Chinatown

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Turner Classic Movies, Friday, Dec. 13, 10 p.m.

Roman Polanski’s 1974 neo-noir film starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway is one of the greatest films ever made. Robert Towne’s Oscar-winning screenplay has Nicholson as a detective investigating murder among the early 20th century’s California water disputes. Faye Dunaway is uncharacteristically subtle, until her iconic last scene, and Nicholson is as sexy as he ever was. This is Polanski’s last American film before he raped a 13-year-old girl, and he controls it and John A. Alonzo’s gorgeous and stylized cinematography. It’s a juicy potboiler and a work of aesthetic genius.