I took a flyer on this because of its reputation. I don't get the big deal with it. It was a average movie at best to me. Judging from how much people like it, i expect to get different opinions on it. The plot did make more sense than films like The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep, but other than that, it was just average. I didn't even find the cinematography nothing special. It was cool to see Nicholson in this type of film also.6 out of 10...
Which, according to your rating system, is pretty damn good
Dave Jenkins (still not dead)
https://www.amazon.com/Big-Goodbye-Chinatown-Years-Hollywood-ebook/dp/B07QSPPLQQ/In da house!Man, this is a fun read. It's written like a true crime book: Sam Wasson details the lives of four men--Nicholson, Polanski, Robert Towne, Robert Evans--and then shows how they came together to commit the perfect film. A real page turner--I gotta get back to it!
I'm sure you have but just in case: have you read the Peter Biskind book?
No, I'll look for it.It's now clear to me what Cortez shot on the film. The first scene shot was the one in the orange grove. Then they did the scene in the restaurant with Faye and Jack and Jack's bandaged nose. Then Cortez got canned, but they didn't reshoot the stuff he'd done. They just incorporated it into the picture and nobody noticed the difference (other than maybe noodles).Did they really not like what he'd shot? I'm thinking it was all about the schedule: Cortez was notoriously slow; Alonzo worked really, really fast. Later they convinced themselves they'd made the change for aesthetic reasons.
It's now clear to me what Cortez shot on the film.