The Black Dahlia

The Black Dahlia is a crime drama set in Los Angeles in 1947, where the mutilated body of aspiring actress Elizabeth Short is found on a vacant lot. Two police officers, Bucky Bleichert and Lee Blanchard, both former boxers, are assigned to the case. As political pressure to solve the killing mounts, their investigation leads them through police corruption, the city's underworld and connections to a wealthy and influential family, as well as into their own personal lives. The film is based on James Ellroy's novel, which draws on the real, unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short.

Brian De Palma directed the film, the twenty-first of twenty-four in his directing career in chronological order, following Femme Fatale and preceding Redacted. The screenplay was written by Josh Friedman and T. Rafael Cimino. Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart play the two detectives, with Scarlett Johansson as Kay Lake, Hilary Swank as Madeleine Linscott and Mia Kirshner as Elizabeth Short. The production involved 44 credited cast members and 106 credited crew, and was made with a budget of 50 million US dollars. It is a co-production between Germany, the United States and France.

The film earned about 49 million dollars worldwide, less than its budget. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.6 out of 10 from over 76,000 votes, and on TMDB a rating of 5.6 out of 10 from roughly 1,200 votes, indicating a modest audience response. A film critics' rating of 4.8 out of 10 from 192 reviews places critical reception somewhat below the audience ratings.