The Black Dahlia : Where's the hook?

The hook, you know, the great story, the great characters, anything great that draws you into the story. The plot doesn't have to be all that special, but if it is weak then you need good acting to make up for it. The actors in this film were not so special, pretty blah all around, football stars, yuck. One good interesting actor would have saved this film from oblivion. What would Chinatown have been without Jack Nicholson as Jake Giddes? So, Brian, are you listening? Nail down some actors who come across as detectives, people that have obviously been through the hell of life on the streets. You'd at least make back your investment instead of losing money as this film did.

Jack Nicholson - always a treat to watch
Nick Nolte - a joy when he goes over the top
Harrison Ford - nobody gets frantic like Harrison
Kevin Spacey - as good as a good cop gets

...and the list goes on and on. It's a long list.

Here a hook, there a hook, everywhere a hook-hook.

I thought Mia Kirshner as Elizabeth Short was "hook" enough for the film. Her performance and the visuals made it worth the trip to the theater.

It's definitely my least favorite De Palma film but it had the above redeeming qualities.

My IMDb lists: www.imdb.com/user/ur5570856/lists

I wonder if perhaps De Palma hasn't been permitted by studios to cast real stars in his movies for quite some time now; the last one he got to work with was Tom Cruise, and that was in '96.

Since then he's had to make do with the likes of Cage, Sinise, Banderas, Rebecca Romijn, Rachel McAdams, Noomi Rapaace, the cast of unknowns in "Redacted", etc.

It might be that his movies tend to be expensive because of his elaborate visual style, so, to cut costs, he has to work with B-quality actors.

Certainly this movie was hurt by bad casting. But yeah, the structure of the script is odd. Nothing to immediately grab us into the story and no real sense of when the actual story begins. Was De Palma bored making it?

Josh Harnett - idealist, untrustworthy of himself and others. Far from Nick and Jack.