The Black Dahlia

Though titled after the victim in a notorious unsolved 1947 murder in Los Angeles, Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia, like the James Ellroy novel on which it's based, isn't really the story of Elizabeth Short, but rather a Laura-like tale of two cops—Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett)—who become obsessed with the case. Both are plainclothes partners who share official duties and a blonde bombshell (Scarlett Johansson) who lives with Lee but also shows a romantic interest in Bucky, and as Lee becomes self-destructively intent on finding the killer and Bucky becomes involved with a seductive society gal (Hilary Swank) who parades about imitating the Dahlia's dark look, both men are drawn deeper into the convoluted mystery surrounding the crime. By and large the movie is faithful to the pulpish tone and black humor of Ellroy's tome, but it's also marked by De Palma's virtuoso choreography of big suspense scenes in a modern homage to film noir (even if it is in color). But despite all the visual elegance and atmosphere, The Black Dahlia disappoints for several reasons: the acting ranges from bland to affected, while the concluding revelations, which try to give the story a Chinatown-like heft by folding political skullduggery and madness into the mix, only end up taking the story way over the top. A film that doesn't so much honor its models as embalm and ridicule them, this is optional. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras include the 21-minute behind-the-scenes featurette “The Case File,” “The De Palma Touch” on director Brian De Palma (17 min.), an 11-minute “Reality and Fiction” featurette with novelist James Ellroy talking about the real-life crime, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for an uneven film.] (F. Swietek)