The Black Dahlia (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:179
Fresh:61
Rotten:118
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: 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.
Theatrical Release:15-09-2006
Synopsis: Based on the novel by James Ellroy, Brian De Palma's THE BLACK DAHLIA stars Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart as a pair of LAPD detectives assigned to the most notorious murder in Hollywood history.... [More]
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank, Aaron Eckhart
Director: Brian De Palma
Reviews for The Black Dahlia
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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. Full Review |
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 3/5 |
Gorgeously realised, gripping and doused in De Palma's familiar technical wizardry. Full Review |
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3/5 |
The Black Dahlia is no L.A Confidential but it's still an engagingly stylish detective thriller with strong performances. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Brian De Palma's inventive filmmaking style turns this adaptation of the complex James Ellroy novel into a feast for the eyes, even if it's tough work keeping up with the story. Full Review |
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2/5 |
Almost every decision that was taken here seems to have been the wrong one, from the casting of the callow, pleasant-looking Josh Hartnett as the sexually repressed cop hero, to the mellow sepia tones overlaying night-time Los Angeles. Full Review |
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3/5 |
It only works in fits and starts and the grand climax is too Rocky Horror to be true, yet the heady redolence of a bygone era still proves seductive. Full Review |
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Visual marvel after visual marvel Full Review |
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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. Full Review |
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2.5/5 |
You've barely time to soak up one revelation before another one is dumped on you from a great height. Full Review |
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2/5 |
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. Full Review |
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1.5/4 |
Click to read the article Full Review |
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1/4 |
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. Full Review |
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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. Full Review |
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A stellar cast of marquee names, coupled with an all-star crew, can't make this entry work. Full Review |
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1.0/4.0 |
... ends up being forgettable enough that someone else in the future may still be able to take another stab at the idea. Full Review |
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I can’t say anything really stood out in a positive way. Full Review |
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4/4 |
Filled with atmosphere and attitude to spare, "The Black Dahlia" is film noir at it's finest. Full Review |
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