The Black Dahlia is a Film Noir piece based on James Ellroy’s novel, and directed by Brian de Palma (The Untouchables, Scarface, Carlito’s Way). The Black Dahlia boasts a fresh talent cast including Josh Harnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank. The performances are overshadowed by the cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond, which was nominated for an Oscar. It’s set in the 1940s and two boxers are partnered as cops after a big fight. A love triangle develops between Dwight ‘Bucky’ Bleichart (Hartnett), Kay Lake (Johansson) and Leland Blanchard (Eckhart), who seem to make an uncomfortable trio. Kay seems to love both boxers, but her affections sway to Dwight, after Leland loses it a bit. The cops are tagged onto a the case of a brutally murdered Hollywood starlet. Leland gets obsessed with the case, and loses his relevance to both Dwight and Kay, while Dwight gets involved with Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), a woman he questions in connection with the deceased. The trio seem to go their separate ways, but all seem to have a missing piece to the puzzle. Dwight fails to save Blanchard, and discovers the underlying truth of Elizabeth Short’s gruesome murder.

Hartnett gives his regular slit-eye performance, while Eckhart and Johansson are found wanting. This can be attributed to the lack of depth for each of the characters, but at times they seem a little out-of-place. Swank gives Madeleine some, well ’swank’, and you have to look twice to recognise her. The story is slightly disjointed, and all the sub-plots seem to collide into each other at various stages. Instead of getting something similar to Chinatown, we’re subjected to a Film Noir piece that is intriguing, but tangled. The build-up is enthralling, and brilliant cinematography gives the film a suave, smooth feel.

Brian de Palma gives the viewer a film that moves with purpose, but seems to sacrifice the intrigue for a less-than-desirable conclusion. Instead of ending on a Film Noir note, you feel like you’ve just finished a game of Clue(do). Despite the severe lashings for under par performances and bundled sub-plots, the film is worth watching. The quality of the production, sets, costume design, soundtrack and cinematography are of a high standard. The Black Dahlia is a case of the aesthetic appeal, outweighing the meaning. It feels like a good film, but pick at a thread and the whole thing unravels.

The Black Dahlia may not be as good as L.A.Confidential, Chinatown - but can be enjoyed if you watch it with little or no expectations. The film revels in themes that line the underbelly of Los Angeles, and you can expect strong scenes, which include nudity, corpses, racial prejudice, bigotry and suicide. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but most scenes are handled sensibly without going into too much detail.

The bottom line: Grisly.