The Story Archive

Chinatown

Roman Polanski · 1974 CE · Film · Modern / American · Contemporary

A private detective in 1937 Los Angeles is hired to follow the city's chief water engineer and finds he has been used to plant a smear. Drawn in by the engineer's wife, he traces the water disappearing from the reservoirs back toward the men who profit from a drought. Noir's cruelest verdict on what knowing is worth.

Open Chinatown in the archive — filters, lineage graph and full facet browsing.

Lineage

Attributes

Genre
Crime / NoirMystery
Theme
Power & CorruptionJustice & RevengeAppearance vs RealityGuilt & Conscience
Archetype (Jung / Campbell)
Anti-HeroVillain / TyrantFallen Woman
Plot structure
MysteryTragic Reversal
Symbol / motif
The SeaBlindness / The EyeThe City
Conflict
vs Societyvs Person
Mode / tone
NoirTragicIronic
Culture / tradition
Modern / American

Closest analogues