The Black Dahlia (**1/2)

? The lurid 1947 murder of budding Hollywood starlet Elizabeth Short, dubbed Black Dahlia by the press, was the inspiration for James Ellroy’s 1987 novel, on which Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds) has based his screenplay, directed by Brian De Palma. The story follow a Los Angeles cop (Josh Hartnett) and his interactions with his partner (Aaron Eckhart), his partner’s girlfriend (Scarlett Johansson), and an alluring witness (Hilary Swank). Although the murder was a sensational press case, this aspect of the murder is not emphasized.

+ De Palma’s re-created Los Angeles is fabulous to look at, and the camera work is fantastic. Parts of the movie are a match for the style of the previous Ellroy adaptation, L.A. Confidential, one of the best films of the 1990s.

- Overall, I found the story less interesting than I’d have expected, in part because none of the characters seemed especially appealing. Swank’s allure (or her character’s) was elusive to me, and the other three seemed flavorless. Although the basic plot is clear enough, some small things were confusing. (For one thing, I missed some of Ellroy’s prose that Harnett’s character says in the voiceovers.) Much is made of the resemblance between the murder victim and Swank’s character, so it was distracting to me that Swank doesn’t look much like Mia Kirshner, who plays Short. The twisty ending is satisfyingly shocking, but for me had no emotional impact. Finally, although the period detail of the movie is completely convincing, the characters and story feel slightly modern.

= **1/2 If you only see one period film this year based on a decades-old Hollywood mystery, make it the more convincing Hollywoodland.

 
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