Chinatown EXPLAINED | Everything You Missed
Robert Towne's screenplay for Chinatown (1974) is considered by many to be one of the best scripts of all time. He even won an Oscar for Original Screenplay. One of the reasons the Chinatown screenplay is so good is all the clues that foreshadow the shocking ending. In this video, I'll cover the screenplay's story in detail to showcase as many of those clues as I can!

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TRANSCRIPT (HIGHLIGHTS ONLY):
Chinatown EXPLAINED | Everything You Missed

THE SETUP - ACT 1

Act 1 of Chinatown starts in Jake Gitte’s office:

COMMENTARY: That line of dialogue appears on Page 3 of the script. Pay special attention to what Jake said, because it’s essential to understanding the premise of the script. Jake said: “I’ll tell you the unwritten law… you gotta be rich to kill somebody, anybody, and get away with it…”

COMMENTARY: One of the important things to notice in the Chinatown script is all the minor details. The chauffeur washing the car actually says something about the Mulwray’s. As the rest of LA talks about the drought, the Chief Engineer of DWP has a chauffeur who’s washing his car. It’s little details like this that make this script so good.

COMMENTARY:
Hollis Mulwray’s death is Plot Point 1, which occurs around pg. 30. Plot Point 1 changes the direction of the story. Until this point, Gittes has been suspicious of Mulwray. But Hollis Mulwray’s death changes everything. Now, Gittes isn’t just involved in trickery. Now, he’s involved in a deeper ring of deceit. We’re left with the following questions:

Who was the fake Evelyn Mulwray and why did she want to take Hollis Mulwray down?
Who’s setting up Jake and his office?
What exactly is going on with the drought in Los Angeles?
How did Hollis Mulwray die?
And, since Mulwray is dead, what does that mean for Jake?


THE CONFLICT - ACT 2, PART 1

COMMENTARY:
For me, the reveal that Evelyn ran away from home–and was likely pregnant–is the MIDPOINT of the script. It’s on page 60. What’s interesting: This scene doesn’t appear in the film. But it sets up the second half in a way that has to deal with Evelyn’s secrets and what she’s hiding from Gittes. Up to this point, Gittes has assumed that Evelyn’s not a part of the conspiracy, but now there’s too much evidence suggesting that she’s hiding a lot of information from him.

At the Midpoint, we know:
Jake was set up to be a fall guy reporting on Hollis Mulwray’s affair…
Evelyn is Julian Cross’ daughter, and that Hollis and Julian were business partners…
Evelyn ran away from home to Mexico and was likely pregnant at age sixteen or seventeen.
Hollis Mulwray had an argument with Cross about something.
Hollis Mulwray most likely didn’t drown, he was murdered.
The DWP is dumping water during a drought, and they’re likely doing it to profit in some way…
But, we have some new questions:
Who is Julian Cross and what is he up to?
What’s Evelyn hiding about her past?
Is Evelyn wrapped up in this fraud? And how is she connected to Hollis Mulwray’s murder?


THE CONFLICT - ACT 2, PART 2

COMMENTARY:
Gittes telling Cross to meet him at Mulwray’s house is Plot Point 2. Why? Because it forces resolution to the story. Jake finds the glasses in the pond, realizes the pond is saltwater, and then calls Cross. This scene forces Gittes to:

Confront Evelyn (which may be the scene many people would call Plot Point 2)
It also means Jake will need to reveal what he knows to Escobar so he won’t arrest Gittes.
And finally, it means that Cross will now play a much bigger role in the ending.

And that brings us to:

THE RESOLUTION - ACT 3

And that’s it. That’s a full exploration of Chinatown. And if you go all the way back to page 3 of the script, Jake Gittes’ words to Curly ring true at the end of the script: “I'll tell you the unwritten law, you dumb son of a bitch, you gotta be rich to kill somebody, anybody and get away with it. You think you got that kind of dough, you think you got that kind of class?”

Curly didn’t have that kind of dough or class, but Cross has both. He’s rich and influential, so he’ll get away with it. Why? Because in Chinatown, where the film ends, of if you’re rich and influential–there’s no such thing as justice.