There’s nothing resembling waterfalls in L.A. Lee Tamahori directed Mulholland Falls, with Pete Dexter writing the screenplay. The cast includes Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Melanie Griffith, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Jennifer Connelly, Treat Williams, John Malkovich, Bruce Dern and Andrew McCarthy. Dave Grusin composed the music, and Haskell Wexler was in charge of cinematography. The film is set in 1950s Los Angeles, where four unusual detectives led by Maxwell Hoover (Nolte) are brought in to look into the death of a young woman discovered at a construction site. The victim turns out to be an actress hoping for her big break who had recently been involved with the married Hoover. Secrets come to light, and following those clues takes Hoover down some complicated paths... It felt like it could have been a really good neo-noir film; everything seemed right on paper. There's a strong cast, the 1950s visuals and cinematography are excellent, and the murder mystery—with added sex, excitement, and nuclear elements—looked promising initially. However, it doesn’t live up to that potential of being something dark, an intricate noir thriller with a shadowy core. It begins so well; given the "Hat Squad," one expects the story to explore the initial rough-and-tumble behavior of those four men in hats. Instead, aside from Nolte's weathered Hoover, the other three are just window dressing. That means some talented actors aren’t used effectively, which is unfortunate. As the plot progresses slowly, the investigation and Hoover's story become less compelling. Griffith received criticism for a weak performance, but the writers didn't help her situation by failing to give her marriage to Hoover any real depth. So when things are supposed to fall apart and Mr. and Mrs. Hoover should have an emotional explosion on screen, we don’t really care because there wasn’t anything invested in their relationship beforehand. The film leads to what can only be described as a weak conclusion; the solution to the hinted-at murky mystery isn't surprising at all, and the supposed climactic confrontation between good and bad guys (or bad and bad, depending on how you look at it) is about as thrilling as watching paint dry. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s very disappointing. A film that could have been so much better with just a little more thought from the producers. 5/10

Source on TMDB