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1. Chinatown’s theme revolves around corruption and dishonesty. A person regardless of their social standing can be corrupt or dishonest. Throughout the film, Detective Gittes witnesses corruption and dishonesty occurring regardless of a person social standing. Curly, who can represent the lower part of social class standing, is betrayed by his unfaithful wife. Noah Cross, a man with high social standing, uses his wealth in order to steal the water California desperately needs. Noah Cross is willing to murder and silence anyone who gets in the way of his plans. Noah Cross embodies the theme of the film. In the film, Noah Cross crosses the line time and time again to cover up his crimes. Noah Cross becomes more and more corrupt as he tries to fulfill his goal. Noah Cross is the Chinatown, where corruption thrives and crimes go unpunished. The freedom of crime only fuels the corruption to flourish. Another man with high social class standing, Russ Yelburton, becomes involved in the murder of his boss in order to become the chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Lieutenant Escobar, a man with a middle social class standing, turns a blind eye for Noah Cross’s crimes. The film ends with the line, “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown”. This shows that even an honest man such as Detective Gittes cannot stop the corruption that pollutes the city, while revealing the evil nature of human is impossible to escape.

2. By incorporating several film elements which aim to bring out realism, the audiences will find the underlining theme of the film more meaningful. The realism of the film brings the pain and suffering that a man’s corruption causes to the audiences even when they did not personally experience the effects....

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...with everything, while the protagonist lost everything. Polanski’s film shows the corruption in this world thrives while crushing anyone that opposes its authority.

4. I personally very much enjoyed the film. The film would continuously make me wonder what kind of events were to be unfolded. I really enjoyed how the ending of the film played out because the film stayed to its realism and the message it gave to me as an audience. In society justice does not always prevail and corrupt men are not always brought to justice. One part of the film which disappointed me was the description of Detective Gittes past experience of Chinatown. Though the film depicts the corruption that occurs in Chinatown, it felt very minor. With a better understanding of the corruption of Chinatown, the line “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown” would have had a greater impact on the audience.