One of the best films ever made and quite possibly the best film of the 90s

Rating: 10/10 (16 October 2007)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
1950s Los Angeles is a place that's trying to spruce up some glamour and recognition. But it's also suffering at the hands of a corrupt police force, lead by dodgy captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) who uses heavies to force would-be crime lords out of town, and also Bud White (Russell Crowe) an abuser of power who gets his job done more with his fists than his handcuffs. But there's a new boy on the scene- Edmond Exley (Guy Pearce), vying to become seargent at the age of thirty. His father was killed in the line of duty but he plays strictly by the book and has a natural yearning for justice. Needless to say, their paths soon cross- but when some people, including White's partner, are found murdered in an all night diner called The Night Owl, an intricate web of lies and deceit is unravelled and the two may have more in common than they thought.
Everyone has this image in their heads of the 1950s being a happy, rosy time, 'the good old days' when everything was decent and proper. James Ellroy is a detective novelist who shatters all those conceptions, throwing in our face an era as decadent and corrupt as now, if not more so, with corruption everywhere and everyone on the take. And Curtis Hanson has brought his vision to life perfectly.
L.A. Confidential has more twists and turns than a rattle snake, a rich, multi-layered story that you can pick up new things on every time you watch it (mind you, the film's so good you'll be dying to watch it again as soon as you can anyway.) It is also completely unflinching when it comes to showing the more intense, raw parts of the story, in the most realistic, hard-hitting way that just adds to the overall great effect.
He has also succeeded in bringing the day and age the film is set in to life perfectly as well, with the soundtrack, production design and costumes all spot on. It literally feels as though you're living right in the story as it's going on.
And the performances don't disappoint. Former Neighbours stars Pearce and Crowe made big names for themselves here, Pearce as the fiercely straight, determined officer, one good cop who holds on to his integrity in a department sinking in corruption and Crowe as the officer more in favour of rough justice, who's always brimming with a boiling anger that could snap at any minute. The supporting cast are all on fire as well, Kevin Spacey (rising star at the time) as the show-bizzy glamour cop who likes all the attention but has his heart in the right place, Kim Basinger as the torn love interest, Cromwell as the seemingly infallible captain and Danny DeVito as the sleazy journo always sniffing where the money is.
Everything about L.A. Confidential is perfect. It all comes together in the right way and everything works. The publicity and hype was always going to mean Titanic would win the Oscar, but how right that this is the film that's been remembered by true lovers of film for longer. It really is so rare for film-making to get it this right. *****