The Black Dahlia
In 1940s Los Angeles, two former boxers-turned-cops must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer of an aspiring young actress.
Critics Sentiment
Lee Blanchard is garroted and killed by mysterious attackers
Ramona Linscott confesses to murdering Elizabeth Short then shoots herself
The film peaks with Lee's murder scene, which critics praised as terrifying and masterful, then crashes during the extended denouement that many found anticlimactic and overlong.
The Black Dahlia received mixed to negative reception, with critics praising De Palma's visual style and period atmosphere while criticizing the convoluted plot and weak performances. The film starts promisingly but becomes increasingly muddled, with many reviewers noting it spends too much time on relationship drama before introducing the central mystery. While some individual sequences impressed critics, the overall experience left many feeling confused and unsatisfied.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 43
Josh Hartnett
Bucky Bleichert
Scarlett Johansson
Kay Lake
Aaron Eckhart
Lee Blanchard
Hilary Swank
Madeleine Linscott
Mia Kirshner
Elizabeth Short
Mike Starr
Det. Russ Millard
Fiona Shaw
Ramona Linscott
Patrick Fischler
Deputy DA Ellis Loew
James Otis
Dolph Bleichert
John Kavanagh
Emmett Linscott
Troy Evans
Chief Ted Green
Anthony Russell
Morrie Friedman
Pepe Serna
Tomas Dos Santos
Angus MacInnes
Capt. John Tierney
Rachel Miner
Martha Linscott
Victor McGuire
Sgt. Bill Koenig
Gregg Henry
Pete Lukins
Jemima Rooper
Lorna Mertz
Rose McGowan
Sheryl Saddon
Dan Ponce
Mp
Crew
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