Excellent Period Crime Drama

Rating: 10/10 (4 January 2010)

If you are a fan of noir style films, or period crime films like the Godfather, then you should like L.A. Confidential. Here is a smart, complex thriller set in 1950s Los Andreas, with compelling characters and fine director. One of the best crime films from the 90s.
The focus of the film is one three main characters who are looking at three different cases. There is Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), an ambitious young officer who wants to be a detective, and has a strong moral view on justice. He gets his wise after the Bloody Christmas fiasco, and proves himself a hero cop after investigating a big murder case. But he starts to suspect things are not all right with the result. Ed's rival is Bud White (Russell Crowe), a violence cop who uses his punching and gun to beat confessions or information out of suspects. He ends up investigating two cases, on involving a massive move of heroin in the background of a organised crime leadership void. The other involves high end call girls which look like movie stars. Bud ends up getting involved with one of the call girls, Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger). The third cop is Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), a cop who works on the glamorous size of crime. He is a narcotics cop and a technical adviser for a TV show. He works closely with Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito), the editor of the Hush Hush maginize. They trade information, so that Jack can make good busts, and Sid could have good stories. Jack ends up being transfered to Vice, and ends up investigating the call girls. Pictures of the call girls with Johns are being used to blackmail people like city officials. Jack also ends up working closely with Ed Exley.
The script by Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson is excellent. They make a very complex film with strong characters who have different motivations in the backdrop of an interesting setting. They are a lot of links in the film which puts the whole thing together. They are a number of themes throughout the film, organised crime, prostitution, racism, police brutality, tabloid journalism and legal ethics. It gives you a lot to think about.
As a director Curtis Hanson's career has been so-so. But L.A. Confidential shows that he has the potential to do great things. He handling of the material is excellent, he is a fan of the original novel, made excellent casting choices, keeps the film well paced and leaves no loose ends. He gets a real feel for the time and balances out both the glamour and the sleaze of the period and the city. Los Andreas itself acts as a fantasising world in itself. I also like the fact he makes out that racism was not just an issue in the Deep South and this was a period just before the Civil Rights movement started. Black people were easy targets and racism still affects America today.
There is a great cast. Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey are all great actors and all performed well. There is a good supporting with Danny DeVito (in his best role), James Cromwell and Ron Rifkin. All were on the top of their game, and must have had faith in the material. Russell Crowe's character was very true to what he is like in real life.
It's a shame that Titanic swept the Oscars because L.A. Confidential was a much better film.