In the movie Chinatown, a Los Angeles detective named Jake Gittes is hired by a woman claiming to be a Mrs. Mulwray and pays him to spy on her husband, believing that he is having an affair. He tails Mr. Mulwray and finds him with another woman. Mulwray is the high profile chief engineer, him being high profile due to the fact that Los Angeles is in the middle of a drought and the growing community relies largely on the fresh water supply. Shortly after releasing the story to the press, the real Mrs. Mulwray appears in his office and threatens to sue him if he does not immediately drop the case. Despite her threats, he continues to pursue the case, and in doing so, he slowly uncovers a vast conspiracy centering on water management and corruption. When Mr. Mulwray is found dead, Jake is plunged into a complex web of deceit involving murder, incest and municipal corruption all related to the city's water supply. Despite Chinatown's archetypal presentation as a film noir, through deeper consideration of the water and fish themes, barren mis en scene, and the use of "crimes against nature", the film can be appropriately labeled as a movie with an ecological viewpoint. .
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe old, stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. As well as these characteristics, a film noir also usually always has a beautiful yet dangerous woman, known as a femme fatale, an "anti-hero", and the idea of big money corruption. All of these aspects of film noir can be seen throughout the film Chinatown. First of all, the main plot is the idea of big money corruption; the movie centralizes around the idea of Mulwray's opposition of the dam building project because he claims that they are unsafe. The biggest twist of the film is the relationship between Noah Cross, Katherine Cross, and Evelyn Mulwray.
