not as good as I expected

Rating: 6/10 (4 June 2005)

This movie is a 1990s version of the old film noir movies of the 40s and 50s. Technically speaking, it is an excellent movie. The photography (though not in black and white) was good, direction and pacing smooth and acting was top-notch. So why didn't I like the movie more? First, I found it hard to like anyone. You don't want to like the bad guys, but having the hero have sex with prostitute Bassinger seemed really out of character for a "good guy" (as well as yucky considering how many other men had plunged into her nether-regions before him). Secondly, film noir WAS violent and, at times, unforgiving but it wasn't this graphic. Yes, this is probably because LA Confidential was made in 1997 but showing so much isn't so much a homage to the genre but ignoring the rules of film noir--where the viewer knew blood and sex was there but it wasn't explicit.