Like many of the good movies that I've seen recently, "Chinatown" seemed to have me a tad perplexed upon completion. I know that I had seen something quite unique but I wasn't sure exactly how to place it. More on that in a minute.

In case you've never heard of this movie, Chinatown is one of the few movies on Rottentomatoes.com to receive a perfect score (100% critical approval). The star is Jack Nicholson, who plays the head of a detective agency that seems to specialize in infedility. Nicholson plays a variation of the bad boy that he plays in so many movies. However, this time there is a twist - it seems that Jack's character has a bit of hero in him. This is a little odd to see because in so many of his movies Jack is on the other side of the law.

Anyway, as I said a minute ago my initial reaction to this movie was somewhat mixed. After some contemplation I believe that the reason for this was the pacing of the movie. We've become so used to there not being a break or a pause in movies, television, music, etc that I believe our minds have become trained to a dizzying pace of media. While Chinatown was a lot of fun to watch, the plot did take some time to develop and not everything was spelled out for the viewer.

One other trait that makes this movie a great one is that the viewer never really knows how deep the movie goes until it gets there. For example, in a movie about a bank heist you know that the whole movie is leading up to the big event. Chinatown starts with Nicholson accepting a case from a woman who fears that her husband is a cheat. As the movie progresses the viewer can't help but think that they've arrived at the heart of the movie only to be mistaken. It isn't until the last scene that everything makes sense, and that scene is rewarding because it isn't the typical Hollywood ending.

The only thing that was slightly unrewarding is the resolution to the movie. "Chinatown" is alluded to a few times in the movie but by no means was it a major theme. I thought it made the ending slightly awkward, as if maybe the director had pieced it together at the last minute.

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