Rating: 
Summary: LA Film Noir with a 90s Edge
Review: This was definitely the best film of 1997. I agree with another reviewer that it's sad to see the Acadamy Awards sinking as far as they have. It used to be they would usually vote for the best and not necessarily the most popular choice. This film has a good story, fabulous characters, a vision of LA that most people have never seen, and a gritty edge that modern filmmakers can create. Kim Basinger DID deserve her Award and I question the sanity of any reviewer who says she looked ten years too old to play her part. What woman wouldn't kill to look as luminous as Kim. She's never been lovlier. As for the guys--somebody should have received an Oscar. Russell Crowe is a great talent and I think the Acadamy should give him an Oscar in 99 for The Insider just to make up for that snub. Guy Pierce and Spacey are both just as good. My mother came to LA is 1959 (this story takes place in the early 50s, not the 1940s) and the look of this film really took her back. It's a film that takes the best of the film noir tradition but adds the modern touch. Best film of the 1990s!
Rating: 
Summary: Not too impressed.
Review: This movie is a wanna-be "Chinatown" or "The Usual Suspects," but not as good as either one. Kim Basinger's role did not warrant the Oscar win.
Rating:
Summary: On the QT and Strictly Hush Hush
Review: Beautifully shot with excellent casting and locations. This is one movie you should own. This DVD lives up to the hype; the colours are strong and well defined, the score dramatic with subtle overtones. Forget the DVD tech bit, buy this movie because it great.
Rating: 
Summary: Absorbing and gratifying.
Review: First impressions: what a cast! A superb collection of actors, all fitting neatly into a carefully crafted film. Sets, music, tone - all are excellent, and drag you into the era beautifully. The plot is a neat one, too. Most of the characters (except, bizzarely, Spacey's) are pretty three-dimensional, and the realisation that there is no 'good guy' in the cast helps to give the film credibility. Applause, too, for the climatic scene, which is nicely done, if a little awkwardly ended. Flaws? With the stellar cast, DeVito in particular seems forgotten after the first fifteen minutes, and in general the uncovering of the truth seems a little contrived - was that REALLY enough evidence to expose the conspiracy? Perhaps the book has the answers. Anyway, the significant point is that I want to go and find out - the film has drawn me in that much. Overall, a beautiful and seamless film, with a real sense of emotion.
Rating:
Summary: Watch it as a move, not a spectacle!
Review: This movie truly was awesome, and I know some people think it didn't live up to the "hype"; however, I was one of the lucky ones who saw it just after its release when it was getting some (but not millions) of good early notices. Suffice it to say that I was blown away by everything--the cinematography, the direction, the acting, the sets, the story, the COLORS--I just loved it. I do though sometimes wonder what I would have thought if I'd seen it AFTER the hype--whether I would have loved it based on its own merits or expected perfection and been a little disappointed. Sometimes the Hollywood machine (that finally made a good movie and got it RIGHT witht this one) and their publicity machine can be the enemy of your subconscious! I am now able to enjoy some of the hyped movies I was disappointed with at the theater like The Bros McMullen, In the Company of Men, Out of Site, Big Night, The Sweet Hereafter, Buffalo 66 (no, still don't like it...) Leaving Las Vegas, Wings of the Dove--good Lord, even You've Got Mail. Time and distance--I encourage you all who didn't think LACon (or any other movie) didn't measure up to give it a little time and distance, then re-review it.
Rating:
Summary: A bit overrated, but still excellent.
Review: I have to agree with some of the reviewers expressing disappointment in this movie, or at least empathize with them partially. In its whole, it's not the mindblower its awards would have you believe. However, it is nonetheless a wonderful film. It gives remarkable, rare glimpses into human nature and police politics, and the story itself is fantastic; full of twists, turns and thrills. Kevin Spacey is, as usual, spectacular, and if anything, I think his is the only underrated performance in the film (though by no means are the others under par). Jim LaRegina's comments below are pretty much bang-on for me: I thought the Ed/Lynn scene was the start of the film's minor deterioration; up until that point, the movie was astonishingly brilliant. After that, however, there are definitely too many plot holes. I haven't read the book, so I don't know if it could have to do with the alterations done for the movie adaptation, but in any case, you can smell Hollywood all over the last half-hour or so. Anyway, this is a wonderful film, not 5-star but 4, that deserves multiple viewings and a good chunk, if not all, the laudatory comments it's received.
Rating:
Summary: LA Confidential shouldn't be kept a secret.
Review: As a fan of paticular tastes, I have to say this movie was one of the best I'd seen in 97. Another great performance by Kevin Spacey and the rest of the cast which was, by the way, superbly chosen. This drama/mystery set in the 50's was suprisingly accurate with small details in the settings and dress of the characters as I was later informed by family who had lived through the era. Wonderful movie for anyone with a hint of good taste.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film Noir
Review: I saw "LA Confidential" wondering what all of the hoopla was about. At the end of the movie I was really surprised at how much I liked this movie, a tale of three LA detectives unraveling a murder mystery in 1950s Los Angeles. Based on the James Ellroy novel, "LA Confidential" is written and directed by Curtis Hanson, a terrifically talented writer and director. Hanson dives the audience right into the story, engrossing us in the story from the outset. His vision of LA in the 50's feels real- no rose-colored looks at 1950s America here. The crooks are violent, the cops either corrupt or (mostly) well-intentioned, and all is not well in paradise. Los Angeles may be paradise, but there is sure trouble in it. Give Hanson credit for casting too. The cast is terrific- James Cromwell (one of my favorite actors), Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey (another one of my favorites), Danny DeVito, David Strathairn, and newcomers Guy Pierce and Russell Crowe are outstanding. Crowe in particular does an outstanding job, taking a character that seems at first glance to be a big thug and making him into a complex hero. Everything else about "LA Confidential" is right on the money. Film noir at its finest.
Rating:
Summary: keep up
Review: this movie jumps around a fair bit.not really with the story,which is a pretty straight forward whodunnit,but with the characters themselves,esp bud white and jack vincennes.good for relaxing with a shootemup but also good for something more indepth if you've a mind.jack v's death scene alone is worth watching this for.
Rating:
Summary: overrated
Review: it was bad enough that Kim Basinger got awards but then Kevin Spacey gets alot of juice as well.now Spacey is talented but this film is overrated from jump.it goes into to many directions without focus.
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