A Fine Example Of Excellence

Rating: Null/10 (8 October 1999)

`Hollywood Havoc' L.A. Confidential: rated R, 2 hours and 17 minutes
With the ultimate cast of Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Danny DeVito, and Kim Basinger, L.A. Confidential is a well-played, dramatic murder mystery.
Los Angeles during the 1950's was looked at as a paradise, but crime, corruption, and sleaze ran this Â‘Garden of Eden'. Hush, Hush, the tabloid magazine written by Sid Hudgens (DeVito), lives on the themes of these three unethical, social attributes. At the start of the film, Devito narrates by reading an article from the magazine aloud. These occasional excerpts provide an interesting viewpoint on the Hollywood of the 50's. Spacey and Crowe are the hotshot cops of California, renown for their brave deeds.
Spacey plays Sergeant Jack Vincennes, who has been giving Hush, Hush the meaty stories it thrives on, in return for the fame and publicity that he lives for.
One of the leading crimelords in L.A. dresses prostitutes to look like movie stars. Basinger, the Veronica Lake look-alike, becomes closely involved with Lieutenant Bud White, Crowe. In doing this, she plays a major role in solving the many murders that take place throughout the movie.
In the beginning, everything seems to be going according to normal, but as the characters develop, and the plot thickens, cops become killers, and killers become cops. Racism, possession of narcotics, conspiracy, and mass murder all become elements of this dramatically well played film, where each character serves his or her purpose.
L.A. Confidential, directed by Curtis Hanson, also starring Guy Pierce, is a perfect combination of superb acting and nail-biting suspense for a nearly flawless A+.