Chinatown (1974)
You get tough. You get tender. You get close to each other. Maybe you even get close to the truth.
Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 20 June 1974 |
| Genre | Crime, Mystery, Thriller |
| Director | Roman Polanski |
| Starring | Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston |
| Runtime | 130 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 9.4/10 · Metacritic 92/100 · Rotten Tomatoes 98% · IMDb 8.1/10 · Letterboxd 4.3/5 · TMDB users 7.9/10 |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $29 million worldwide |
Where to watch Chinatown
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Rent or buy
You can rent Chinatown on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and JustWatch TV Store. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Chinatown in 29 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Albania | SkyShowtime about |
| Andorra | SkyShowtime |
| Austria | Paramount+ |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | SkyShowtime about |
| Bulgaria | SkyShowtime €6.99 |
| Canada | Fubo |
| Croatia | SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Czechia | SkyShowtime 259 Kč |
| Denmark | SkyShowtime 109 kr DKK |
| Finland | SkyShowtime €9.99 |
| France | Paramount+ |
| Germany | Paramount+ |
| Hungary | SkyShowtime 2590 Ft |
| Ireland | Paramount+ |
| Italy | Paramount+ |
| Japan | U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Netherlands | SkyShowtime €9.99 |
| North Macedonia | SkyShowtime about |
| Norway | SkyShowtime 109 kr NOK |
| Poland | SkyShowtime 34.99 zł |
| Portugal | SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Romania | SkyShowtime about 37.45 lei |
| Serbia | SkyShowtime about 1058 din |
| Slovakia | SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Slovenia | SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Spain | Filmin €9.99, SkyShowtime €8.99 |
| Sweden | SkyShowtime 109 kr SEK |
| Switzerland | Paramount+ |
| United Kingdom | Paramount+ |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Roman Polanski directs this 130-minute crime mystery, a film that treats the sunny, pre-war Los Angeles backdrop as a lie. Jack Nicholson plays Jake Gittes, a private eye who stumbles into a web of double dealings and deadly deceits. He is hired to investigate an extra-marital affair, but the investigation spirals into a maelstrom of political scandals. The tone is dry, cynical, and relentlessly tense. It asks if you can get close to the truth. The answer, eventually, is no.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 98% based on 147 reviews. Metacritic lands on 92, which it files under universal acclaim. The consensus calls it a noir classic that benefits from a brilliant screenplay and steady direction. Roger Ebert noted Nicholson’s performance keeps it from becoming just a genre crime picture. Rob Fraser of Empire calls it the best private eye movie ever made. Vincent Canby of The New York Times found the result competently stylish, though not as witty as the team might have attempted.
How it did with audiences
A $6 million budget yielded $29 million worldwide, a return that defies the usual arithmetic of studio risk. TMDB users rate it 7.9, while IMDb records an 8.1/10 weighted average as of February 2026. The numbers suggest audiences saw the twist before the accountants did.
Awards
Robert Towne took the Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay in 1975. Roman Polanski won the BAFTA for Best Direction and the Golden Globe for Best Director. Jack Nicholson collected the BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama. The film also won the Golden Globes for Best Screenplay and Best Motion Picture – Drama. It made the National Board of Review's Top Ten. Nine wins from 13 nominations.
What came next for the cast
Jack Nicholson arrived on the back of Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces, then moved into One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, and The Departed. Faye Dunaway followed Bonnie and Clyde with Network, later touching The Thomas Crown Affair and The Messenger. Perry Lopez went from Kelly's Heroes to Death Wish 4. The credits trace the path, not the cause.
Where it left its mark
Towne’s screenplay is often cited by critics and filmmakers as a benchmark for the craft. Polanski, however, decided on the fatal final scene. Towne initially called it excessively melodramatic. He later conceded the director was right. His own version, where Evelyn kills her father and lands in jail, was equally bleak but too literary. Polanski’s stark choice fit the preceding events better. The film also pushed Los Angeles water rights history into the public eye.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Chinatown.
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Sources
- Chinatown on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q644987 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Chinatown (1974 film)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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