Brian De Palma's 'The Black Dahlia'

Snickers really satisfy; "The Black Dahlia" does not!

If all that mattered in movie-making was that the end result was pretty to look at, I would be giving Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia a rave review. There's no denying the film's visual virtues: the cinematography, the set design, the costumes, the hairstyles and the makeup. The screenplay, however, is another matter. For about 90 minutes, it moves at a fast pace, the movie is flowing but with just a few minor rapids, then as the end approaches, it goes into a freefall over a waterfall and lands with a crash. The ending is so complicated that it requires not just one but two explanation scenes and, even after those, we're still not sure how everything fits together. While it's true
that many thrillers emphasize style over substance, few are as unsatisfying and confusing as "The Black Dahlia."
The Black Dahlia is based on the fictional novel by James Ellroy, not the real-life unsolved mystery. Ellroy used that cold case as a starting point for his novel, and the movie does the same thing. In actuality, the murder of Elizabeth Short (the actual "Black Dahlia" case) is only a subplot in the film. This is the story of two fictional detectives assigned to the crime. It's the need to tie everything into a neat package at the end that exposes the most outrageous flaws.
L.A.P.D.
detectives Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) are the department's stars because of their record in bringing fugitives to justice. Hartnett seems ideal for this line of work. He has a slow-to-wake innocence that suits a character whose detective skills always appear to be two or three scenes behind ours. The character's smarts are slightly below average, and Hartnett doesn't have the seriousness to raise him up. He's almost too innocent. At the time of the infamous "Black Dahlia" murder, where the dismembered body of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) is discovered in an open field, Bucky and Lee are working another case, tracking a child rapist. However, Lee becomes obsessed with the Short killing and aggressively pursues a seven-day transfer for himself and Bucky to the taskforce. Bucky agrees unwillingly, however, believing it's more important to get their original prey off the streets. Investigating Short's past leads Bucky to Madeline Linscott (Hilary Swank), with whom he begins a relationship. Meanwhile, sparks are flying between Bucky and Lee's girlfriend, Kay (Scarlett Johansson), but neither act on them out of respect for
Lee.
The acting in The Black Dahlia is not a strong point.
Everyone from Scarlett Johansson to Hilary Swank to Josh Hartnett looks great in late 1940s costume, but the performances are rough. There are times when Hartnett and Johansson appear stiff, and Swank goes over-the-top on at least one occasion. She is outdone in the overacting category only by Fiona Shaw (playing her mother), who delivers enough ham to feed a crowd. The most consistent performer is Aaron Eckhart. Mia Kirshner is also effective but because of the nature of her role, she appears only in film clips of Short's Hollywood auditions (the first time we "meet" the character, she's a
corpse).
Brian De Palma has spent the better part of his career working in the noir field (he was once considered a Hitchcock imitator), so it isn't surprising that he was attracted to the project. Indeed, the frills are executed effectively, although the movie isn't as impressive as one might anticipate. Fixating on the performances seems to be expected since it's a Brian De Palma picture. The director bears the unique characteristic of being responsible for some of the most magnificent performances in the movies (Sissy Spacek in ``Carrie," say, or John Travolta in ``Blow Out") and some of the worst (see ``Bonfire of the Vanities" -- or don't). But ``The Black Dahlia" is sadly short on the magnificent.
There are some nice individual sequences, including a thrilling foot chase that involves stairs and a volatile fall. However, it is surprising that De Palma didn't demand that the plot be rationalized to complete the story. The sloppiness of the ending doesn't only damage "The Black Dahlia," it sinks the project. Movie-goers have a right to expect more from an ending than what De Palma delivers. This is far from one of the director's better efforts and should be avoided by all those who are not sworn De Palma supporters. You would be better off getting a snickers and watching a film like "War of the Worlds", where you can get satisfaction from both pleasures.