Stylish, intricate thriller is a winner in so many ways

Rating: 8/10 (26 September 2003)

I'd heard great things about L.A. Confidential without having heard anything about what it was. So naturally, going in, expectations were extremely high, as was the potential for disappointment. But was that potential ever groundless.
The film is essentially escapism, so I shouldn't have expected such great things from it, but it really is escapism of the very highest calibre. It's complex but not confusing, suspenseful, sexy and very, very entertaining. Spacey, Crowe and Pearce are all at the peak of their game as three Los Angeles police officers all playing by different rules - one a smart, college-educated law-follower, one a tough and brutal 'bad cop', and one a media whore who works as an insider for a magazine journalist.
It scores points on every level. From the fairly hammy comments on corruption in the system, to the tense and fast-paced action sequences, it entertains. It delivers what it promises and it leaves you feeling great.
I won't go on for much longer, but I can honestly say that this is not a film that will disappoint, as long as you don't expect a masterpiece. It's just a very solid, well-made and thoroughly enjoyable flick. ****1/2 / *****