See how Robert Towne’s masterpiece, Chinatown, hits the 15 Save the Cat! story beats.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Chinatown and remember Robert Towne’s recent passing, it is fitting to acknowledge the film’s enduring legacy. Many critics and film enthusiasts consider Chinatown the greatest screenplay ever written, and the film is frequently listed among the greatest films ever made.
The 1974 American neo-noir mystery, directed by Roman Polanski and written by Towne, features Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in leading roles. The plot was inspired by the early 20th-century California water wars, which involved conflicts over water rights in the Owens Valley. Produced by Robert Evans and distributed by Paramount Pictures, this film marked Polanski’s final work in the United States. It embodies classic film noir characteristics, blending mystery with psychological drama.
Upon its release on June 20, 1974, Chinatown received widespread critical acclaim. At the 47th Academy Awards, it garnered 11 nominations, with Towne winning Best Original Screenplay. The film also earned accolades at the Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Drama, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. The American Film Institute ranked it second among the top ten mystery films. In 1991, the Library of Congress preserved Chinatown in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.
A sequel, The Two Jakes, was released in 1990. It starred and was directed by Nicholson, with Towne again handling the screenplay. However, it achieved a different level of critical success than the original.
Written by: Robert Towne
Directed by: Roman Polanski
Genre: Whydunit (Noir Whydunit) – The three elements of a Whydunit are: the Detective, the Secret, and the Dark Turn.
Cinematic cousins: Body Heat, The Two Jakes, The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, LA Confidential, The Big Lebowski, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, Blue Velvet, The American Friend, Brick, The Samurai (Le Samourai)
Opening Image: A grainy photograph of a man and woman making love during a private picnic sets the tone of voyeurism and betrayal. Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson), a private detective, is in his office with Curly (Burt Young), a client who is devastated by the photographic evidence of his wife’s infidelity.
Theme Stated: Jake’s cynical attitude towards his work and the world introduces the theme of corruption and moral ambiguity. His line, “Alright, Curly, enough’s enough. You can’t eat the Venetian blinds. I just had them installed on Wednesday,” humorously underscores the futility and absurdity of his profession, hinting at the more prominent theme of the impossibility of achieving true justice in a corrupt system.
First Whydunit element: The Detective does not change; we do. Jake’s cynical attitude and world-weary demeanor set the stage. Throughout the film, he remains steadfast in his quest, driven by a sense of justice despite overwhelming corruption. The audience’s understanding of the world’s complexity and moral ambiguity deepens, even if Jake remains unchanged.
Set-Up: Jake meets his next client, Mrs. Mulwray (Diane Ladd), an older woman who suspects her husband of infidelity. Jake feigns surprise as Mrs. Mulwray explains her intuition about her husband cheating. Despite Jake suggesting that if she genuinely loves him, she should go home, Mrs. Mulwray is determined to uncover the truth. She reveals that her husband, Hollis Mulwray, is the chief engineer for the Department of Water and Power.
Jake follows Hollis. At City Hall, a speaker emphasizes L.A.’s dire need for water, highlighting its desert-like conditions. The proposal for a new deal to bring water to the city is met with enthusiastic applause. Hollis Mulwray (Darrell Zwerling) takes the stage next, arguing that further engineering work would lead to flooding and a broken dam. His remarks are met with boos from the crowd, and an irate farmer (Rance Howard) disrupts the meeting by releasing sheep into the hall, accusing Mulwray of conspiring to deprive their livestock and crops of water, keeping it in the hands of the powerful few.
A car drives along a ravine that leads to the dry Los Angeles River. From a distance, Jake uses binoculars to watch as Hollis Mulwray exits the vehicle and briefly talks to a boy on horseback. Mulwray then examines the parched riverbed at the bottom of the ravine.
From his car, Jake uses the side mirror to observe Mulwray. He sees Hollis head to the coast and stare out at the ocean. As night falls, Jake watches, and Hollis remains by the shore. A water pipe springs to life suddenly, releasing a powerful stream of water that flows into the sea.
Returning to his car, Jake finds a campaign flier on the windshield. The flier advocates for a vote to approve an engineering project to bring water to L.A., warning that the city is at risk of severe drought.
Jake then places a stopwatch under Mulwray’s car tire. The next day, back at his office, Jake examines the broken watch, noting that Mulwray was out there all night.
Jake’s assistant, Walsh (Joe Mantell), shows him photographs of Hollis Mulwray arguing with an older man. Walsh mentions that he overheard “apple core” but couldn’t make out more. Jake is visibly frustrated.
Jake receives a tip about Mulwray’s location and follows him to Echo Park. Jake and Walsh sit on a boat in the park’s pond, photographing Hollis as he enjoys a boat ride with another woman who is not his wife. Jake later follows Hollis to a patio, capturing a photo of him kissing the woman. The eager detective accidentally knocks a tile loose from the roof, nearly drawing attention to himself.
Newspaper headlines scream about Mulwray’s affair. Jake holds the paper as the barber praises his investigative skills. Another patron mocks Jake’s line of work, accusing him of ruining lives by exposing infidelities. Jake retorts, accusing the man of profiting off foreclosures on struggling families and insisting he earns an honest living. The barber attempts to lighten the mood by telling a crude joke about Chinese people.
Jake recounts the same joke at his office to his assistants Walsh and Duffy (Bruce Glover). He’s so engrossed in his story that he doesn’t notice a woman standing behind him. His assistants, embarrassed, remain silent. Jake wraps up the joke and turns around, only to be met with the sight of the woman, his laughter quickly fading.
Catalyst: The real Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), much younger than the woman who previously hired Jake, confronts him, revealing that the woman who hired him was an imposter. “I don’t get tough, Mister Gittes,” the stone-faced woman says. “My lawyer does.” The detective is issued a court summons.
Debate: This twist propels Jake to investigate why he was set up and who is behind the deception. Jake heads to Hollis Mulwray’s office to speak with him, but the secretary informs him that Hollis is out. Undeterred, Jake enters Hollis’s office and spots a photo of the woman Hollis was allegedly having an affair with on his desk. He also notices an upcoming appointment on Hollis’s schedule.
The Water and Power Department deputy chief, Russ Yelburton (John Hillerman), enters and chats with Jake. They walk to Yelburton’s office together, engaging in a friendly conversation. Yelburton insists that Hollis isn’t the type who would cheat on his wife. Before leaving, Jake discreetly takes a few of Yelburton’s business cards.
Break into Two: Jake heads to Hollis Mulwray’s house and rings the bell. A servant answers and lets him in. In the backyard garden, another servant, tending to a pond, mentions to Jake that the water is “bad for the grass.” Jake initially mishears it as “bad for the glass” and is momentarily puzzled. (Jake doesn’t realize it then, but it’s the clue that will later break the case.) As Jake investigates the pond and notices something, he moves to investigate further but stops when…
B Story: Evelyn Mulwray greets him. She informs Jake that Hollis isn’t home, and they sit for iced tea. During their conversation, Jake suspects someone has set Hollis up to be caught in an adultery scandal. Evelyn agrees to drop the lawsuit against Jake, but he insists on uncovering the truth. He wants to find Hollis and assist him. Evelyn suggests he check the reservoirs, as Hollis often visits them. The relationship begins—Evelyn will help Jake solve and be a large part of the mystery.
Fun and Games: Jake drives to the reservoir and encounters police officers who inform him that the area is closed to the public. Jake uses one of Yelburton’s business cards to impersonate him and gain access.
At the reservoir, the detectives recognize Jake and strike up a conversation. The lead detective, Lou Escobar (Perry Lopez), mentions that he’s no longer assigned to the Chinatown beat.
Finally, the detectives reveal the reason for their presence: a suspicious death. They are in the process of pulling Hollis Mulwray’s lifeless body out of the reservoir. And now we have murder: the promise of the premise!
The detectives question Mrs. Mulwray at their office, asking if Hollis was suicidal over the affair coming to light, with Jake also present. Evelyn admits that Hollis was upset, and they argued about it. She falsely claims she hired Jake to investigate Hollis, and Jake follows her story.
Outside the office, Mrs. Mulwray officially hires Jake to investigate her husband’s death and uncover the truth.
Back inside, Jake examines Hollis’s body and speaks with the coroner. The coroner shows Jake another body, that of a local man who supposedly drowned in the city river. Jake points out the improbability given the river’s dry state.
Second Whydunit element: The Secret surrounding Hollis’s murder and the water conspiracy drives Jake relentlessly. Despite potential gains or dangers, he is compelled to solve the mystery. The gravity of the conspiracy, involving city-wide water theft and murder, propels him forward.
Jake returns to the river to investigate further and encounters the same boy on the horse who spoke with Hollis. The boy tells Jake that Hollis was concerned about the water in the river, noting that every night, water gushes into different parts of it.
Later, Jake drives to the reservoir at night when it’s deserted. As he walks around the perimeter, gunshots ring out, forcing him to take cover in an empty concrete water channel. Suddenly, water surges through the channel, and Jake barely escapes.
As Jake tries to leave by climbing a fence, Claude Mulvihill (Roy Jenson) and a midget with a switchblade (Roman Polanski) confront him. Claude restrains Jake while the short man cuts his nostril, warning him to stay away from the reservoir or risk losing his entire nose.
Now sporting a large bandage on his nose, Jake is back in his office. He explains to his assistants that he’s uncovered a scheme to divert water illegally, but they are hesitant to pursue it.
Jake receives a call from a woman named Ida Sessions, who admits to impersonating Mrs. Mulwray. She claims she had no idea Hollis would be killed. Though she refuses to reveal who hired her, she hints that one of the culprits is mentioned in the day’s obituary section of the L.A. Post-Record newspaper.
Jake heads to a restaurant, scours the newspaper, and meets Evelyn Mulwray. He confronts her, suspecting she isn’t telling him everything, notably since she quickly drops the lawsuit and has him lie to the detectives about the impersonator.
Jake accuses Evelyn of withholding information, to which she admits she knew about her husband’s affair and claims she had her affairs as well. Jake learns that her maiden name is Cross.
Outside, Jake tells Evelyn he believes her husband was murdered and that there’s a conspiracy to steal the city’s water. He still thinks she’s hiding something and drives away, missing her call as she seems ready to divulge more.
Jake then visits Yelburton’s office but he is out for lunch. While waiting, Jake notices photos on the wall featuring Hollis Mulwray and a man named Noah Cross (John Huston). Yelburton’s secretary informs Jake that Cross and Mulwray co-owned the water company until Mulwray ensured it became public property.
When Yelburton returns, Jake confronts him, accusing him of killing Mulwray for discovering the water theft and hiring the fake Mrs. Mulwray. Yelburton denies the accusations, claiming they’ve only been diverting water to aid orange farmers, which results in some runoff. Jake remains doubtful and tells Yelburton to contact him if he comes clean.
Midpoint: (False Victory) Jake finds Mrs. Mulwray already waiting for him at his office. He confides that he doesn’t yet understand how the people responsible for her husband’s death plan to benefit from draining the reservoirs, but he intends to uncover the truth, starting the ticking clock. Mrs. Mulwray decides to officially hire him to solve the mystery of her husband’s death, tying together A and B Stories.
Jake inquires whether she married Hollis after her father, Noah Cross, sold the water company. She confirms that the marriage occurred afterward. Evelyn appears anxious and admits as much. She explains that she and Hollis had a falling out over the water company, not because of personal issues. Hollis was furious with her father for convincing him to build the dam that eventually failed, leading to their estrangement and raising the stakes.
Bad Guys Close In: Jake heads to the seaside to visit Noah Cross at the Albacore Club. Over a lavish meal, Jake reveals his belief that Hollis was murdered, while the police think it was an accident. He mentions his past work on the Chinatown beat with Escobar, the lead investigator, whom he respects for his competence.
Noah expresses concern that Jake might exploit the situation for financial gain by charging his daughter for something the police are already handling. He warns Jake that he needs to understand the problem entirely. Jake retorts that he used to hear the same warning from the D.A. in Chinatown.
Their conversation shifts to finding Hollis’s potential murderer. Jake asks Noah when he last saw Hollis. Noah initially claims ignorance, but Jake points out the photos showing them arguing. Noah recalls the argument and attributes it to issues concerning his daughter, though he refuses to elaborate. When pressed, Noah suggests the argument was about Hollis’s mistress, stating he didn’t want Evelyn to know, and advises Jake to find the mistress.
Jake heads to City Hall to examine the records for the Northwest Valley, where Yelburton claimed the orange groves were being irrigated. Reviewing the documents, he notices many recently pasted names indicating new landowners. He realizes that most of the land has been purchased a short time ago. Discreetly, Jake tears the page out of the record book and takes it with him.
Next, Jake drives to the Northwest Valley and trespasses into the orange groves. Suddenly, someone shoots at him, forcing him to speed through the groves. A man on horseback appears, blocking his path and forcing Jake to halt. As he assesses his next move, farmers ambush him, shooting out his radiator and a tire, leaving him with no choice but to retreat.
A struggle ensues, and one of the farmers beats Jake with a crutch. They finally subdue him and demand to know why he’s there. Jake explains that he’s investigating whether the Water Department is irrigating their land.
The farmers reveal that the Water Department has been poisoning their wells and blowing up their tanks, sabotaging them instead of irrigating the groves. When Jake mentions he’s working for Mrs. Mulwray and that Hollis Mulwray is dead, one of the farmers accuses Mulwray, leading to an insult from Jake, resulting in the farmer knocking him out.
When Jake regains consciousness, he finds Evelyn looking over him at the farmer’s house—the farmer had called her. On their drive back, Jake realizes that the new dam, which Hollis opposed, is a ruse. Instead of diverting water to L.A., it will redirect water to benefit those buying land in the Northwest Valley.
Jake explains that Ida Sessions had directed him to the obituaries because one of the new landowners, Jaspar Lamar Crabb, had recently died. Despite Crabb’s death two weeks ago, he somehow managed to purchase land in the valley a week after his death.
They stop at the rest home where Jaspar Lamar Crabb had resided, and Jake leads Evelyn inside, pretending they are a married couple searching for a place for their father.
Once inside, Jake notices that all the names of the new landowners in the valley match the names of the residents at the rest home. As he speaks with some of them, he learns that no elderly residents know they supposedly own land.
Jake discovers that the rest home receives funding from the Albacore Club, where he met Noah Cross. However, the supervisor interrupts, informing Jake that someone is at the door to see him. Outside, Jake finds Claude Mulvihill waiting.
Jake instructs Evelyn to head to the car, then attacks Claude, seeking retribution for his injured nose. As he fights, the small man who had previously cut his nose starts to give chase, but Evelyn swiftly arrives in the car and picks Jake up. They make a quick escape while Claude’s goons fire at them.
They share a drink at Evelyn’s house, and Jake thanks her for rescuing him. They flirt, and Jake confides that during his time in Chinatown, the cases he handled were often confusing and complex, much like the current one. He had tried to do as little as possible to avoid inadvertently helping criminals.
Evelyn helps Jake remove the bandage and clean his nose wound. While doing so, Jake notices a discoloration in the iris of Evelyn’s eye. He moves closer to examine the flaw, and they end up kissing. The flaw in her eye may represent her damaged past and the hidden truths in her life, especially relating to her father and the dark secrets she’s been forced to keep.
Later, Jake and Evelyn lie in bed together, talking. Jake recounts how working in Chinatown brought him nothing but bad luck—it was impossible to understand the situation entirely. He tells her about when he tried to protect someone but ended up causing her harm instead.
The phone rings, and they exchange glances before Evelyn answers it. She quickly says she’ll be right there and, before leaving, instructs Jake not to ask any questions. Before departing, she reveals that her father, Noah, owns the Albacore Club. Jake acknowledges this, mentioning that he met Noah, which unsettles Evelyn.
Jake tells her Noah claimed she was jealous and worried she might harm Mulwray’s girlfriend. Evelyn explains that her father is dangerous and possibly responsible for her husband’s death. As she showers, Jake sneaks out, breaking the taillight on her car so she won’t notice him following her.
He trails Evelyn to a house where he sees her meeting with one of her servants and the woman he believed to be Hollis’s mistress. It seems they are keeping the woman confined in a bedroom. Evelyn talks to her, offering a pill that the woman initially refuses but eventually takes.
When Evelyn leaves the house, Jake confronts her in her car, accusing her of holding Hollis’s mistress captive. Evelyn denies this, explaining that the woman is too distraught over Hollis’s death. Jake counters that they’re trying to keep her from revealing something important.
Finally, Evelyn admits that the woman is her sister. Jake is bewildered and presses for more details, asking if Hollis is having an affair with her sister. Evelyn breaks down, insisting she never harmed Hollis. Jake, still puzzled, bids her goodnight and leaves.
As Jake lies in bed, his phone rings. He answers to hear a man’s voice saying Ida Sessions wants to speak with him. Jake responds that she should call him directly. The phone rings again, and the voice provides an address where Jake can meet Ida.
All Is Lost: The following day, Jake drives to the given address and notices signs of a break-in. He cautiously enters the house and searches around, eventually finding Ida’s body in the kitchen, the whiff of death. He inspects her wallet and its contents.
Dark Night of the Soul: Lt. Escobar and another detective appear from the bathroom, revealing they are already investigating the scene. They talk to Jake, and tensions rise, nearly leading to a confrontation between Jake and one of the detectives. The detectives show Jake photographs of Hollis when Ida impersonates Mrs. Mulwray. Escobar deduces that someone was setting up both Jake and Hollis. He also reveals that Hollis had saltwater, not freshwater, in his lungs.
Jake explains to Escobar about the water theft that Hollis uncovered, which led to his murder. He takes Escobar to the water pipe near the ocean where the stolen water is being dumped, but the pipe is dry during the day. Another officer arrives and relays Yelburton’s claim that the water is merely runoff from irrigating the Northwest Valley, information Jake is already aware of.
Jake then goes to Evelyn’s house and finds it being prepared for her departure, suggesting she is moving out. She’s not there. In the backyard, the same servant tending the pond earlier mentions that the pond’s water is bad for the grass because it is saltwater. Jake inspects the pond and discovers a pair of glasses at the bottom, the object he had noticed earlier. He realizes this is where Hollis met his end.
Break into Three: Jake rushes to the house where Evelyn stays with Hollis’s alleged mistress, Catherine (Belinda Palmer), her sister. Confronting Evelyn, Jake demands to see Catherine, noting that Evelyn appears ready to leave. He calls Escobar, instructing him to come to the house, while Evelyn watches anxiously. She asks Jake to explain what’s happening, tying A and B Stories together.
Five-Point Finale:
Gathering the Team: Jake reveals Hollis’s glasses, which he found in the pond, asserting that Hollis was drowned there. He insists on knowing the truth, suspecting that Evelyn killed Hollis and is keeping the mistress confined because she knows too much.
Evelyn promises to reveal the truth, disclosing that Catherine is her daughter. Jake slaps her, prompting Evelyn to clarify that the woman is her sister and daughter. Then, he slaps her again and says it’s her daughter. She keeps saying both as Jake slaps her and throws her down. A darker, violent side of Jake goes into full throttle as he forces Evelyn to reveal the awful, awful truth. Finally, Evelyn says that the girl is both her sister and her daughter—her father had sex with her, and the girl is their daughter.
She tells Jake that it happened when she was fifteen, and she couldn’t be with Catherine since she was so young and not in control. Now, she wants to be with her daughter and run away from her father. Jake tells her to escape.
Evelyn goes upstairs first, but before she goes, she tells Jake that the glasses aren’t Hollis’s since he didn’t wear bifocals. Jake realizes that they’re Noah’s and that Noah killed Hollis. Evelyn’s daughter briefly says hello to Jake.
After Evelyn and her daughter have fled, Jake phones his assistants and tells them to meet him at Evelyn’s servant’s address in Chinatown, where Evelyn will hide before leaving.
The detectives arrive to arrest Evelyn but are too late.
Third Whydunit element: The Dark Turn shows the detective breaking the rules. Jake’s pursuit of the truth leads him to break his own rules, such as attacking Claude Mulvihill and manipulating situations to uncover the conspiracy. His desperation to reveal the truth and protect Evelyn and her daughter forces him to act against his established methods, highlighting the dark turn in his journey.
Executing the Plan: Jake and Escobar head to the house where he claims Evelyn is hiding. However, they end up at Curly’s home, the same man Jake helped catch his cheating wife at the story’s start. (Curly’s wife now sports a black eye.)
Jake goes in first, pretending he wants to talk to Evelyn alone. Since Curly owes him a favor, Jake convinces Curly to drive him out as they escape through the backdoor of the house. Jake hides in the backseat to avoid Escobar’s notice.
Jake offers Curly money to meet him later and help transport some passengers (Evelyn and Catherine) out of town. Curly agrees, but only for payment. He gets Curly to drop him off at Evelyn’s recently abandoned house. He then calls Noah Cross and arranges to meet him there.
Once Noah arrives, Jake quickly reveals that he knows the girl is Evelyn’s daughter. He shows Noah an obituary from the paper and explains that he knows Noah drowned Hollis in the pond and is scheming to steal water.
Noah admits to moving forward with his plan to steal the water. He intends to force Los Angeles to incorporate the valley, now supplied with water, into the city, thereby compelling L.A. to buy the water directly from him.
Their conversation shifts to Evelyn, with Noah confessing that he doesn’t blame himself for his actions, noting that most people don’t realize what they can do.
High Tower Surprise: Claude Mulvihill, working for Noah, arrives and puts a gun to Jake’s head, forcing Jake to hand over the damaged bifocals.
Dig, Deep Down: Cross and Mulvihill compel Jake to accompany them to Chinatown, where they encounter the detectives and Jake’s assistants.
Executing the New Plan: Jake attempts to explain the truth about Cross’s actions to Escobar, but the detectives ignore him. Evelyn arrives with Catherine, and Cross moves to intercept them, addressing his granddaughter/daughter as her grandpa. Evelyn yells at him to stay away and then pulls a gun on him.
She gets into the car and shoots Noah in the arm. The police open fire as Evelyn tries to drive away, causing the vehicle to come to a stop. Evelyn has been fatally shot through the eye. (Her death through her flawed eye signifies the tragic climax of these secrets and the inescapable nature of her fate.)
Catherine screams in anguish. Noah pulls his wailing granddaughter/daughter from the car, shielding her eyes from the scene. He now has Catherine to himself. Evil has won.
Final Image: Jake stands in shock, filled with regret for not being able to help Evelyn or resolve the situation. Escobar angrily orders Jake’s assistants to take him from the scene, and they comply. Walsh tells his employer: “Forget it, Jake, it’s Chinatown.”
As an audience, we’re transformed because there will be no justice for the deaths of Hollis and Evelyn Mulwray. Noah Cross wins, and Jake Gittes loses. Evil prevails in a place like Chinatown—without a pat Hollywood ending.
