Murder, Sex and Mystery in De Palma's 'Black Dahlia'

This year, people got used to seeing movies inspired from real events and/or remakes of old and popular films. Some might say, it is all in the tradition of the 'nouveau art noir', with some movies, like 'Hollywoodland', that only hint at it and others, such as 'The Black Dahlia' that exploit it to its utmost point.

Brian De Palma can't go wrong in his movies, even if he tried to. And his choice of plot line and stellar cast proved, once again, brilliant. 'The Black Dahlia' is based on the novel of James Ellroy, detailing the yet unsolved murder of a beautiful actress who desperately wanted to become famous.

Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) comes to Los Angeles, looking for fame and recognition as an actress, but her too-short life and the way she passed away are the only things that people will remember her by. She was found dead, at only 22-years-old, on a field, and the killer had severed her body in two, ripped off her organs, drained all her blood and cut her mouth from ear to ear.

Up to this very moment, the criminal was never caught and Elizabeth remained known best as 'the Black Dahlia'. It is this murder that torments and unsettles the young police officer, Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) and the more experienced Leland 'Lee' Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart).

Both of them, but especially Bucky, embark on personal investigations and the latter finds out that Short was connected with his current girlfriend, Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). From here, to uncovering a conspiracy within the police department lies but a very small distance.

With no intention to spoil such a masterpiece of modern cinematography, we stop at saying that 'The Black Dahlia' is definitely a can't-miss. It is 'L.A Confidential', plus more mystery, sex, violence and exceptional acting. It opens in theaters on Friday, September 15. Click here to have a look at 'The Black Dahlia' trailer.

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