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Hilary Swank as the enigmatic socialite Madeleine Linscott

Unfortunately, it's just too much to hope for a De Palma film that doesn't go over the top in excess and ending. The Black Dahlia thankfully doesn't revel too much in gore and serial killer violence. There are a couple of intense moments, including a disturbing flashback showing the earliest moments of Short's murder, but they're actually quick and few. We see her body from a distance at the crime scene and at the morgue, just enough to establish some of the gruesome characteristics of the death without focusing on it. Otherwise, the film is more about quality than quantity with violence—The Black Dahlia is more Chinatown than Seven.

More troubling is the sexuality, which at times focuses on the taboo lesbian subculture of the period. We never see too much that's graphic, with couples shown in bed together before and after intimacy, not to mention one of those clichéd "clear the dinner table" segments. But there's a lot that's implied, including some lesbian action in a silent stag film that sadly shows the lengths to which young women would go to make their big break in show business. De Palma shows a little more than necessary to make a point that could have been handled more subtly with equal effectiveness.

The biggest problem is that the film derails as it progresses. Despite its effectiveness in the first half, De Palma allows the story to gravitate toward camp, especially with the introduction of the Linscott family. They're initially effective, used to depict the first date from hell, but they're not given enough screen time to justify the weirdness—particularly Fiona Shaw's crazed performance, which is so-good-it's-bad-and-visa-versa in the way it adds aristocratic snobbery to alcoholism and yields insanity. Eckhart's performance becomes a little off kilter too, his obsession with the case never explained until we've stopped caring for the man.

Scarlett Johansson as Kay Lake who has captured the hearts of both policemen

And then there's the final half hour, which is almost a complete mess—that pivotal staircase sequence mentioned above seems to be the turning point. Why ignore the case for so long in the movie, only to attempt to quickly wrap it up in too little time? Pivotal characters are suddenly used without proper introduction earlier in the movie, clues are discovered through happenstance, and everyone seemingly jumps off the deep end in their behavior. A fictionalized explanation for the murder is fine provided that the motivations and methods are made clear—they are not in this case.

The Black Dahlia is indeed tragic, but not because of the murder depicted. It's unusual to see a movie start off so strongly (De Palma's best work in a decade), only to collapse so badly by the finale. It begins like L.A. Confidential, but ends like a bad direct-to-video release. The real mystery in this movie is not who killed Elizabeth Short, but why the storytelling and filmmaking couldn't be consistently strong.

1. What is it that causes young girls to leave home for Hollywood? Is it really a career choice, or is it to escape the life they know? Are they looking for self-esteem? Does this still happen today? If you knew someone contemplating such a move, what would you say? Would you encourage them or stop them
2. Considering Bucky's relationship with Lee and Kay, do you think he shows restraint with his feelings? Was he honorable, or did he place himself in a position that opened him to temptation? How might he have better protected himself from hurting his relationship with his two friends? Can men and women be "just friends" if there is physical attraction involved
3. Why does Lee become so obsessed with the Dahlia murder? At what point do you think he allowed the case to overwhelm his life? Or was it simply his nature? What can we learn from the effect his decisions have on his relationships?

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