The Black Dahlia Verdict

OK The Black Dahlia. You won’t be surprised to find that I thought it was awful. De Palma has turned a great book into a horrible pot boiler and a terrible parody of a 40s film noir.

Aaron Eckhrat is wasted in it and his temper tantrums seem slightly laughable. Josh Hartnett does well considering he’s not a very good actor, though his voice over is woeful and actually detracts from the action on screen.

Fiona Shaw is cringeworthingly over the top and Scarlett Johnasson only offers a believable period look, but forgets about the performance.

De Palma’s direction baffles belief in places. He seems to insist on extreme close ups all through the film. He mixes ECU with mid-shots in the same frame, for no logical reason. One scene is shot form the POV of Hartnett’s character, causing me to wonder ‘Why’s this turned into Peep Show?’ The constant use of swipe cuts, just added to the parody feel the film had.

Hilary Swank is about the only actor to come out of this with any credit, though Mike Starr does well with his limited time on screen.

It was horrible to come out of the cinema listening to so many people saying how terrible they thought it was. I heard a handful of people say they found it confusing as well. If you haven’t read the book a lot of the plot will seem slightly baffling, what with the flashbacks and the broken structure.

I just wish that David Fincher could have directed this. In his hands it would have received the treatment due to it.

Don’t go to see The Black Dahlia. Read the book instead. It’s so well written a page will grip you more than 90 minutes of a Brian De Palma movie ever will.