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Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Mia Kirshner ... see more see more... , Mike Starr , Fiona Shaw , Patrick Fischler , James Otis , John Kavanagh , Troy Evans , Anthony Russell , Pepe Serna , Angus MacInnes , Rachel Miner , Victor McGuire , Gregg Henry , Jemima Rooper , Rose McGowan , Luis Daniel Ponce , Graham Norris , Mike O'Connell , Michael P. Flannigan , John Solari , Stephanie Moore , Noel Arthur , Todd Thomas , Steve Eastin , Ian McNeice , Claudia Katz , Mia Frye , Richard Brake , Bill Finley , Joost Scholte , Fatso-Fasano , Alan Teo , Kiril Efremov , Petar Milchev , k.d. lang , Brian DePalma

Director Brian De Palma returns to the helm for the first time since 2002's Femme Fatale with this stylish screen adaptation of James Ellroy's novel detailing one of the most notorious unsolved murder... read more read more...s in Hollywood history. Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) was a struggling actress looking to make a name for herself in 1940s-era Tinseltown. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, it was her grim fate that would ultimately overshadow anything she would accomplish during her short and tragic career. When police discover Elizabeth's body cut clean in half and with all of her organs missing, ex-pugilist detectives Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) are the men charged with cracking the case and apprehending the killer. This isn't your average murder case, however, and as Blanchard's marriage to Kay (Scarlett Johansson) begins to suffer due to his obsession with the sensational crime, his partner Bleichert discovers a troubling link between the victim and the mysterious Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), a prominent socialite and the daughter of one of the town's most connected key players. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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31% liked it

94,706 ratings

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32% liked it

183 critics

R, 2 hr. 1 min.

Directed by: Brian DePalma

Release Date: September 15, 2006

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DVD Release Date: December 26, 2006

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Stats: 7,876 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (7,876)

  • TheDudeLebowski65
    November 30, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    The Black Dahlia was a film that I was really looking forward to seeing. Upon its release, I saw it, and was very, very disappointed in what I saw. This was a film that had so much potential and it was wasted. Brian DePalma has a solid cast of actors, yet his direction is sloppy.... read more I thought that the films premise was good, but halfway through the film, everything falls apart, and the film just drags on, and becomes boring, unimpressive and dull. I think if the film would have been trimmed slightly in length, and the material reworked, The Black Dahlia could have been a stellar mystery film. Unfortunately, not even the excellent cast can save this boring film. The film had plenty of potential to being great, but instead it suffers from long, tired scenes of painful dialogue and the film's story just lingers and goes no where and when there's something that actually is interesting that happens, it's too little too late. The end result is a film that doesn't satisfy and really just disappoints. I thought this film was ultimately terrible, and is one of DePalma's worst efforts. The film could have been good, but DePalma's directing is unfocused and doesn't know where he wants to take the audience, therefore we're left in a boring trance trying to figure out really what is going on. Well, that's not hard to guess, there's nothing going on here, except a potentially great mystery thriller that has been wasted by a director past his prime. That's about it. The Black Dahlia is a boring, dull film and if you're looking for an excellent murder thriller, this film definitely isn't it. I think it's a shame that Brian DePalma wasted such a varied cast of talented actors and I think that if the film would have been directed by someone else, this film would have turned out quite differently. Avoid.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    August 22, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    Despite this brilliant cast with equally brilliant performances, I could tell from the very start that I wouldn't like this film. It's far too wordy and I just couldn't understand what was going on. It was very difficult to follow and felt like it lasted an age.
  • clintervin
    January 21, 2011
    clintervin
    First off, like so many others, I couldn't wait to see this film. I've been fascinated by the Black Dahlia case for many years, and I've mostly enjoyed Brian DePalma's movies. This may have been a faithful adaptation of James Ellroy's book, but I didn't like it, and much of doesn... read more't deal with the Dahlia case anyway. This story revolves much more around "Mr. Fire" Blanchard's obsessions and ambition and how "Mr.Ice" Bleichert deals with Blanchard and Kay Lake (Johansson) while investigating Beth Short's murder. It contains a typically (from DePalma) convoluted plot and multiple storylines.

    I didn't care much for these characters, but the movie has its moments. I love Scarlet Johansson in anything, and Hillary Swank gives a good performance, a different character than I've seen her play. They're much better than the male leads. The perverted family of Madeline (Swank) is interesting, and Mia Kirsher as Beth Short was mesmerizing. As another reviewer observed, the lesbian bar scene is hilarious and memorable; the inclusion of kd Lang a great bonus.

    Overall the movie is bad in general but even worse due to my high expectations. This film is atmospheric but ultimately deteriorates into a campy, trampy mess.
  • imrealgod
    January 2, 2011
    imrealgod
    Didn't expect much after checking out its IMDb Rating (as usual, before I go for flicks not from Bollywood). And as expected, the movie wasn't too good. The movie was interesting in parts, but such parts were too few. I don't know how much of the movie has been kept real & how mu... read morech fictionalized, but taking into consideration how the movie unfolds, I believe that they must have dramatized it to a great extent. Wish they were successful in doing so. Unfortunately, great performances could not compensate for poor script and screenplay.
  • ythelastman89
    March 30, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I think that itâ??s just as good as L.A. Confidential and a brilliant take on the 40s Crime and Noir genre. Unlike L.A. Confidential, Brian De Palma is an incredibly skilled director who has a vast background on film history, so naturally itâ??s a better looking film. The story i... read mores condensed in a different fashion, but itâ??s more faithful to James Ellroyâ??s original story. The performances are a lot more stylized, but I for one loved them. Everyone from Josh Hartnett to Mia Kirshner were really fun to watch. It just had a really great feel to it and I think itâ??s De Palmaâ??s best work in years.
  • 76Majikat
    January 19, 2010
    76Majikat
    I ordered this film after watching a recent British TV Drama called The Red Dahlia and thought the case would be of interest.

    Whilst this was about the Elizebeth Shaw case, the investigation seemed to revolve more around the investigators.

    I like the era, the costumes etc... read more and Scarlett Johansson looked very much the part, but this film was so dull and the voiceover was more suited to a an old Private Eye style film.

    Didn?t work for me.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    October 11, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    omg so borin its so terrrible i actually cant be botherd t write something!
  • sononothing
    June 14, 2009
    sononothing
    The Black Dahlia follows a fictional story about two LAPD detectives (Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart) who are part of a task force to solve the butchering of an aspiring actress who is found hacked up in Hollywood. The death is true. The rest of the bullshit that De Palma throws... read more onto the screen is not as you are treated to two hours of bad acting, direction, screenwriting, but at least the costumes look good.

    For such a grade A cast the acting in Black Dahlia is below high school theater class level. I think this is the first time I can say that is 100% all around. Everyone sucked in this film. What's more is that the worst casting of the decade has to be Hillary Swank as the femme fatale who is the dark key to the whole thing. Oh yeah, she just won an Oscar. Who gives a shit if the role is right for her. What was De Palma thinking?

    Of course Brian De Palma has accomplished nothing as a director in almost twenty years. His tombstone will read that here lies the guy that directed Scarface, that over rated, over produced film that turned Pacino into a screamer. De Palma keeps reaching for something and never quite grasps it.

    So if you're into two hours of mess, try the Black Dahlia that throws every cliche known to man onto the screen. If you're expecting Zodiac, don't bother. Apparently a straight crime story isn't enough for De Palma and company.
  • sanjurosamurai
    February 9, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    who else but brian depalma could take a phenomenal cast and one of the most interesting murders in american history and turn it into a sloppy mess on screen. johanssons polarizing presence on screen is all that saves this horrible film from reaching the depths of film making. t... read morehe story was incoherent at best, and most of the film was spent on things that had nothing to do with the tale at hand. what a waste of film.
  • garyX
    January 3, 2009
    garyX
    Based on a real case from 1947, The Black Dahlia refers to the murder of a wannabe starlet investigated by detectives Aaaron Eckhart and Josh Hartnett. Brian De Palma does his very best to ape the classic noirs of the 40s, and visually, it's great as it beautifully recreates the ... read moreglamour and atmosphere of the era. The sound track is also excellent, and I must say I had high hopes because it actually starts off pretty well with some nice interplay between the two and some interesting plot developments. Irritations soon started to creep in though, as Brian De Palma's clunky insensitive direction and penchant for pointless gimmicks reared their ugly heads; the scene shot in first person for no discernible reason being probably the worst example. Then as the story gets messier and more sensationalist, it starts to look more like one of those tasteless "erotic thrillers" of the 80s. Eventually you realise that the plot is going to be one of those when our hero just happens to trip over the clues that solve the case in the last reel and that you've just wasted 90 minutes of your life. It certainly looks nice, but De Palma tried to make Chintown and ended up with another Mulholland Falls.

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Critic Reviews

David Denby
September 23, 2006
David Denby, New Yorker

The picture is a kind of fattened goose that's been stuffed with goose-liver pâté. It's overrich and fundamentally unsatisfying.

James Berardinelli
September 23, 2006
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

This is far from one of the director's better efforts and should be avoided by all those who are not sworn De Palma boosters. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
September 20, 2006
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Mr. De Palma and his collaborators have been unable to translate Mr. Ellroy's depth of feeling into cinematic equivalents. Full Review

J. Hoberman
September 15, 2006
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

There are moments when The Black Dahlia projects a spectral world, but its ghosts in broad daylight are elusive at best. Full Review

Stephanie Zacharek
September 15, 2006
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

The Black Dahlia feels wobbly and uncertain. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
September 15, 2006
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Despite genius-level contributions from cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond and art director Dante Ferretti, the handsome film is almost abusively murky, trafficking in difficult-to-follow plot manipulati... Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
September 15, 2006
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

In The Black Dahlia, narrative strands tangle and wither, and minor characters clutter the plot. Full Review

Claudia Puig
September 15, 2006
Claudia Puig, USA Today

What it accomplishes with its stunning cinematography and set design is undercut by a lack of coherence. Full Review

Peter Howell
September 15, 2006
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Black Dahlia wilts from a surfeit of incident and a shortage of credibility, owing to a script by Josh Friedman that eventually turns to soap and performances that approach the hilarity of a Guy Maddi... Full Review

Mick LaSalle
September 15, 2006
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

With the exception of Aaron Eckhart, De Palma's actors can't live up to the period or the atmosphere. Full Review

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The Black Dahlia Trivia

  • A tale of obsession, love, corruption, greed and depravity that revolves aroung the true story of a brutal murder  Answer »
  • In The Black Dahlia, who played the enigmatic 'femme fatale', Madeleine Linscot?  Answer »
  • In the Black Dahlia, which actress was the third member of the triangle between Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart?   Answer »
  • In the Black Dahlia, what connection, other than their job, did the two main detectives have?  Answer »
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