PLEASE HELP!! I understand NOTHING about this movie
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mijuelborga — 14 years ago(September 29, 2011 03:28 PM)
If you read the book, the boxing match is one of the MOST important scenes throughout the entire story, but was never fully highlighted during the film version. What a shame too because I found the book to be so good. The movie version is crap. It starts out good, but somewhere along the middle, director De Palma decides that there is not enough time to tell everything and tries to rush everything in and even makes his own make-believe ending. He also leaves all the important police politics stuff out (which I thought was what made the book such an awesome read). Also, Bucky Bleichart's obsession with the Dahlia case never really took enough time to bloom. Sad, sad, sad, because the story had so much potential.
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elevan89 — 17 years ago(July 07, 2008 04:21 PM)
Its a really bad movie that definitely would have worked better if they dropped the phoney contrived ending. Eckart's character was overacting all over the place and they never really gave a reason as to why he was so angry all the time (they mighttt have said why with like one passing line)
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axon50 — 17 years ago(July 09, 2008 12:20 PM)
They did say why Eckart's character was angry. It was something like his sister was killed by a child molester.
He was not overacting in the context of cinema of the period.
The reason Madeline killed him is because he beat up and was blackmailing her father.
The movie makes sense, you just have to watch it carefully as the answers are given once and then not referred to again. -
jlenterprises — 15 years ago(October 15, 2010 11:18 PM)
That's exactly right, you have to watch and listen carefully right to the end of the movie. The answers to the various questions raised are not easily given and this is probably why many people do not like this movie. I enjoyed it.
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cmtlshem15 — 9 years ago(September 10, 2016 08:14 PM)
I know that this thread is super old, but can you explain why Lee(Eckart's character) was blackmailing Madeline's father to begin with? Did it have to do with the shady building developments or something? I was just a little lost on some of the minor connecting points in the end. The big stuff was pretty easy once it was all said and done, but it was late when I watched and the subplots were getting very tedious by the end.
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Katgal98 — 17 years ago(July 10, 2008 08:49 PM)
What was this movie about?
It was about 2 hours but felt a lot longer.
Okay, it was about ACTING, in the worst way. And DIRECTING (wow, wouldn't this be a neat camera angle!!)
It's a fakey, almost-parody of film noir.
In all: a mess. -
CIGroxBT424 — 17 years ago(July 13, 2008 12:06 AM)
the film was sort of confusing, and that's the reason i even clicked on this feed; to try and understand it better. i knew right after the boxing match ended that it would be a film i would need to watch carefully and pick up every detail. the level of confusion reminded me of the prestige, which was good just as this film was, but had several different levels to the plot, making it hard to comprehend. overall, a very good film, but i think i will need to watch it at least once more to fully understand the plot, or better yet, read the novel it was based on.
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RazorbladeRomancexx — 17 years ago(July 29, 2008 11:30 PM)
Okay well this movie is based on the murder of elizabeth short, she was a wannabe actress that died in 1949.. google her and there should be a website with pictures and stuff..mind you there absolutely discusting so if you have a weak stomach dont look at them
hope that helps a bit
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blackblythe — 17 years ago(August 09, 2008 02:00 PM)
Here is a website that tells it all, at least it explained for me wth happenend in the movie! It's a long story, but you should read it all and you will understand it better!!!
http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/blackdahlia.html -
FishHeadSweety — 17 years ago(August 10, 2008 01:27 PM)
SPOILERSThis movie has the worst script and acting. if you haven't seen it, don't it's pathetic.
spoiler 1. Hillary Swank's mother kills the Dahlia because her creepy boyfriend had the hots for her and women are always killing 15 year olds in a sadistic, mutilating fashion. never men. it's the MO of drunk women.
Spoiler 2. Josh Hartnet has to sleep with or the F-word Hillary Swank because he has the hots for her, even though she's a creepy suspect. and says the F-word because it's edgy and we've never heard such language before. then josh kills Hillary because she killed his partner who had tried to make him the patsy for stealing money from the murder scene where the partner, unbeknown to Josh, had committd the murders.
it's a horribly trite formula movie. box. say f-word. have sex. say f-word. kill somebody. repeat. for 2 hours. i don't think it has anyhing to do with real black dahlia case.
Ask a fish head anything you want to, they won't answer. They can't talk. -
flatulatte — 17 years ago(October 04, 2008 02:00 PM)
Bugger I really enjoyed the book and only watched 30 minutes of the film before falling asleep, but by the sounds of it the movie really detracts from the book.
Thanks for the post Fishheadsweety you should get an award for sitting through that
Hell is other People -
LeadingLadybug — 17 years ago(December 10, 2008 08:29 AM)
Thank goodness. I watched this movie yesterday after a long day at work and I thought I was really, REALLY tired because I understood nothing. My reactions throughout the whole movie were: "What?!" or "Ok" I'm glad I'm not alone!
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jallport1990 — 17 years ago(December 26, 2008 08:02 PM)
OK, you couldn't understand a movie because it actually makes you sit there and think about it. James Ellroy, the author the novel, which is a noir classic, is the master of the complex seedy underworld that Chandler and Hammett made famous and DePalma brings a nice dark look to the story, which is completely original, and if oyu just pay attention, everything makes complete sense in this movie. I love it.
It's more than a story about the Black Dahlia, its a story about that whole era, its a story about the "Brotherhood" of police officers, of corruption, and the steamy underworld of 1950s LA watch it again with a more open mind, you just may surprise yourself and see what a great movie it is. -
ocbound84 — 17 years ago(January 03, 2009 10:53 PM)
There's nothing to understand my friend, this movie was garbage. It was a complete and utter waste of talent, film, writers and above all else a good story. It was a giant piece of s@it.
Watch LA Confidential and just forget about this and anything Brian DeDouchebag has ever done. Including Scarface (yeah I said it).
There will never be anyone quite like Audrey Hepburn -
PattyGJones — 9 years ago(May 08, 2016 07:50 AM)
Thank God, jallport1990 I'm not alone! I love this film and have watched it many times, not because I'm confused in any way, but because I find it exciting, Mia Kirshner was fantastic and I adore Josh Hartnett.
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