Based on a real-life unsolved 1947 murder, "The Black Dahlia" is worth watching if only for its gorgeous period sets. It's not as good as the book, but few films are.
The Black Dahlia, released in 2006, is an adaptation of James Ellroy's novel that creates a multi-faceted mystery around the real-life unsolved murder of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short in 1947. The murder of Ms. Short, dubbed the "Black Dahlia" by the press because of her preference of wearing black clothes and a large white dahlia flower behind her ear, was the media sensation of the 1940s. Her mutilated body was discovered one morning behind a Los Angeles warehouse and spurred a flurry of speculation and "Dahlia" look-alikes.
The Real "Black Dahlia"
The movie, The Black Dahlia, focuses on the two LAPD detectives charged with solving the murder. These two policemen, Bucky Bleichert (played by Josh Hartnett) and Lee Blanchard (played by Aaron Eckhart), become increasingly obsessed by the murder. Bucky finds that his wealthy girlfriend, Madeline Linscott (played by Hilary Swank), has ties to the dead woman, and Blanchard tries to make a side deal, at his peril. Blanchard's girlfriend, Kay Lake (played by Scarlett Johansson) also has secrets to keep relevant to the case.
Classic Film Noir
In typical noir fashion, every sub-plot of the story has a deeper sub-plot, and the two detectives get drawn into a web of danger and deceit. The action takes the pair from tawdry Lincoln Heights to the Hollywood hills to Malibu as they track real and fabricated leads.
The Good and the Bad
The Black Dahlia, directed by macabre movie master Brian DePalma, is a masterpiece of cinematography and 1940s set design. Where it misses the mark is in the stiff acting of the two principal male leads and in its tedious reciting of every nuance of the novel. Still, the Black Dahlia is an enjoyable murder mystery with good performances by Hilary Swank as the disturbed socialite Madeline Linscott and by Mia Kirshner as the doomed Elizabeth Short (whom the viewer meets in black and white films of her screen tests). It's a nice two-hour escape.
