In a word: flawless

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2004)

From the moment it begins, with Danny DeVito giving the audience an account of events in the style of a pulp-newspaper article, L.A. Confidential grabs your attention and doesn't release it until the credits role. This is both an intriguing mystery and a brilliant character study shot in the style of the classic film-noir. Like Chinatown before it, L.A. Confidential gained instant classic status as if it wasn't for the fact that we know it was made in the late nineties; it could easily have been made during the peak of the film-noir era. Through a flawless ensemble cast and brilliant storytelling, this film has cemented itself as a modern classic and what I consider to be the best film of the nineties on the whole.
Based on a pulp novel by James Ellroy, L.A. Confidential follows the fates of three very different police officers; Bud White, a short-tempered thug that uses brute force in order to gain what he considers to be justice; Jack Vincennes, the celebrity, quick-dollar minded cop, and Edmond Exley; the collage boy that values the rules and doing what's right to achieve justice. When a shooting occurs at a night café, the three attempt to solve the mystery in their own unique way, but discover they must band together in order to defeat their imperfections and get to the bottom of the mystery. This film is very character driven, and throughout the focus is always on the three leads. We get to know them during the film and their characters are always interesting thanks to the fact that they are three-dimensional human beings. Why they do things and how the plot develops directly relates to their personalities, and this means that our confidence in them is rewarded.
L.A. Confidential sets itself apart from other films of the same nature as it creates the world from which it's story will develop, as opposed to creating it's story and developing it's world around it. This allows the film to tackle it's plot from a multitude of different angles and thereby it has complete freedom to put the audience at the centre of the mystery. Because of this, the film requires the viewer to pay complete attention to the proceedings and missing a minute of screen time could result in the viewer losing the plot. The film rewards it's viewer's attention by keeping itself constantly involving and exciting, and never becoming boring. The fact that it is strongly character lead means that the film has a warm heart, and it easy to get involved with and care for the characters at it's centre; thus allowing the film to be easily to get involved with for the audience. The story encompasses many themes, most notably justice and the desire to do what's right. All three of the characters desire this, and it is only through their imperfections that their methods are different. The themes portrayed at the centre of the tale will always be relevant, no matter what period the film is viewed in, thus lending it the same longevity that many of it's fellow classics enjoy.
Of course, L.A. Confidential's prowess is helped implicitly by the fact that everything about it is absolutely flawless. You could spend hours trying to pick faults with the film, but there's no point because it doesn't have any. It's surprising that L.A. Confidential so faultless because the track record of it's major players prior to it's release isn't exactly brilliant. Curtis Hanson was a director of fluff movies such as The River Wild and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, and it didn't seem likely that his career was going to change. Guy Pearce started out on the Aussie soap opera; Neighbours and his only real impressive acting credit prior to this film was a silly performance as a drag queen in the comedy; Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. Similarly, Russell Crowe's resume wasn't exactly impressive either and he was practically an unknown upon release. Kevin Spacey was in a slightly better position than the other two with impressive performances in 1995 films, The Usual Suspects and Seven; but it wasn't until L.A. Confidential that he truly reached the pinnacle of acting that he resides at today. Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito have made more than their fair share of rubbish and I don't feel that I even need to go into their backlog of films. The fact that it's players came from less impressive backgrounds only makes this film more of a masterpiece as they all perform faultlessly, and it goes to show that you don't need the greatest stars to create a masterpiece.
The first thing that struck me about L.A. Confidential was it's delicious 1950's style. Through it's lush cinematography, the film seduces the audience into believing that they are there in Hollywood's golden age. Through the fashions, cars and mentalities portrayed on screen; L.A. Confidential succeeds in doing exactly what cinema was invented to do; transport it's audience to the place where the movie is happening. That's part of what makes this film a classic; it does for a modern audience what films of yore did for their audiences and achieved greatness in doing so. In these jaded times, it's easy for movies with dazzling effects and the latest stars to gain itself praise, but many of them fail in really leaving a lasting impression and making the audience feel like they are in the fray with the lead characters on the screen. L.A. Confidential does not fail in that respect.
All in all, this film is the reason I watch films. For all the reasons I have stated above; L.A. Confidential is a cinephile's dream. When the movie is over and the final credits role; you know that you have seen a movie, and the movie you have witnessed really is the very pinnacle of 1990's film-making. L.A. Confidential is one of a few films that truly deserve the title; 'masterpiece'.