the seasoned capt .
dudley smith
( james cromwell ) questions his new protege , ed exley ( guy pearce ) about his political views when it comes to police work .
"
would you plant evidence to get a conviction if you knew the person to be guilty ?
would you shoot a man in the back if you knew that it was the only way to make sure he got what he deserved ?
" exley , squeaky clean , innocent , and pent with the desire to perform his new duties with integrity and honesty quickly answers with a pointed ' no . ' stunned , smith pleads ,
" then , for the love of god , do n't be a detective .
"
la confidential is a dandy piece of filmmaking
that brings us back to the classic times of hollywood in the 50s .
organized crime was the biggest concern , corruption existed everywhere , and every cop had his own way of getting the job done .
there was " hollywood " jack vincennes ( kevin spacey ) who gets most of his information from the editor of a sleazy tell - all / show - all tabloid , sid hudgeons ( danny devito ) .
sporting dark sunglasses and a white sports coat , he is n't afraid to flash his tinseltown style .
detective bud white ( russell crowe ) has only a narrow - minded view of the law , and he uses excessive force to exact his unique kind of interrogation and brutal justice .
and then there is golden boy exley , wide - eyed and ambitious but extremely naive .
a horrible multiple murder begins to draw these three men together , each of whom become inexorably connected in their search for truth , action , and personal vindication .
almost immediately , an arrest is made .
but something does n't seem quite right .
new developments become sinuous as the story begins to draw us deeper into the labyrinth of corruption and crime within the department .
suspicion and questions begin to mount .
odd alliances are created .
and as layers of the truth become revealed , the story grows more complex and intriguing by the moment .
when the mystery expands , we see other seemingly guilty characters enter the lives of these three cops , including a high - priced hooker ( kim basinger ) and a shady millionaire ( david strathairn ) .
all of the characters ' levels of involvement are not immediately clear .
we watch with riveted fascination to learn more about why they are there and their stake in the case .
we sense a cross - pollination of clues that brings us , the audience , closer to the truth .
we hope that the three detectives can throw away their spite for one another and can pull their resources together in order to untangle the intricately created web of mystery .
absorbing and affecting , this movie has all the necessary ingredients to create a terrific gourmet serving of film noir .
it boasts mysterious figures in control , double - crosses , hard information from sleazy sources , dirty politicians , corrupt cops , haunting women , and hard - nosed cops experiencing moral ambiguity .
the underlying mystery is compelling .
the look and feel of the movie is gorgeous .
the entire cast is crisp and wonderful to watch
( i would n't be surprised if cromwell received an oscar nomination for his performance ) . and ,
the dialogue is rich and memorable .
the best line of the movie is spoken when a key player dispenses advice to one of the detectives unsure of what to do .
" do n't start trying to do the right thing , boy - o , " says he .
"
you have n't had the practice . "
" l . a . confidential ' ' triumphantly achieves the rare gift of complexity and coherence while satisfying our desire for a good old - fashioned movie .
the look and feel of the movie is gorgeous the dialogue is rich and memorable crisp and wonderful to watch triumphantly achieves the rare gift of complexity and coherence while satisfying our desire for a good old - fashioned movie absorbing and affecting , this movie has all the necessary ingredients to create a terrific gourmet serving a dandy piece of filmmaking