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Original title: Black Dahlia, The
Release Date
• USA: Sep 15, 2006
Budget USD 50,000,000
BoxOffice: $22.5M
Official Website:
The Black Dahlia Website
MPAA Rating
Rated R for strong violence, some grisly images, sexual content and language.
Running Time
2 hours, 1 minute
Country Germany, USA
Production Companies
Millennium Films, Signature Films, Nu Image Films, Davis-Films, Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH & Co. KG III, Nu Image Entertainment GmbH, Signature Pictures
Studio Universal Pictures
More info on IMDb.com
Other Titles
• The Black Dahlia (2006)
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Genre: Drama, Murder, Love Triangle, Femme Fatale
Tagline: Inspired by the most notorious unsolved murder in California history.
Plot: Enter onto the scene two ex-pugilist police officers, Lee Blanchard (AARON ECKHART) and Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert (JOSH HARTNETT), the poster boys for 1940s LAPD. The new partners’ first homicide case starts with a call from their supervisor, Detective Millard (MIKE STARR), to investigate the slaying of the ambitious silver screen B-lister Betty Short (MIA KIRSHNER), just as they are leaving a deadly shootout.Blanchard and Bleichert, like the rest of the fascinated city, become drawn into the lurid world of the Dahlia’s L.A. While Blanchard’s growing preoccupation with the Dahlia’s murder threatens his relationship with girlfriend Kay Lake (SCARLETT JOHANSSON), Bleichert finds himself irresistibly drawn to the enigmatic Madeleine Linscott (two-time Oscar® winner HILARY SWANK), the daughter of one of the city’s most prominent families—who just happens to have an unsavory connection (and resemblance) to the Dahlia. Blanchard spins into obsession trying to solve the case, seeing in Betty the chance to redeem himself for letting down the other women in his life that he failed to protect. Bleichert, too, begins to question his own footing as his feelings fluctuate wildly between two disparate dames: the seemingly innocent Kay and the knowingly seductive Madeleine—whose unhinged
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Behind the Scenes:
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 Discussion forum for this movie
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Anyone who enjoys old crime dramas will get a kick out of the faithful way that De Palma has recreated the era and used old noir techniques to tell Ellroy's complex story. Although the dialogue and performance are all decent, it's a shame that the plot wasn't tightened up a bit to make the finale less confusing. 7/10--Edward Douglas (ComingSoon.net)
De Palma derives many scenes in “The Black Dahlia” from his own work, such as his also derivative Odessa Steps sequence in the “Untouchables,” and, of course, Alfred Hitchcock. One would think that he would try for some originality, at this stage of the game, but he has always been a mimic of himself and others. I give it a C. C,C---Robin and Laura Clifford
...Rarely do you find a film fall to its knees that way that “Dahlia” does in the final strokes, and it takes the sting right out of this gorgeous film. B--Brian Orndorf (FilmJerk.com)
By stripping away most of the historical context and character development, the filmmakers laid bare the genre machinations that were always at the root of the book but were previously hidden by the unmatchable lightning energy of Ellroy's prose. It would have been better to have started from scratch.  --Chris Barsanti (MovieWeb)
...stands as an example of filmmakers genuinely appreciating their source material, but lacking the basic understanding of what it takes to turn it into a film. --Andrea Chase (Killer Movie Reviews)
A tale of obsession, lust, love, friendship, loyalty, and, of course, murder, The Black Dahlia is gorgeous to look at and overall a satisfying experience. But keep in mind, this is not a biography of slain wannabe actress Elizabeth Short and while the film does offer one possible explanation as to who killed The Black Dahlia, it’ll leave true crime fans wanting more. B--Rebecca Murray (About.com)
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