Forums: The Black Dahlia

This was a big disappoint for me. The Black Dahlia could have been not only another cool neo-noir flick, but also one of the best movies of the year. The first act is really good, but then it just slowly decreases from there.

The main problem with this film was that the story just had too much going on. If you were like me and expected to mostly see a movie about the mystery of Elizabeth Short's death, then you're in for a surprise. A lot of the movie does revolve around her death, but there's a lot more going on in here and some of it just isn't that interesting. By the end of the movie though, I was, to say the least, satisfied. The revelation we're given was enough to make up for a lackluster third act.

The Black Dahlia does look great on the big screen. The 40s look is captured beautifully and the actors all look perfect for the era. I also enjoyed seeing a fresh face like Hartnett in this kind of a movie. If you really want to see this film, then make sure you go to the theaters to see it cause it looks great.

6/10

Sorry to hear that you were disapointed. I was really looking forward to seeing it. Thanks for the insight.

No problem. I'd suggest waiting for the DVD. It's pretty obvious that this theatrical version was cut down a lot for length and because of that a lot of things and character's actions dont feel right. I would expect De Palma to release a Director's cut on DVD that's at least 30 to 40 mintues longer.

I'm going to watch this tonight so I'll let you know how I get on!