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The Black Dahlia Our rating: Your rating: 1 2 3 4 Your Comments: see all MPAA rating: R (for strong violence, some grisly images, sexual content, and language) Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller Theater release: September 15, 2006 by Universal Pictures Directed by: Brian De Palma Runtime: 2 hours 1 minutes Cast: Josh Hartnett (Ofcr. Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert), Scarlett Johansson (Kay Lake), Aaron Eckhart (Sgt. Leeland "Lee" Blanchard), Hilary Swank (Madeleine Linscott), Mia Kirshner (Elizabeth Short), Mike Starr (Russ Millard), Fiona Shaw (Ramona Linscott) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

It should come as little surprise that a culture obsessed with CSI and Hannibal Lecter would also be fascinated by a true-life mystery like The Black Dahlia murder. A simple Internet search yields a slew of sites dedicated to the subject, including the basic facts, FBI case files, a list of possible suspects (including Orson Wells and Woody Guthrie), and some of the grisliest morgue photos around. Does it remain popular because it remains unsolved, because it happened in Hollywood, or because such a heinous and gory killing could took place in a seemingly more innocent era like 1947?

Whatever the allure, it is a little surprising that the murder is almost tangential to the movie The Black Dahlia. Based on the novel by James Ellroy, who is best known for the similar Hollywood crime noir book L.A. Confidential, this is a fictionalized account of what could have happened in the aftermath of one of the most infamous unsolved cases in history—not too unlike certain dramatizations that attempt to apprehend Jack the Ripper. But rather than focus on apprehending a murderer, The Black Dahlia seems more a story about the relationship between two friends on the police force.

Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart as cops Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard

Those two cops are Leeland "Lee" Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert (Josh Hartnett), also nicknamed Fire and Ice not just for their respectively explosive and reserved personalities, but also for their experience in L.A.'s boxing circuit. They meet in the middle of a downtown riot, form a bond out of mutual respect, and end up becoming minor celebrities after a charity bout to benefit the police force—Bleichert graphically loses his two front teeth, hence his nickname. Nevertheless, they develop a strong camaraderie and are soon partnered together in the same department.

It's there that they stumble into the murder of Elizabeth Short (aka The Black Dahlia), whose body is found just a few blocks away from their stakeout of another case. Like many L.A. cops at that time, Blanchard is noticeably affected by it and pulls strings to get himself and his partner reassigned to the case. It becomes his obsession, interfering with his personal life, including his relationship with Kay (Scarlett Johansson), a pretty blonde who has captured the hearts of both men. The more levelheaded Bleichert, however, becomes involved with Madeleine Linscott, an eccentric socialite who may or may not be one of the last people Short saw before her death.

Mia Kirshner as aspiring young actress Elizabeth Short the infamous Black Dahlia

The Black Dahlia is all about the noir, drawing on the snappy dialogue of yesteryear that you just don't hear anymore. "Tried to tell myself I was the sturdy leg in our little triangle," says Bleichert. "I was afraid it was true." There's a charm to the setting, despite some vulgarity, and fans of Curtis Hanson's outstanding cinematic adaptation of L.A. Confidential will find a lot to love here.

Moreover, it proves to be terrific source material for Brian De Palma, the director best known for Scarface, Blow Out, Mission: Impossible, and most pertinent to this movie, The Untouchables. His highly stylized camera work is an excellent match to the writing with a slightly washed out Technicolor look, swooping angles, the trademark first person perspective shots used in most all his movies, and a slow-motion staircase sequence that slightly recalls the famous train station shootout in The Untouchables.

He also draws some excellent performances from just about everyone in his cast. Hartnett has never been better as the collected everyman at the center, and Eckhart excels as the passionately square-jawed heavy. Johansson also shines as the main romantic interest for the two, "Never between [them], always in the middle." And Swank shows a new side to her acting range, smoldering like Rita Hayworth in her seduction of Bleichert. But it's Mia Kershner who perhaps gives the most memorable performance, depicting Elizabeth Short in a series of creepy, sad audition films that admittedly go on a little too long. Nevertheless she effectively plays to the camera with vulnerability, showing the mournful tale of naïve would-be starlets all too willing to give too much in their quest for stardom.

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