8. The Black Dahlia
After a string of underwhelming efforts, it seemed like Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia might finally be the return to form we were hoping for; adapted from James "LA Confidential" Ellroy's novel, and packed with a fab cast including Scarlett Johansson, Hilary Swank and Aaron Eckhart, there was even Oscar hype surrounding the tale of one of LA's most notorious murders. The trailer completely reinforced this fact; it appeared to be beautifully filmed, and the use of Death in Vegas' cracking tune "Dirge" helped to give the trailer a haunting tone, while Johansson's presence of course brought the requisite sexiness. How could this film fail? De Palma, it seems, is his own worst enemy; though the film looks fantastic - and earned an Oscar nomination for its cinematography - the performances are rickety, the script take a wildly theatrical left-turn in the third act, and it simply ends up paling in comparison to similar films.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
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