A stellar cast of marquee names, coupled with an all-star crew, can't make this entry work.
... ends up being forgettable enough that someone else in the future may still be able to take another stab at the idea.
I can't say anything really stood out in a positive way.
Audience Reviews for The Black Dahlia
That's harsh, I know, but sadly it's true. This had potential to be good, and there's a great film to be made on this subject, but this isn't that film, and almost all of the potential is squandered.
A major problem is that a lot of the time, the murder of wannabe actress Elizabeth Short takes a back seat to the story of the partnership between two detectives, and how the case (and other issues) are affecting them. It's plodding, meandering, and, while I'm okay with complex movies, this one is just too convoluted and messy for its own good. Not only that, but perhaps worst of all, you really don't care about the people or what happens.
The film is populated by well known performers such as Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson, and Hilary Swank, as well as wonderful character actor Mike Starr, but none of them really impress all that much. I do like how Eckhart, and especially Swank do these really pronounced "actor-y" accents, but they've all been far better elsewhere.
Being De Palma, the film is shot well, with trademark camera moves, angles, and expressive lighting, but that's really the only highlight. The music is typical for period piece neo-noirs, but unfortunately just made me think more of the music from Chinatown than anything else.
All in all, this is a real letdown. I like De Palma, or rather, I try to find enjoyment out of his place in film history, but it really bugs me that he's gone downhill, especially since I really don't know why.
Super Reviewer
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- Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert: The basic rule of homicide applies. Nothing stays buried forever. Nothing.
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- Emmett Linscott: Hearty fare breeds hearty people. Haute Cusine breeds degenerates.
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- Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert: Who's this?
- Madeleine Cathcart Linscott: Balto. The paper is the L.A. Times for Aug. 1, 1926. Balto was bringing in the paper when Daddy found out he made his first million. And he wanted to consecrate the moment, so he shot him.
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- Kay Lake: Do you have a girlfriend, dwight?
- Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert: I'm saving myself for Rita Hayworth.
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- Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert: Mr. Fire VS Mr. Ice. For everything people were making it out to be you'd think it was our first fight.It wasn't. And it wouldn't be our last.
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Foreign Titles
- Le Dahlia noir (FR)
By the time the film ends and you know 'Who done it' you past caring (or believing). Not Brian De Palma's best film.