Post Script: Chinatown

By Andreas Babiolakis


Robert Towne wanted to showcase a darker side of Los Angeles — and the world — in Chinatown. Roman Polanski took his warnings and went the extra mile. The result is a genre defining moment, and one of cinema’s most shocking pictures.

SPOILER ALERT: CONTAINS EVERY PLOT DETAIL FOR CHINATOWN THE ENTIRE EPISODE

Post Script: Chinatown

This return to my Post Script series gets into the cycle of guilt, death, and misfortune that lingers around Chinatown, as well as a handful of the countless reasons why I feel it is the greatest screenplay of all time.


Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.