I am familiar with the film noir private LA detective genre/trope, however I don't think I've ever seen it put to film in such an engaging and memorable way as in Chinatown. Yes, the standard lone detective tropes are all here, and they are a bit predictable within their genre and sometimes a little corny, but make no mistake in believing that this is a copy and paste noir film. This is a visually beautiful, thematically rich, engaging thriller that contains more memorable twists than most ballet choreography. I'd really like to talk about the story and thriller in general, because damn is it exciting. The story starts off simple, but picks up quickly, and continues to ramp up the intensity and layers of complexity throughout the runtime. There are so many short moments that seem insignificant at first, but are revealed to be expert foreshadowing or hidden hints later in the film. The story itself continues to evolve and build upon itself even in the third act, with previous reveals and confessions turned on their head. The villain is a little too predictable, but the ending is far from it. I also appreciated the (perhaps High and Low inspired) framing and cinematography. There are many clever shots that make use of perspective, depth, and other neat tricks that make the film look very good. The dialouge and acting is well done, I thought the dialouge was especially engaging in many scenes, with the audience following alongside Nicholson as he analyzes the responses of several characters. This is an iconic thriller that has it all: colorful cast, great story writing, a memorable ending and plenty of themes and motifs to discuss after the fact. This is a must see for anyone who likes movies.