he Black Dahlia is Brian DePalma’s noir rendition of James Ellroy’s novel about the Los Angeles murder case, which tackles the unsolved murder of Elizabeth Short. Not as good as "L.A. Confidential," a film made from another Ellroy novel (Black Dahlia was written two books before L.A. Confidential), Black Dahlia only partially deals with the starlet named “Betty” (well-played in flashbacks by Mia Kirshner), who headed West in the 1940s, determined to become a star.

It's a beefy story; back in the day, reports of the notorious murder of Short engrossed the nation – and the case still remains one of the most gruesome unsolved murders in the crime history of California.

For the first hour, the movie works well. But then, 60-minutes into it, everything collides in an overstuffed collision of plot excess and a script that eventually runs out of things to say. As the plot becomes more confused, and juggling too many story lines, the film becomes a sordid mess.

Two ex-boxer detectives - Dwight Bleichert (Josh Hartnett), a die-hard intent on serving and protecting and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) - bond over their shared pasts, and Lee's girlfriend, Kay Lake (a beautifully lit Scarlett Johansson).