Recommended but read the book.

Rating: 9/10 (1 December 2003)

I'm a big Ellroy fan so I'm probably not the best person to comment on this film. The book is better and I'm glad I'd read it before I saw the film, which I found a little confusing, but then perhaps that was because I'd read the book.
Excellent performances by Guy Pearce, who is very under-rated in my view, and Russell Crowe, not then the mega star he is now. I found Spacey a little bland and uninteresting. How fit is Kim Basinger? She was wonderful! Even Danny DeVito, who usually annoys me intensely, was well above average.
Recommended viewing but then read the book or any of the other LA-based novels by Ellroy - they are superb!