Analysis of Major Characters
J.J. (Jake) Gittes
Like the film noir detectives that came before him, Jake
exhibits some of the common traits of a hard-boiled private investigator.
He appreciates crass jokes, shows a willingness to get violent with
both men and women who cause him trouble, and never lets physical threats
scare him off a case. Unlike the traditional private eye, however,
Jake can be disarmingly human. Though he isn't scared by physical
threats, he is susceptible to them and spends a good portion of
the film wearing a large nose bandage. He starts the movie reluctant
to take on a job he feels won't satisfy a client. Unlike most Hollywood
private eyes, Jake tends to be wrong more often than he is right,
missing important information and putting clues together incorrectly.
The element that brings depth to Jake's character is his
odd inability to comprehend the larger picture. Nicholson subtly
weaves in this shortcoming as his character develops, mainly through
tantalizingly vague references to Chinatown, where the corrupt stay
corrupt and everyone is supposed to look away. Jake was never very good
at looking away, no matter how much trouble it caused him. Sadly,
this also tends to cause trouble for other people, especially Evelyn
Mulwray. Jake is a man perpetually in over his head.
Evelyn Cross Mulwray
In the classic tradition of film noir women, Faye Dunaway
portrays Evelyn Mulwray as a person defined entirely by the secret
she keeps. Her secret dictates the paced, careful precision with
which she speaks, suggesting that every word is internally monitored
before being let out into the world. It is also the reason Evelyn
is so inwardly focused and distant and explains why she is so quick
to take offense at even the most casual of personal comments. The moments
when this shell cracks move the character beyond the genre cliché.
Evelyn does not hide her secret as well as she thinks she does,
and she occasionally lets her control slip. Tear-stained and lost,
she seems desperate for a guide or protector in place of the father
who betrayed her trust. At times, she reflects her fragile, hidden
daughter Katherine.
During a brief window of time with Jake, Evelyn transforms
into a woman who has had little chance to enjoy life. Through their encounters
and brief romance she manages to reveal both quick thinking and
a sense of humor. Evelyn craves the intimacy with Jake that she
has often denied herself, both through sex and through wanting to
hear more about his past. Ultimately, this urge is not strong enough
to overcome the secret that dominates her life.
Noah Cross
On the surface, Noah Cross appears to be a pleasant, jovial
man. His speech is easy and untroubled, and his facial expressions
remain open and friendly no matter what he's saying. He has a knowing, faintly
chauvinistic charm and a ready smile that manages to avoid any trace
of psychosis or cruelty. As we discover, however, this harmless,
appealing exterior renders the inner, sociopathic nature that it
hides all the more frightening. Cross feels that neither society's
laws nor the basic laws of human decency should apply to him, and
he treats human life with contempt. When asked about the rape of
his daughter, he blames his actions on the depths of depravity people
are capable of sinking to, but he gives the explanation with such
utter calmness that it's clear he doesn't feel that he's lowered himself
at all. If Cross has a basic drive beyond self-interest, it is his need
to control everything around him. From the town's water supply to
the profitable valley land to Evelyn's and Katherine's innocence,
anything he feels might have value must be firmly in his possession.
