"Chinatown"

Last night I got caught up in re-watching "Chinatown," a 131-minute mystery set in 1930's Los Angeles. The 1974 movie is a murky delight and holds up surprisingly well after so many years.

Murder, incest, corruption and persistent bits of misdirection all move the plot along. There are characters with character. The story is resolved credibly and without employing the cheap tricks of loud violence or 'hunk' men who don't shave or women who have had their breasts 'done.'

Anyway, the movie kept me up past my bedtime and made me happy to know that it was possible to tell a good, meaty, unapologetic and carefully-crafted story in two hours and a little. Others may insist on calling it a "film." I thought it was a good movie.