The Black Dahlia murder case has all the elements of a haunting noir.
In January of 1947, the mutilated body of Elizabeth Short, a beautiful aspiring actress, was found literally cut in half, leaving both the city and LAPD stunned.
A story brimming with dirty police work and Hollywood sex, Short’s unsolved murder was fictionalized in James Ellroy’s critically acclaimed book The Black Dahlia and is now the subject of the Brian De Palma film of the same name.
De Palma’s film, an adaptation of Ellroy’s novel, follows every imaginable twist and conventional noir turn, at times neglecting the Dahlia case for several less entertaining subplots. The build-up is far more satisfying than the conclusion.
Josh Hartnett (Lucky Number Slevin) stars as the film’s narrator, Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert, a former boxer turned LAPD officer. He meets Sgt. Leland “Lee” Blanchard, (Aaron Eckhart, Thank You For Smoking), another former boxer turned policeman.
The two men face off in a crooked boxing match and later become partners on the force. But Lee and Bucky – dubbed “Fire” and “Ice” respectively – share more than similar resumes.
Lee welcomes Bucky into his home, introducing his partner to his stunning girlfriend, Kay Lake. Kay (Scarlett Johansson, Scoop) and Bucky eye each other longingly – thus starting the first of several love triangles in the film.
Screenwriter Josh Friedman gave full attention to Bucky, Lee and Kay’s story. The historical elements of Short’s murder take a backseat to Ellroy’s fictional storyline, but eventually the Dahlia case gets jammed into the main plot of Dahlia like an oversized puzzle piece.
Where the entanglements and betrayals of L.A. Confidential (another Ellroy-penned noir) proved integral to staging the film’s story of corruption, Dahlia’s tricky web of deception only detracts from the plot.
The introduction of the Dahlia case breathes considerable life into the film, mostly thanks to Mia Kirshner’s (Mandy on TV’s 24) heartbreaking performance as the murder victim.
Lee and Bucky watch Short obsessively during screen tests and in an eerie stag film, as the director grants his audience the sickening pleasure of voyeurism.
Kirshner gives Short the tragic portrayal she deserves – a sultry performance with a hint of childish innocence and a heavy dose of loneliness. Short’s face echoes a silent plea as She is fornicated on film.
The imagery is far from subtle, but the message still holds true – Hollywood violated Elizabeth Short.
Unfortunately, Kirshner has minimal screen time in comparison to the other, less-inspired roles. Johansson is an emotional vacuum, but serves as the cardboard cutout of “the woman in despair.” Eckhart does his best to always look pissed off while smashing, punching and shooting his way through the film. Hartnett delivers mixed results; the actor delivers Bucky’s one-liners with flare (no matter how cheesy they sound), but runs into trouble when trying to appear grief-stricken. He pouts frequently and unconvincingly.
Hi lary Swank is seductive as femme fatale Madeleine Linscott. Bucky’s first encounter with the rest of the Linscott family brings some much needed quirky humor to the film. But Madeleine, her parents and her sister become main players, face-planting right into the Dahlia plot.
But even for all its apparent faults, Dahlia holds together in the first act. Ace cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond creates a visually stunning Los Angeles circa 1947, referencing classics such as Chinatown and Laura without relying too heavily on typical noir cinematography. There’s no denying Dahlia has ambiance.
But as the film pushes past the halfway mark, not even lavish production values can salvage Dahlia.
The side stories take center stage and the plot lapses into a realm of utter ridiculousness. Bucky’s narration becomes intrusive, the acting goes from competent to stale and everything seems to unravel as De Palma and Friedman use cliches liberally.
The result is a gross finale that plays out like a bad joke. It was shocking to watch Dahlia turn into a film-noir farce with every awful plot twist revealed in the ending.
De Palma and Ellroy have taken extreme liberties in imagining the Dahlia murder. The violence and gore is excessive, and the final explanation of the murder is laughable, if not mildly offensive in its outrageousness.
Though entertaining, Dahlia becomes a senseless spectacle instead of addressing issues of entertainment vs. obsession. We receive a bizarre sampling of Hollywood tales, clumsily tied together with little purpose.
The real-life Dahlia murder resonates as a chilling cautionary tale to the sordid underbelly of Hollywood, fully eclipsing De Palma’s pulpy and tasteless film. Simply put, the truth hurts (more).
Movie: The Black Dahlia | Genre: Mystery | Verdict: * * 1/2
Contact reporter Zach Herrmann at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.
