Perhaps the definitive film of the nineties

Rating: 10/10 (25 April 2008)

Another nice nostalgia, police procedural flick of the nineties. This one stars (at the time) little known Aussie actors Guy Pearce and Russel Crowe, alongside accomplished character actors Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger and Danny Devito. It's a crime drama in the mold of Kiss of Death, I wake up screaming, or the Big Sleep. Some gritty underworld figures are slowly being eliminated, their are new cops on the beat in Los Angeles, the Department seeks a new reputation as a friendlier organization, but the seedier sides of the city are tearing away at that fragile facade. Some of L.A.'s finest are ca-noodling with high priced hookers cut to look like the famous starlets of the day (Veronica Lake to name but one), others are in bed (figuratively with the local gossip rag), but despite all the flaws of the three main police officers involved in the main course of the movie, they all share a desire to break free of their less than savory ways and become honestly decent cops. The mystery of the film revolves around a shooting at a Hollywood diner, that once delved into, becomes a complex maze of who's who in the criminal world. The difference between right and wrong, good and bad is severely tested, and more than a few won't survive. If you've never viewed a forties style gangster flick, or police procedural, check out this film for a taste of what they were like.