Brilliant.

Rating: 10/10 (1 April 2001)

I'm not going to launch into an in-depth analysis of the film (Lord knows I had to do enough of that to get an A-level in Media) Suffice to say this is one of the best films the 90's has produced; an achievement made all the more remarkable considering the complex source material. I admire Hanson and Helgeland for fashioning a taut and relatively easy to understand thriller without sacrificing too many of the nuances that make Ellroy's books great (Incidentally, if you're into good reading, I recommend "The Black Dahlia") I had to watch this film multiple times daily for a year and not once did I get sick of it. That's a high recommendation!
Oh, BTW, Helgeland also wrote the screenplay for one of the massively inferior "Elm Street" sequels. From little acorns do mighty oak trees grow.