A beautiful love letter to classic crime cinema

Rating: Null/10 (4 January 1999)

Director Curtis Hanson, according to Arnon Milchan in the L.A. Confidential DVD supplement, was the perfect choice to adapt (along with Brian Helgeland) James Ellroy's novel. It certainly shows. Favoring rich characterizations over strict plotting, the movie retains many of the novel's key set pieces and enough twists and turns to keep even hard-boiled audiences happy. Pearce, Crowe, Spacey, and Basinger all shine in roles seemingly tailor-made for them -- another credit to Hanson's canny sensibility about the material. Period detail is delicious, with stunning set design, costumes and wonderful tunes by the likes of Johnny Mercer, Chet Baker, and Dean Martin. Some critics complained that the film was "overlong," but repeated viewings reveal the opposite -- a tightly crafted picture among the best of its kind.