Jon Monsarrat review: Accessible & not too arty. Fabulous!

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2002)

I'm an action movie guy without much appreciation for dramas, I admit. It's not that I don't respect the film school types, rather if the story is awful or the characters loathsome, I can't overlook that to appreciate the makeup or the musical score, as some reviewers can.
However, despite a whole lotta arty, I found L.A. Confidential to be quite accessible, and it was everything I'd hoped to get from "The Hudsucker Proxy", but didn't because it was so arty. There's plenty of action and it's intellectual without being in-your-face. And with acting by can't fail actors Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey... wow!! A fascinating story that gives a flavor of the 1950s without becoming an overly "cheesy tough guy" film noir.
Who should see this film:
-- Everyone (but not young kids) who has even a low-level
tolerance for arty. This one is safe. But don't expect
a deep romance.
I'll give "L.A. Confidential" a 9 out of 10.