A true modern classic

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 2001)

This great throwback to cop/gangster flicks of the golden age is a wonderfully realised treat for fans of the genre and all movie lovers, featuring a gang of top stars on blistering form, working from a brilliant script under very classy direction. Shades of noir classic Touch of Evil hang over this cracking thriller (check out the oil pumps pounding away in the background in the finales of both films), dealing with moral and political shenanigans in the LAPD and the movie-star-and-drug-baron milieu of Marlowe and Sam Spade. Spacey, Crowe and Guy Pearce head a brilliant cast that includes great turns from Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger and James Cromwell, all caught up in a fantastically complex web of corruption and crime that unravels itself beautifully as the film builds to its pounding climax. At heart though this is a moral picture looking at the pursuit of justice in an ethically complex world, and a buddy picture about tough men overcoming their differences to pull together towards a common goal of good over evil. A great soundtrack of period tunes and a few deft touches of humour put the finishing touches on a film that comes pretty near perfection.