"L. A. Confidential" is one of the best movies of the last 20 years.

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 2005)

Now, I am not Roger Ebert, and have not viewed every film on record, but in my somewhat considered opinion, I feel "L.A. Confidential" is one of the rare films where almost everything is perfect; the clothes, the cars, the music, the locations, not to mention the performances; combine to make this movie one of those all-time bests that you must have in your collection. The story itself is extremely tight (given the giant book from which it was adapted). The movie is "visually lush", the characters well portrayed; then considering the twists in the plot (which are admittedly less surprising on repeated viewings) you can watch it repeatedly and continue to appreciate it. No detail of the production was over-looked. It is a film that fits right in with other "near-perfect" classics from Hollywood's history, such as "The Sting", "Sunset Boulevard" (for two disparate examples) while making use of all the advantages available to a modern master film-maker (Mr. Hansen). I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.