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Drama thriller

Chinatown (1974): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Chinatown (1974) movie poster

Chinatown is a 1974 drama thriller directed by Roman Polanski, starring Faye Dunaway, John Huston and Jack Nicholson. It runs 2 hours 10 minutes and earned $29.2 million worldwide. It won 1 Oscar, including Writing (Original Screenplay), and 9 awards in all. Critics gave it 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and 92 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.

IMDb rating
8.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes
98%
worldwide gross
$29.2M
Oscar won
1
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Watch the trailer Read the plot summary
Chinatown (1974) movie poster
Released
Runtime
2h 10m (130 min)
Director
Roman Polanski
Genres
Drama , Mystery , Thriller , Crime
Original language
English
Studio
Paramount Pictures
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Chinatown About?

The premise of Chinatown without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

In 1930s Los Angeles, private investigator Jake Gittes is hired to investigate a woman who assumes the identity of Evelyn Mulwray, suspecting her husband of infidelity. His investigation leads him into a complex case involving water rights, political corruption, and a family’s dark secrets. As he uncovers the truth, Gittes finds himself entangled in a dangerous conspiracy with devastating consequences, leading to a shocking climax in the city's historic Chinatown district.

Chinatown Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • neo noir
  • private detective
  • femme fatale
  • incest
  • water rights
  • detective
  • domestic violence
  • los angeles river
  • water engineer
  • corruption
  • city hall
  • political corruption
+38 more
  • murder
  • chinatown los angeles
  • los angeles california
  • echo park los angeles
  • famous line
  • photograph
  • drowning
  • police detective
  • corpse
  • ethnic slur
  • millionaire
  • racial slur
  • sister sister relationship
  • father daughter relationship
  • mother daughter relationship
  • dysfunctional family
  • drought
  • scandal
  • secretary
  • trespassing
  • famous score
  • 1930s
  • male nudity
  • female nudity
  • nose bandage
  • adultery
  • cigarette smoking
  • chinese american
  • national film registry
  • surveillance
  • orchard
  • extramarital affair
  • catalina island california
  • rape victim
  • california
  • cigarette case
  • lighting a cigarette for a woman
  • tearing a page from a book
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Cast & crew

Chinatown Cast

Faye Dunaway leads the cast, with John Huston and Jack Nicholson. Directed by Roman Polanski.

From the director

More from Roman Polanski

More films directed by Roman Polanski, best-rated first: Rosemary's Baby, The Pianist, Tess and Cul-de-sac.

Full filmography
Ratings

Chinatown Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Chinatown 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and 92 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 8.1/10.

Plot

Chinatown Plot Summary

What happens in Chinatown from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

A woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulwray hires private investigator J. J. “Jake” Gittes to follow her husband, Hollis Mulwray (played by Darrell Zwerling), who is the chief engineer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. As Gittes observes him, he witnesses Mulwray publicly oppose the construction of a new reservoir and captures photographs of him with a young woman, which subsequently make headlines. However, Gittes is soon confronted by the authentic Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway), who threatens him with a lawsuit, revealing that he has been deceived.

Full summary

The whole story of Chinatown, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Chinatown Box Office

Chinatown grossed $29.2 million worldwide. $29.2 million came from the US and Canada and $28,367 (0%) from the rest of the world.

1974 box office

Worldwide gross

$29.2M

US & Canada
$29.2M
International
$28.4K
US & Canada 100% Rest of the world 0%
Awards

Chinatown Awards & Nominations

Chinatown won 1 Oscar, including Writing (Original Screenplay), and 9 awards in all. Its biggest night was the Golden Globes 1975, with 5 wins from 7 nominations.

9 wins30 nominations4 ceremonies

Videos

Chinatown Trailers & Videos

2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 featurette.

Trailer
  • Featurette Jack Nicholson accepts his award on the set of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Chinatown?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

Who hires J. J. 'Jake' Gittes at the beginning of the movie?
Cars

Cars in Chinatown

16 cars on screen, including the 1935 Ford V8 De Luxe and the 1938 Packard Twelve.

All 16 cars
  • 1935 Ford V8 De Luxe in Chinatown 1935 Ford V8 De Luxe Main role
  • 1938 Packard Twelve in Chinatown 1938 Packard Twelve Main role
  • 1937 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 in Chinatown 1937 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Important role
  • 1937 Ford V8 De Luxe in Chinatown 1937 Ford V8 De Luxe Important role
Details

Chinatown Also Known As

20 alternative titles, including “차이나타운” and “Китайский квартал”.

Also known as
  • 차이나타운
  • Китайский квартал
  • Çin Mahallesi
  • 唐人街
  • Kínai negyed
  • Τσάιναταουν
  • Čínská čtvrť
  • チャイナタウン
  • צ'יינהטאון
  • Cartierul chinezesc
  • Китайський квартал
  • Китайски квартал
+8 more
  • Кинеска четврт
  • Kinų kvartalas
  • Čínska štvrť
  • Barrio Chino
  • محله چینی‌ها
  • Phố Tàu
  • ไชน่าทาวน์
  • Kitajska četrt

Seen Chinatown?
More like this

Movies Like Chinatown

Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Chinatown Nights, Chinatown at Midnight and Chinatown After Dark.

From the blog

Articles About Chinatown

3 articles about Chinatown. The latest: “The Art of Crafting Unforgettable Movie Dialogues”.

FAQ

Chinatown FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Awards

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, awards and post-credit scenes of Chinatown, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Chinatown?

Chinatown runs 2 hours 10 minutes (130 minutes).

When was Chinatown released?

Chinatown was released on June 20, 1974.

Who directed Chinatown?

Chinatown was directed by Roman Polanski.

More films by Roman Polanski

Who is in the cast of Chinatown?

Chinatown stars Faye Dunaway, John Huston and Jack Nicholson.

How much did Chinatown make at the box office?

Chinatown grossed $29.2 million worldwide ($29.2 million domestic, $28,367 international).

How is Chinatown rated?

Chinatown has 8.1/10 on IMDb, 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, 92 on Metacritic and 79% on TMDB.

What awards did Chinatown win?

Chinatown won 9 awards from 30 nominations, including Best Director at the Golden Globes 1975.

Does Chinatown have a post-credit scene?

No. Chinatown has no extra scene during or after the credits.

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