THIS was best picture from 1997.

Rating: Null/10 (1 March 1999)

Screw Titanic, and as much as I hate to say it, my previous choice for best picture, Good Will Hunting. L.A. Confidential is the best film I've seen in at least the last 2 years. The fact that this movie didn't win best picture at the 1998 Oscars is a crime. Everything in this movie was Oscar worthy except, rather ironically, Kim Basinger. While she turns in a good performance, it certainly wasn't Oscar worthy. As is always the way with Basinger, she was playing the same character she always plays. She was no better here than she was in Batman. If anything her performance in the rather awful Blind Date was more Oscar worthy.
That aside this is a gripping movie with more than a few twists along the way. Guy Pearce was the standout for me. He does a fantastic job as Exley, and unless you knew (like I did) you'd have no idea he's Australian. Of course, to single out one actor is rather unfair as everyone is terrific in this movie, even Danny DeVito who I usually find annoying as hell. He is perfect as the sleazy magazine publisher.
If you haven't seen this movie, turn off your computer, and head to the video store RIGHT NOW! Don`t walk, RUN, and grab yourself one of the best movies ever made, and for sure the best movie of the last 2 years. As I said above, the fact that Cameron's incubus of a movie won Oscars over this just shows how totally screwed the whole Oscar voting system is. This movie should have beaten... no, CRUSHED AND UTTERLY DESTROYED the opposition.
My only regret is I waited this long to see it.