The Black Dahlia murder of 1947 is one of the most enduring unsolved mysteries of all time. It has all the elements of the grittiest pulp fiction: Tinseltown dreams, strange starlets, mannish molls, nouveau riche Hollywood royalty, and a murder so gruesome the gory details still resonate today.
The story follows two pugilist police detectives on the murder beat. Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) is "Ice" and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) is "Fire" – those are their boxing stage names, but the words also describe the men themselves. At their center is cool cucumber Kay (Scarlett Johansson), the dishy dame they both love.
Also between the two men is Betty "The Black Dahlia" Short, the aspiring actress they never met, who was found bisected in a vacant lot, her face slashed into a permanent ghoulish grin. And there is yet another woman — a wealthy bisexual narcissist named Madeleine (Hilary Swank) who may or may not have a connection to The Black Dahlia.
Brian De Palma knows noir, but The Black Dahlia is just slightly left of center; it doesn't quite capture the period feel as succinctly as its closest competition, Hollywoodland. Part of the problem is casting, and part is due to the disjointed fit of the too-complex story.
Still, The Black Dahlia is recommended for fans of this cinematic ilk — it's easily De Palma's best film in ten years.
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