A darker shade of noir

Rating: 9/10 (21 December 2004)

Three bad cops, each repugnant in their own ways: these are the central characters of James Ellroy's 'L.A. Confidential', a gem of a book for those who like their thrillers ultra-tough and equally byzantine. If Ellroy has a weakness, it's a tendency to excess, both in tone and in plotting. Part of the reason Curtis Hanson's film of the novel is quite so entertaining is that he makes two spot on choices. Firstly, the mood of his movie is two parts hard-boiled realism to one part cartoon, which perfectly matches the book. Secondly, the greatest meanderings of the labyrinthine story are pared down, without sacrificing the complex essence (and essential complexity) of the tale. He also gets a string of great performances from his stars, hamming it up just enough but never too far: Russell Crowe does his usual meat-head with a heart role, Kim Basinger plays a femme fatale but most enjoyable is the double act of Danny de Vito and Kevin Spacey. James Cromwell is also good, although he seems confused as to whether he is Irish or Welsh! The result is utterly gripping and enormous fun, but it's no 'French Connection': ultimately, the film is far kinder on its violent hero Bud White (Crowe) than that other film is on Popeye Doyle, and the good versus bad ending is more conventional than the first two thirds of the film (or indeed, than the book's own, more confused, conclusion). But it's still a show of the highest class.