Aussie boys done good!

Rating: 9/10 (27 April 1999)

As an Australian I waited with baited breath to see LA Confidential.
Russell Crowe is one of my favourite actors in spite of the fact that he has made only one or two decent films. I refer to Proof and now, LA Confidential.
Guy Pierce was also going to be an interesting prospect. Apart from the awful soap opera Neighbors, he has only ever done one major motion picture and that was "...Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". A truly dreadful film that must surely be an embarrassment for both drag queens and Australians (in general) alike.
Well, how good were they!? Truly excellent! I walked out of the cinema feeling as if I'd just watched the greatest film of all time. You can appreciate how I feel. These two Australian boys are the STARS of a classic American cop drama. I expected them to be supporting players so imagine how stunned I was when I realised that they were the heros!
Kevin Spacey was excellent (surprise us!) and James Cromwell again proved that he has been in hiding for far too long. Incidentally, the other night I saw a very young James Cromwell on an old Barney Miller rerun!
LA Confidential is a great film, a classic of the nineties. Having subsequently read the book I can honestly say that Curtis Hanson's achievement in bringing this sprawling epic to the screen is nothing short of amazing! They cut out enough material for three more movies but retained the distilled essence of the book.
Honestly, I could talk for hours about this film. I won't, though. You can go now. I'm going to watch the video and wave a little Australian flag during the toilet bowl/window/DA scene. On second thoughts, no. I'll just smile proudly to myself and have a cold beer.
Cheers!