Chinatown 50th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD Review

In 1974, Roman Polanski, Robert Towne, and Jack Nicholson teamed brought film noir back to the big screen in a massive way with the release of Chinatown. The decadent and sprawling epic about a private eye caught in the middle of a Los Angeles water conspiracy has stood the test of time and, 50 years after its release, has been given the 4K release treatment from Paramount. As part of the Paramount Presents line, Chinatown was treated to a full restoration from the original camera negative, resulting in the best version of the film we’ve ever seen at home.

The Movie

There isn’t a whole lot to say about Chinatown that hasn’t already been said. It’s one of the greatest films of all time and it somehow continues to get better with age.

Jack Nicholson stars as private investigator Jake Gittes, who gets caught in the middle of a conspiracy when he starts investigating the Los Angeles water & power commissioner. Around every turn, Jake discovers new evidence that leads him astray in a whole new way, and his case eventually spirals into a story of despair and hopelessness.

Chinatown has one of the most devastating endings in cinema, as all of the plot threads come together in one brutal, surprising scene that reveals what the story was trying to tell you the entire time. 

The Disc

The Paramount Presents series has been under some scrutiny from movie fans after its most recent release, Once Upon a Time in the West, suffered from some frustrating grain and compression issues. Chinatown quickly rights the ship, however, with one of the year’s best 4K restorations.

I mean this picture is just sublime. There’s so much detail in the Dolby Vision HDR transfer and it’s noticeable from the very opening frames. The colors are vibrant and the contrast is excellent. Everything from the fabric of Evelyn’s jackets to the stitches on Jake’s nose can be seen with absolute crystal clarity. It creates a more immersive experience than any other home release of Chinatown has been able to, which significantly enhances the viewing. Jake’s journey here is all about a spiral into the darkest parts of the human experience, set to the brightest daylight California has to offer, and this 4K disc puts you deep into the trenches with him.

There will be some that wonder about the lack of significant film grain with Chinatown, wondering if there’s been any substantial smoothing during the transfer. I get where the thought comes from, but that’s not the case here. The way Chinatown was initially filmed, it had a much finer, softer grain than other films of the era. It has a distinct look and that’s been the case ever since 1974. This transfer captures it perfectly.

Chinatown‘s audio track only adds to the immersion. It’s the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio that accompanied the excellent 2012 Blu-ray edition, but that’s more than fine because there wasn’t much that could be done to upgrade that track anyway. 

The Features

Chinatown gets a big boost in the way of special features because the release actually includes an entire second movie. The included Blu-ray isn’t another copy of Chinatown, but rather the 1990 Chinatown sequel The Two Jakes. Not nearly as well-regarded as its predecessor, The Two Jakes sees Nicholson reprise his role as the private eye and serve as the film’s director. It’s always nice to get two movies for the price of one.

As far as the actual special features on Chinatown‘s 4K disc, there are a handful of brand new featurettes to explore. Sam Wasson, a film historian who literally wrote the book on Chinatown, is at the center of two of these features, discussing the legacy of the film as well as the third installment that never came to be. The third new feature sees Chinatown assistant director Hawk Koch share stories from his time on set.

This release also includes the features from the 2012, one of which is a feature commentary from screenwriter Robert Towne and filmmaker David Fincher. That duo have actually written a Chinatown prequel series together, though there’s no telling when development on that project is going to move forward at Netflix.

The Verdict

If you’re a movie fan and you have the ability to watch 4K discs at home, adding this Chinatown release to your collection is a must. This is the first disc I’ve reviewed in 2024 that I’ve actually given that stamp to, so I don’t throw it around lightly. This is one of the great American films in the history of cinema, and the folks in Paramount’s home entertainment department gave it the restoration it deserves.

The Chinatown 50th Anniversary 4K UHD Blu-ray is available now, and you can purchase it on Amazon here. A copy was provided for the purpose of this review.