Best picture of 1997

Rating: 10/10 (6 February 2007)

Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce and James Cromwell turn in excellent performances as warped-out cops in LA-LA land, 1950's style. Each of these actors deserved an Oscar for his performance. At least the academy gave an Oscar to Kim Basinger for best supporting actress for her superb performance as a high-priced Hollywood hooker.
There are a lot of great reviews on this movie, so I'm not going to rehash the story. Suffice it to say that the story is well crafted and all of the characters are completely believable.
There is a lot of violence in this movie, on-screen and off, but none of it is gratuitous.
IMHO Kim Basinger's beauty was pretty much "past peak" by the time this movie was made. Even so, she is deliciously gorgeous in the flick, and perfect for the part. There isn't any actual sex in this movie. Most pervs would agree that there could have been more soft-core action, but I for one believe it would've taken away from the super-fast action of the movie.
Russell Crowe's Bud White grabs EVERY scene by the cojones.
Guy Pearce's Edmund Exley is like that guy you used to give a wedgie to during recess every day back in junior high. The next day he'd come back for more, feisty as ever, like a darned banty rooster. Eventually, once you got to know him, you decided he wasn't such a bad guy after all, and maybe you were wrong to pull the elastic from his underwear clean over his head.
Kevin Spacey's Jack Vincennes scene with the Captain is unforgettable. Vincennes' mention of "Rollo Tomasi" is reminiscent of his "Keyser Soze" from the "The Usual Suspects."
James Cromwell plays LA Police Captain Dudly Smith in such convincing fashion that he had to play Farmer Hoggett in "Babe, Pig in the City" in order to avoid being permanently typecast in the role. Still, while watching "Babe, Pig in the City," I kept thinking there was going to be a plot twist, and Farmer Hoggett was going to set Babe up or something worse.
It's almost ten years now and I still enjoy watching LA Confidential at least once per year. "Titanic", which won almost all the awards for 1997, just sits on the shelf, accumulating dust. Maybe I'll watch it again in about ten years.