The shocking image of the girl with the lipstick bleeding down her face and the tag line about the most notorious murder in Hollywood, sets you up for an amazing film noir masterpiece.
Instead, “The Black Dahlia” is a fragmented jigsaw puzzle still awaiting a director who can put the pieces together. Brian De Palma who has directed classics like “Carrie” and “Scarface, would seem to have what it takes to make James Ellroy’s novel come to life, but somehow does not deliver.
“Black Dahlia” is the story of two L.A. cops who are assigned to the high profile murder case of a young starlet, Elizabeth Short. “The Black Dahlia,” does come to life but in the form of a schizophrenic individual who is in dire need of medical treatment.
Like all great film noir we begin with our protagonist, officer and boxer Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert (Josh Harnett), doing a classic voice over. He explained how he is going from the ranks of the morally correct into the depths of the seedy underworld of L.A.
Anyone who has seen a film noir can predict its type of characters. There is Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) who plays the best friend and corrupt cop who has already turned bad, then there is his girlfriend Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson) who plays the temptress that pulls Bucky slowly into the underworld of the morally incorrect.
The beauty of film noir such as “Double Indemnity,” is that they turn morality on its head, it drags the audience into the depths of human vice and makes us understand how we got there.
“The Black Dahlia,” keeps a safe distance from the harsh side of humanity, always keeping Bucky in the position of moral correctness. Even with the entrance of the murder, the film still manages to keep a safe distance from any objectionable actions despite the hot sex scenes, which desperately try to add some spice to the overall bland film.
Although there is an amazing cast that performs to perfection, including Scarlett Johansson who plays a role she was born to play and Hilary Swank who amazingly pulls off a sexy woman, there is no saving the film.
The main problem is that the film is trying to tell too many stories. It is telling the story of Bucky and Lee who are boxers and partners and in love with the same woman. Then, the murder happens, which complicates things more but never really lands on a solid resolution.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the film was the character of Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) who, despite being dead for the entire film, manages to appear frequently through footage of her old screen test.
This character’s captivating death is central to the movie’s mystery, but unfortunately, is not the main story line.
Even when the pieces of “Dahlia” seemingly come together you will still not be satisfied with the results. If you are hungry for film noir then stick to the classics.
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