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Chinatown & The Last Detail
"Chinatown," generally regarded as the Great American Screenplay, follows a seedy private investigator, Jake Gittes, as he becomes involved in a case far more complicated than he ever imagined. Instead of adultery and divorce, he uncovers a conspiracy reaching to the economic foundations of Los Angeles. Set in the 1930s, the film was directed by Roman Polanski and stars Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston.
275 pages, Paperback
First published December 8, 1997
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About the author
Robert Towne
29 books14 followersRobert Burton Towne was an American screenwriter, director, producer, and sometime actor. Born in Los Angeles, California, USA, and raised in the seaport town of San Pedro. He started acting and writing for legendary exploitation director/producer Roger Corman. Came into his own during the 1970s when he was regarded as one of the finest screenwriters in Hollywood. Began directing with mixed success in 1982. One of the best script doctors in Hollywood, he contributed crucial scenes to such films as Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and The Godfather (1972).
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 18, 2018
Towne's script for Chinatown deserves all the praise it gets. Economical, smart, intense. Also included is the screenplay for The Last Detail, one of the most underrated films of the 1970s. Here, dialogue tells the story, characterization at its finest.
October 10, 2025
Chinatown, written by Robert Towne, directed by Roman Polanski
10 out of 10
Notes and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Chinatown is one of the masterpieces that will remain in history and I have it included in my top twenty favorites.
It is also on All-TIME 100 Movies list:
- http://entertainment.time.com/2005/02...
Robert Evans, the producer of this film and the man responsible for other major motion pictures, one of which might be the very best of them all, The Godfather, writes about Chinatown in his book about movies:
- The Kid Stays in the Picture
We learn from there how Robert Evans was involved in getting roman Polanski to Hollywood and how they worked on Rosemary’s Baby.
There is the funny aspect of Frank Sinatra, his request to have his wife, Mia Farrow, back soon and how she wanted to pay back.
Roman Polansky is the magician directing Chinatown, after the immense success and Oscar nomination for Knife in the Water…
And of course, the aforementioned Rosemary’s Baby, for which the director wrote the screenplay, nominated for both Oscars and Golden Globes.
Chinatown was nominated for all the major Academy Awards and had to compete with Godfather II, but won for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.
The magnificent Jack Nicholson was discovered by Robert Evans and that story is included in the aforementioned book.
He is a private detective called Jake Gittes and he is asked to work on what seems to be a usual case, the wife suspecting her husband of infidelity.
Jake and his associates follow Mr. Mulwray and they think they have found the very young woman with who he is involved.
The story gets in the newspaper and Jake is visited by Evelyn Mulwray, who informs him that he is being sued…
The woman who had hired the detective was doing so on false pretenses…the real wife is Faye Dunaway.
Chinatown is about human relationships, love and betrayal, greed and power, money and fame, but also about…Water.
It is notable that a long time after the time of the story, California and Los Angeles have a huge problem with water.
So severe that over the past few years, draconic measures have been taken in places where taking a bath instead of a shower was forbidden, watering the lawn- indeed many lawns had been painted green.
Hollis Mulwray is found dead, with salt water in his lungs and it becomes increasingly obvious that the water is the key to this murder and that the dead man found out that water had been dumped at night, in the middle of a…drought.
Enter the stage Noah Cross portrayed with outstanding talent by an actor better known as director- John Huston.
He is the rich former owner of the water supply, in partnership with his late son-in-law and he has concocted a plan to become even richer.
Noah Cross wants to hire Jake Gittes to find “the girl „who is actually the key of the investigation and the motion picture.
The hero is attacked and beaten in various circumstances, his nose is cut- by a hoodlum played by Roman Polansky.
The detective is doing an outstanding job, proving to be a real superhero, for he follows the trace of corruption into the orange groves, in the offices where the registers are, in an asylum for old people, supposedly owners of huge areas of land that would make them incredibly rich, onto to the salty pond at the Mulwray house.
This where he becomes too violent and the aura of superman is disintegrating for he is very aggressive with the woman he had an affair with and he suspects is responsible for murder, having the wrong evidence.
The glasses he holds as irrefutable proof had not belonged to the victim and therefore even the best of detectives can be wrong.
This is an exceptional film.
10 out of 10
Notes and thoughts on other books are available at:
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and http://realini.blogspot.ro/
Chinatown is one of the masterpieces that will remain in history and I have it included in my top twenty favorites.
It is also on All-TIME 100 Movies list:
- http://entertainment.time.com/2005/02...
Robert Evans, the producer of this film and the man responsible for other major motion pictures, one of which might be the very best of them all, The Godfather, writes about Chinatown in his book about movies:
- The Kid Stays in the Picture
We learn from there how Robert Evans was involved in getting roman Polanski to Hollywood and how they worked on Rosemary’s Baby.
There is the funny aspect of Frank Sinatra, his request to have his wife, Mia Farrow, back soon and how she wanted to pay back.
Roman Polansky is the magician directing Chinatown, after the immense success and Oscar nomination for Knife in the Water…
And of course, the aforementioned Rosemary’s Baby, for which the director wrote the screenplay, nominated for both Oscars and Golden Globes.
Chinatown was nominated for all the major Academy Awards and had to compete with Godfather II, but won for Best Writing, Original Screenplay.
The magnificent Jack Nicholson was discovered by Robert Evans and that story is included in the aforementioned book.
He is a private detective called Jake Gittes and he is asked to work on what seems to be a usual case, the wife suspecting her husband of infidelity.
Jake and his associates follow Mr. Mulwray and they think they have found the very young woman with who he is involved.
The story gets in the newspaper and Jake is visited by Evelyn Mulwray, who informs him that he is being sued…
The woman who had hired the detective was doing so on false pretenses…the real wife is Faye Dunaway.
Chinatown is about human relationships, love and betrayal, greed and power, money and fame, but also about…Water.
It is notable that a long time after the time of the story, California and Los Angeles have a huge problem with water.
So severe that over the past few years, draconic measures have been taken in places where taking a bath instead of a shower was forbidden, watering the lawn- indeed many lawns had been painted green.
Hollis Mulwray is found dead, with salt water in his lungs and it becomes increasingly obvious that the water is the key to this murder and that the dead man found out that water had been dumped at night, in the middle of a…drought.
Enter the stage Noah Cross portrayed with outstanding talent by an actor better known as director- John Huston.
He is the rich former owner of the water supply, in partnership with his late son-in-law and he has concocted a plan to become even richer.
Noah Cross wants to hire Jake Gittes to find “the girl „who is actually the key of the investigation and the motion picture.
The hero is attacked and beaten in various circumstances, his nose is cut- by a hoodlum played by Roman Polansky.
The detective is doing an outstanding job, proving to be a real superhero, for he follows the trace of corruption into the orange groves, in the offices where the registers are, in an asylum for old people, supposedly owners of huge areas of land that would make them incredibly rich, onto to the salty pond at the Mulwray house.
This where he becomes too violent and the aura of superman is disintegrating for he is very aggressive with the woman he had an affair with and he suspects is responsible for murder, having the wrong evidence.
The glasses he holds as irrefutable proof had not belonged to the victim and therefore even the best of detectives can be wrong.
This is an exceptional film.
March 28, 2021
Two highly regarded and award winning screenplays from the 1970s penned by master screenwriter Robert Towne.
Both films were part of the filmmaking revolution of the period and featured screenplays that are "frank, political, uncompromising, and daring in language and content, complex in design and execution, funny, serious, and socially significant."
Both films starred Jack Nicholson in Oscar-nominated performances.
Best remembered of course is "Chinatown" one of the best films of the 1970s or of any decade for that matter. Directed by Roman Polanski, it also starred Faye Dunaway and John Huston. A striking and original screenplay, it is a complex story of seedy characters, sexual intrigue and political corruption which brings the Los Angeles of the 1930s into full exposure.
Robert Towne's script was deservedly the recipient of the Academy Award, Golden Globe, British Academy Award and Writers Guild of America award for Best Drama Written Directly for the screen.
The lesser known "The Last Detail" appeared one year earlier, in 1973, and is the story of two hardened Navy lifers (Nicholson and Otis Young) escorting a court-martialed recruit (Randy Quaid) to the brig.
Before he is doomed to an eight year sentence, the young sailor is treated to a final good time by the hard-boiled duo.
A rich comedy-drama peppered with some appropriately colorful language, Towne's script adapted from Daryl Ponicsan's novel and directed by Hal Ashby won the screenplay award at Cannes and the British Academy (shared with his "Chinatown" script) and was nominated for the Academy Award and Writers Guild of America Award.
Film tends to be a little neglected because of all the great movies produced at the time. But well worth rediscovery and holds up as one of the highlights of the 1970s and features Jack Nicholson in one of his best ever performances.
Two great screenplays to be cherished in their written format and to be admired when viewing the finished product.
Both films were part of the filmmaking revolution of the period and featured screenplays that are "frank, political, uncompromising, and daring in language and content, complex in design and execution, funny, serious, and socially significant."
Both films starred Jack Nicholson in Oscar-nominated performances.
Best remembered of course is "Chinatown" one of the best films of the 1970s or of any decade for that matter. Directed by Roman Polanski, it also starred Faye Dunaway and John Huston. A striking and original screenplay, it is a complex story of seedy characters, sexual intrigue and political corruption which brings the Los Angeles of the 1930s into full exposure.
Robert Towne's script was deservedly the recipient of the Academy Award, Golden Globe, British Academy Award and Writers Guild of America award for Best Drama Written Directly for the screen.
The lesser known "The Last Detail" appeared one year earlier, in 1973, and is the story of two hardened Navy lifers (Nicholson and Otis Young) escorting a court-martialed recruit (Randy Quaid) to the brig.
Before he is doomed to an eight year sentence, the young sailor is treated to a final good time by the hard-boiled duo.
A rich comedy-drama peppered with some appropriately colorful language, Towne's script adapted from Daryl Ponicsan's novel and directed by Hal Ashby won the screenplay award at Cannes and the British Academy (shared with his "Chinatown" script) and was nominated for the Academy Award and Writers Guild of America Award.
Film tends to be a little neglected because of all the great movies produced at the time. But well worth rediscovery and holds up as one of the highlights of the 1970s and features Jack Nicholson in one of his best ever performances.
Two great screenplays to be cherished in their written format and to be admired when viewing the finished product.
December 31, 2025
As I write noir keep reading and watching it. I love the movie and wanted to read what was considered the perfect screenplay by many.
January 29, 2009
Even if it didn't have two great screenplays, the introduction by Robert Towne would be worth it. He lauds Predator!
February 21, 2020
Chinatown by Robert Towne is the greatest film script I've ever read. It's so beautifully structured!
July 12, 2021
Two great scripts I acquired in a flea market bookstore deal (!!), however "The Last Detail" is the reason this doesn't hit a five-star recommendation for me. "Chinatown" is a much tighter screenplay and one that's far more effective in generating atmosphere and mood than its companion, which is mostly a road movie comedy with less depth than I think it wants to give itself credit for. Towne writes great dialogue though, and both are good starting points for budding screenwriters looking to get the most out of their character interactions.
January 9, 2023
My uncle gave this to me for Christmas and I really enjoyed my first glimpse into the world of screenwriting. I had watched Chinatown previously and really enjoyed discovering things I missed in it when reading its screenplay. The Last Detail was also pretty good though I didn't find the plot as intriguing.
October 28, 2024
I mean, what can you say about Chinatown!!?! It's one of my favorite movies of all time, and I wanted to read it to try and understand the mechanics of the plot. As for The Last Detail, it was interesting to read something I hadn't seen, and watch it come alive from the page.
November 22, 2015
These are Robert Towne's masterpieces of the screenplay written in the 1970s. Chinatown, a tour de force directed by Roman Palonski and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, is set in the 1930s. It is a complex film noir, with a small-time private detective thinking he's investigating a case of adultery, but who is sucked into a complex conspiracy involving eco-politics of Los Angeles. Dunaway is the victim of dark familial relations. It all comes to a devastating climax in Chinatown, a section of town seen here as dark and mysterious. The dialogue is tight throughout, and the private detectives is given to pointed wisecracking. A great read.
The Last Detail, based on a Darryl Ponicsan novel, is about two Naval Lifers assigned to transport a young man to the military prison in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Navy veterans are predictably hard-drinking cynical and rather violent men, whereas the prisoner is a naïve weak fish, inexperienced in myriad ways. For instance, he's a virgin, and the Lifers take him to a brothel to change that. There many socio-political implications and conversations about current upheaval, notably the Nixon Administration and Vietnam. By the time they leave New York, the prisoner is tougher than when the detail left Norfolk, Virginia. I had seen the film two times but have more respect for it now after reading the script.
The Last Detail, based on a Darryl Ponicsan novel, is about two Naval Lifers assigned to transport a young man to the military prison in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The Navy veterans are predictably hard-drinking cynical and rather violent men, whereas the prisoner is a naïve weak fish, inexperienced in myriad ways. For instance, he's a virgin, and the Lifers take him to a brothel to change that. There many socio-political implications and conversations about current upheaval, notably the Nixon Administration and Vietnam. By the time they leave New York, the prisoner is tougher than when the detail left Norfolk, Virginia. I had seen the film two times but have more respect for it now after reading the script.
August 3, 2015
Read Chinatown again, probably the 20th time now. Great screenplay. What really struck me this time is how much isn't shown or said. There are some big jumps, yet they are effortlessly followed, which shows how great Towne's intuition was. From Towne's introduction:
Finally, the notion of writing moving pictures is absurd. One can't write a picture. One describes a picture. And one thing can be said about a really good screenplay: it reads like it's describing a movie already made. So if you look at a movie and then read the screenplay and the movie seems fully realized in it, recognize and wonder. It's nearly as miraculous as getting struck by lightning and living to tell the tale.
March 11, 2007
Chinatown is often held up to be an exemplary film-script. Read this and find out why.
May 11, 2007
I only read the Chinatown portion. Damn, that is one amazing screenplay!
April 10, 2009
Reading it for my Screenwriting class!
Read
March 5, 2013I just rewatched "The Last Detail" and I was howling straight for the 103 minutes, until the end of course. The end leaves you gutted. The script is pretty close to the movie.
May 12, 2013
Two great screenplays presented in a nice readable format. If you feel "Chinatown" is a classic, this is a must have volume.
May 30, 2013
Robert Towne's Chinatown script is taught in film schools as an example of a perfect screenplay for a reason - because it is. Watch the film, then read the screenplay.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews