It's a pretty good film.

Rating: Null/10 (11 January 2003)

'L.A. Confidential' is a good film. It's a bit long, but I can overlook that. The plot is interesting (my goal is to read the book in the near future), and the cast is good, I suppose.
I actually like the direction that the film takes. I can't say that I'm a big fan of the cop films, but this one seems to have me hooked. I have to admit that I was somewhat confused in some parts; some areas just didn't piece together well. Oh, and being that the entire cast, except for Kim Basinger, is male, I had a hard time remembering who was who. Luckily, I caught on after a while. Anyway, Curtis Hanson did a great job. That right there is probably the biggest compliment one will hear from me that is directed toward a director.
Overall, the cast did a terrific job. I have some complaints though. Kevin Spacey was good as he is in any other film. He's good, I would have liked to have seen some more of him, but he could have been a whole lot better. Worthy of an Oscar nomination? No. Russell Crowe was just a tad better than Spacey. Again, being that the film focuses on several different characters and their point of views, I just didn't see enough of him to really stand up and applaud. Worthy of an Oscar nomination? No. Guy Pearce was excellent. He was listed third, but in my opinion his name should have been at the top of the credits list. I think that there was more of him on screen more than any of the other actors, which is why I liked him so much. Worthy of an Oscar nomination? Absolutely, but unfortunately, he didn't get one. Kim Basinger was horrible. I can't say any more except that she was boring. Everyone acts as if her role was huge and so important to the film itself, but it wasn't. Worthy of an Oscar nomination? No way! Alright, now I'm mad. Can't really figure out why Danny DeVito got such rave reviews and James Cromwell was lame.

Now that the minor questions have been answered, the main one needs an answer. Was 'L.A. Confidential' worthy of an Oscar for Best Picture? Well, the nomination was definitely well-deserved, but I don't know if I'd go all the way and say that yes, this film actually deserved the title of Best Picture. Being that it was up against 'Titanic' that year is probably the only reason I'm going to say that it didn't deserve the award. If 'Titanic' hadn't been in the running, then sure, it should have gotten it.
Like I said, Curtis Hanson did a wonderful job. He deserved the director's nod, and I think that he, too, should have won the Oscar, but James Cameron walked away the winner in ways more than one.
So, I would recommend 'L.A. Confidential' to others if they don't mind sitting down for a while. The cast is good, the director did an outstanding job, and the plot in general is interesting.