Based upon the true life crime that occurred in 1947, L.A. cops Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard are assigned to uncover the person or persons behind the murder of Elizabeth Short, a wannabe actress whom the media dubs The Black Dahlia after her death. It is a case that will alter their lives forever.Usually if a crime thriller tries to take an audience on a twisted ride in the hero’s attempt to uncover the truth behind a crime, it is a welcome change from the predictable junk Hollywood puts out. However The Black Dahlia’s story was so confusing, muddled and unsatisfying that it was more of a chore to watch than anything. Famed American aueteur Brian De Palma did his best to make The Black Dahlia look stunning, invoking a number of filming techniques and paying homage to the movie whose influence was evident throughout. For her part Mia Kirshner nailed her role of Elizabeth, making her an innocent and fragile girl whose desire to “make it” in the picture business was twisted so that only her horrifying death gave her the celebrity she ached for. The audience was given way too much information about Bucky and Lee (two characters that were not very likeable) and not nearly enough on Kirshner's Dahlia. Heck, it was a half an hour into the film before she was even mentioned. Instead of watching a film which dug deeper into the how’s and why’s of one of the most famous murders in American history, the audience just got some crappy acting, (Aaron Eckhart needed to switch to decaf and Hilary Swank was never going to be believable as a femme fatale), a convoluted story and little to no action. Where are those predictable Hollywood thrillers when you need them?
Grade: D+
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