Chinatown's screenplay had a writer.
Robert Towne -LRB- born Robert Bertram Schwartz ; November 23 , 1934 -RRB- is an American screenwriter , producer , director and actor .. screenwriter. screenwriter. producer. Film producer. director. film director. actor. actor. He was part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmaking .. New Hollywood. New Hollywood. He is best-known for his Academy Award-winning original screenplay for Roman Polanski 's Chinatown -LRB- 1974 -RRB- , which is widely considered one of the greatest screenplays ever written .. Academy Award. Academy Award. Roman Polanski. Roman Polanski. Chinatown. Chinatown ( 1974 film ). He also wrote its sequel The Two Jakes in 1990 , and wrote the Hal Ashby comedy-dramas The Last Detail -LRB- 1973 -RRB- , and Shampoo -LRB- 1975 -RRB- , as well as the first two Mission  : Impossible films .. The Two Jakes. The Two Jakes. Hal Ashby. Hal Ashby. The Last Detail. The Last Detail. Shampoo. Shampoo ( film ). Towne has also directed various films such as the sports dramas Personal Best -LRB- 1982 -RRB- , and Without Limits -LRB- 1998 -RRB- , the crime thriller Tequila Sunrise -LRB- 1988 -RRB- , and the romantic crime drama Ask the Dust -LRB- 2006 -RRB- .. Personal Best. Personal Best ( film ). Without Limits. Without Limits. Tequila Sunrise. Tequila Sunrise ( film ). Ask the Dust. Ask the Dust ( film )