Although The Black Dahlia admirably coalesces James Ellroy’s searingly brilliant noir novel into a sharp, streamlined screenplay, director Brian De Palma’s campy approach and questionable casting sever the style from the substance as brutally in two as its titular victim.
This plane-crossing load of malarkey is not altogether awful until two-thirds in, the exact point when the music stops, you see the abysmal finale coming at you like a brick-loaded train, and you wish you'd rented The Ring instead.
The Chronicles of Riddick is a dazzling sci-fi epic that will have Pitch Black devotees marking their calendars for the third installment. But director David Twohy's sequel is unlikely to strike a chord with those unfamiliar with Riddick's world