Chinatown

"Chinatown," the neo-noir film by Roman Polanski focuses the relationship between Jake and Evelyn during the California land and water dispute of the 1920s. Evelyn serves as the femme fatale, who often plays a major role in film noir such as "Out of the Past." The alluring Evelyn leads Jake into dangerous and deadly situations. This deadly woman may appear to be the victim and sometimes even is, but she uses her charm and seduction to obtain her desires. Also, she may be seen as an independent woman who resists tradtional gender roles. Evelyn embodies all of these aspects. She coaxes Jake into acting as she wishes, lives independently, and ulimately becomes the victim in Chinatown. In the end Jake is advised to "forget it," but the film serves as an example of the depth of human mystery, deception, capability to harm.