Captain Dudley Smith

***NOTE: This page is only about his film version as his novel incarnation was not voted as a Magnificent Baddie, and thus only the film version of Dudley Smith's info and crimes should be put here.***

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## Magnificent Baddie

### Allies

Pierce Patchett
Sid Hudgens (both formerly)

### Powers/Skills

High intelligence
Charisma
Leadership
Manipulation
Gunmanship
Vast resources
Complete control over the LAPD

### Goals

Have Mickey Cohen arrested and imprisoned for his criminal activities.
Kill Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes (both succeeded).
Eliminate Wendell "Bud" White and Ed Exley before hailing them as heroes to cover-up his gangland coup (ultimately failed).

### Crimes

Police corruption
Mass murder
Gangland coup
Usurpation
Solicitation to murder
Torture
Drug trafficking
Incrimination
Attempted murder

### Type of MB

Sociopathic Corrupt Official

**Captain Dudley Liam Smith** is the main antagonist of the 1997 crime-thriller hit film *L.A. Confidential*, which is based on the third novel of James Elroy's neo-noir novel series known as the *L.A. Quartet*.

He is a corrupt police captain serving in the L.A.P.D. who, along with his unit of corrupt cops, are responsible for arresting Mickey Cohen and subsequently taking over his heroin empire. Consequently, Dudley Smith seeks to establish himself as the most powerful figure of both organized crime and law enforcement in Los Angeles by eliminating anyone who gets in his way.

He was portrayed by James Cromwell.

## What Makes Him Magnificent?

* Although Dudley is Pure Evil in the film adaptation, he at least isn't a racist like in the original novel and never does anything pointlessly cruel like rape or infanticide, the latter of which is also in the book.
* He’s very charismatic and good at hiding his true nature, nearing victory numerous times even after he mentioned "Rollo Tomasi" to Ed. You'd honestly be forgiven for thinking he was a genuinely nice man until his villainy was revealed so shockingly.
* He takes over Mickey Cohen's organized crime ring by having his lieutenants assassinated after he went to prison.
* He pits Bud and Ed against each other by having the former’s prostitute girlfriend Lynn seduce the latter and indirectly showing Bud a photo of the act.
* It's hard to mourn a fair amount of his victims due to how sleazy they were, even if some of them (i.e. Sid Hudgens and Pierce Patchett) were his associates. Framing a trio of rapist thugs—one of whom also killed dogs for fun—for the Nite Owl massacre and then having them killed by the cops is an act one can hardly call evil.

## What Makes Him a Baddie?

* He blackmails others into working with/for him with photos of them doing nasty stuff.
* He massacred a diner full of innocents just to kill one traitorous cop.
* He kills Matt Reynolds and Sgt. Jack Vincennes because they knew too much.

## Trivia

* Only the movie version of Dudley is a Magnificent Baddie, while the book version is a homicidal racist and strangles a baby to death with his bare hands.
	+ Ironically, the book version is the one of the two to have definitive redeeming qualities.

## External Links

* Dudley Smith at the Villains wiki
* Dudley Smith at the Pure Evil wiki