Just one little flaw

Rating: 10/10 (8 November 1999)

A hard boiled detective gets involved in a morbid tale of power corruption, murder and a dirty little family secret -- just one little flaw in the lady's eye - the left one.
I wouldn't put it in my top 20, but without a doubt in my top 100. It's one of the few Hollywood detective stories that I not only can sit through but can watch several times. My theory is that good detective movies come around about every 20-30 years. Think about it: Maltese Falcon 1941, Chinatown 1974 and LA Confidential 1997. They all share great actors, great directors and great writers. It's no coincidence that John Huston directed the first and stars in the second, and that the hero of the second is Jake, while the hero of the third is named Jack.
Joe Bob Briggs Memorial Academy Award Nomination for Jake's answer to the cop who asked him what happened to his nose: "Your wife got a little excited and crossed her legs."