Rating: 
Summary: Simply brilliant 9.5/10
Review: For an amazingly complex book, I thought the filmmakers did a brilliant job. It stands alone as a movie. The only problem with eliding some of the characters, and the necessarily more attenuated plot was that we lost much of the politics and inner motivations of some characters - especially Jack Vincennes ans Ed Exley. Also, everyone raves about Russell Crowe's acting, and he certainly does smash up a lot, but I found Kevin Spacey absolutely compelling. He burned up the screen. Guy Pearce was terrific too. James Cromwell is perfectly cast as the malevolent Dudley Smith. Last night I watched Chinatown, same genre, earlier. Funnily enough I had never seen it, and realise it is now nearly 30 years old! It looks FANTASTIC. It feels fantastic. It is perhaps the perfect film. Actually, it's why in the end I think LA Confidential is a 9.5/10, and Chinatown a 10/10. The latter has an original, not adapted screenplay, and can work its own rhymes and rythmns. LA Confidential stands on its own as a great movie, but if you have read the book you may hunger for a little more of the intricacies which, understandably cannot be brought to the screen.
Rating: 
Summary: Confidentially Speaking...
Review: Based on author James Ellroy's novel of the same name, the film version of L.A CONFIDENTIAL benefits from a top notch cast and a great script. Three cops, (Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe) are put to the test when suspected corruption within city government, after news of an incident at the jail begins to surface. Complicating matters is a tabloid journalist (Danny DeVito), who wants to use his skills for shady dealings, and a call girl, (Kim Bassinger) with whom the three men are beguiled over. Directed by Curtis Hanson, the film really has the feel of a 1950s crime drama. The film won an Oscar for Bassinger and its screenplay. Every bit of praise about the movie is well deserved Great performances by all of those actors really sell the film. As an example, Crowe and Pearce easily loose their Aussie accents to sound like true American cops, torn apart by the attraction they both have for the call girl known as Lynn Bracken Who knows the truth? Who's on the take? And why would honorable men lie to protect the truth? If you have never seen this classic from '97, now is the time, you will be glad you did. The DVD contains three behind the scenes featurettes. There's also an interactive map tour of LA, as seen in the film with Curtis Hanson acting as tour guide. It also has a music only track featuring composer Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar nominated score (a real plus), additional production notes, theatrical trailers, and 3 television spots. Sadly though, I missed not hearing a main audio commentary by Hanson and or others, who worked on this film. It would have put an already fine DVD over the top. [Four] and a half stars and highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Films of the 90's and Classic Film Noir
Review: One of the tautest films ever made, LA Confidential is a film that needs to be seen a few times for the viewer to fully comprehend it. A bathroom break during the film will leave you clueless. This is not to say you won't like it after the first viewing. On the contrary, you'll have a general grasp of the stories in this multi-layered film and appreciate its screenplay and mysterious twists and turns, which make you think and want to see it over again to fill in the minute details instrumental in linking the stories and triggering the actions of the three main characters played by Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey.
Set in 1951 LA, this film shows LA in its glamorous façade. Unlike other film noirs, naturalistic lighting is employed to contrast against the dark side of the setting. Crowe, who steals the film and first served notice as a major player, plays a not-too-bright thug with a soft side. Shocking Australians with his enormous performance, Pearce, a former Aussie soap star, plays a politically ambitious police officer who discovers honesty does not serve him best. And as always, Kevin Spacey delivers a top-notch performance through an unconventional interpretation of his character, Jack Vincennes, a morally bankrupt vice squad sergeant, who is able to live fashionably from his side-job as consultant to a TV detective show and snitch to a sleazoid "Confidential"-like tabloid publisher played by Danny DeVito. Add to this mix a morally ambiguous cop played by James Cromwell, a Veronica Lake look-alike prostitute (Kim Basinger) and her millionaire pimp (David Straithairn), and you have intriguing stories that are intricately yet delicately woven together to create a larger story. The film starts off with a narration of LA the way it used to be: a land of milk and honey that was gold to gangsters. The primo gangster has been arrested for tax evasion and other wannabes are trying to take over the throne. Main candidates for this position have been murdered and it's anybody's guess who the successor will be. A Christmas-night riot erupts in the police precinct, instigated by the police officers who try to punish Mexican suspects for a colleague's beating (one could see why the police is distrusted by people of color after seeing this film). A reporter takes photos and they are published on the front page. Someone has to take the fall. Ed Exley (Pearce) who tried to end the riot willingly volunteers as witness in return for promotion to lieutenant detective. The fall guy turns out to be Bud White (Crowe)'s partner who was just a year shy of eligibility for his pension. He is soon found murdered in a 24-hour café along with two women and several men. One of the women is a prostitute cut to look like Rita Hayworth, a friend of a woman Bud White encountered the night before, Lynn Bracken (Basinger), who was in the company of their pimp and an ex-cop named Meeks. As a loyal friend of his dead partner, White seeks to find the killers. Exley takes interest in the case to further his career. Vincennes indirectly becomes involved later when his conscience catches up with him and tries to do good. Their respective cases, it turns out, are linked to 25 pounds of stolen heroin. The performances are superb and it was too bad neither Crowe nor Pearce were nominated for awards. The fact that they were no-names may have been the reason. Basinger finally got her due that year but I feel Julianne Moore was more deserving of the supporting Oscar for "Boogie Nights" since she had a more challenging role. And as good as "Titanic" was, this film was artistically superior despite its small scale. On the DVD you'll see screen tests of Crowe and Pearce and interviews with Curtis Hanson, the director, James Ellroy, on whose novels the film is based, and Kim Basinger. The film is fast-paced and keeps you guessing. No one is what they seem is the theme, which is appropo to the backdrop of superficial tinsel town. Watch this film knowing that you won't have distractions and knowing that you can focus for two and a half hours. P.S.: There are several historical errors in this film. The film "Roman Holiday" Lynn and Bud watch was not made and released until 1954. And Lana Turner became involved with Johnny Stompanato after 1951.
Rating:
Summary: A Noir Classic
Review: For an example of the best in film noir, look no further than "L.A. Confidential", a sleek, fiery look into the seamy side of life in the L.A. of the 1950s. The cast is a dream: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce ("Memento"), Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, David Strathairn. I've often thought the Oscars should have a category for Best Ensemble Cast; "Gosford Park" should have won it this year, and "L.A. Confidential" should have won it back in '97. Under the capable direction of Curtis Hanson ("Wonder Boys", the upcoming "8 Mile"), this film is a riveting triumph. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Noir in Bright Daylight
Review: This was the best film made in '97 but like Polanski's "Chinatown" it is destined to become one of the finest movies NOT to take the Oscar home. Curtis Hanson took James Ellroy's novel, a book many doubted could be translated to the film medium, and co-wrote one of the finest adapted screenplays ever done. He then brought on board a couple of Aussie unknowns, a gorgeous star who had never lived up to her potential, maybe the finest actor working today, and began filming one of the darkest noir films of all time, in sun drenched daylight! The end result is a dark and twisted tale of personal redemption told against the backdrop of the bright lights and sunshine of Hollywood in the early '50's. Hanson contrasts the brightly lit exteriors with the dark storyline of police corruption and Hollywood decadence. This is a movie about facade, not just Hollywood's but our own personal facade as well.
Russell Crowe became a star as LA Detective Bud White, a tough cop willing to do whatever is necessary, something the political up and comer Guy Pearce finds archaic about the force and wants to change. What may stop him from doing so is his investigation of the murder of several people at "The Night Owl" cafe, one of which is Crowe's partner, recently "retired" after a well publicized jail brawl christened "Bloody Christmas" by the papers. Crowe and Pearce come at this from different angles but the road for both leads right to beautiful Kim Basinger and a millionaire in the lush Hollywood hills played by David Strathairn. There is a reason Basinger looks a little like Veronica Lake the first time we see her in this film, she's suppose to. Hollywood legend has it that a string of expensive call girls were cut to look like stars during the forties and fifties and Hanson has made this darker side of Hollywood part of the story. Basinger is one of the lucky ones, close enough to the actual look of Veronica Lake not to have been cut on. Crowe falls for the real girl inside Basinger, but in spite of her opulent lifestyle, her low self esteem comes to the forefront when she sleeps with Pearce in an attempt to "help" Crowe. We realize as she nearly destroys Crowe by doing so that she perceives herself as a whore on the inside, beneath the facade. Her logic is as twisted and tainted as the corruption Crowe and Pierce are about to uncover as they follow the trail linking Basinger's "boss" Strathairn to the Night Owl killings and the vice surrounding them on every side. Basinger deserved the Oscar she garnered for this role and Crowe's performance as the tough cop with some soft spots after all is something you'll always remember. But the coolest job done here is by Kevin Spacey. Hanson told him before filming began to think Dean Martin and he'd have it down pat. Yes indeed! Spacey plays the ultra cool cop, the one in the tabloids for his Hollywood connections. He is a consultant on the TV show "Badge of Honor" (think Dragnet) and is hooked up with slimy but likeable Danny DeVito, a "writer" for a Hollywood tabloid. Spacey grabs the spotlight and DeVito gets the headlines as Spacy collars Hollywood stars in compromising situations, DeVito's camera flashing. Spacey seemingly has it all, but like the rest of this film, it is just a facade. While sitting in a bar listening to Dean Martin in the background he looks up into the mirror behind the counter and doesn't like what he see's. He has all the tools to be a great cop but he knows he has sold his soul for the fifty in front of him. He becomes involved in the case because of a murder in a hotel room he feels responsible for that leads right back to the Night Owl, and hooks up with Pearce to redeem his soul. You will never forget the name "Rollo Tomasi" or what it means for Pearce, and ultimately Spacey in this film. Adding to the atmosphere more than just a little is the score by Jerry Goldsmith, his finest work since "Chinatown" and just as haunting. It does more than help enhance the atmosphere, it IS the atmosphere of this one of a kind masterpiece. This film has the kind of ending dreams are made of and someone (I won't give it away) holding up their badge to the oncoming rush of cop cars in the Hollywood hills at night is a scene you'll never forget. There is not a bad performance in this film. It is complex and riveting. If you haven't seen this before, don't rent it, buy it. You'll watch it over and over. But don't tell anyone-this is Off the Record, On the QT, and Very Hush Hush.......!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I have ever seen
Review: Great crime drama. I can't even explain how great and compelling this movie is. Great performances by soon to win oscar actors kevin spacey and russell crow. and guy pierce even outshines them. It is seductive and beautiful, cynical and twisted.
Rating:
Summary: "A perfect picture!"
Review: In the tradition of such post-noir, polished policiers as CHINATOWN, this richly detailed crime thriller is not just a throwback to the glory days of the hard-boild 1940s crime thrillers, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is the real thing. The plot is as convoluted as in THE BIG SLEEP, the characters as interesting as in THE MALTESE FALCON, and the brutality and violence as relevant as in TOUCH OF EVIL or THE BIG HEAT. But it doesn't follow in the stride of other noirs. Like the masterpiece CHINATOWN it takes its own strides and has a life of its own. The production design and costumes perfectly recreate the era, but we soon forget, as we become totally involved and engrossed in this dizzying story of crime, betrayal, blackmail, greed, corruption, and most other film noir subjects that come to mind. It plays out beautifully, and every performance is magnificent, particularily Kim Basinger's Veronica Lake look-alike Lynn Bracken (deservedly taking the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress). The male performers all match each other, from Kevin Spacey's smooth Vincennes, Guy Pierce's ruthless "good-guy" Edmund Exley, Russel Crowe's tough-guy Bud White, to James Cromwell's crooked Dudley. The film deservedaly won over the critics for Best Picture of the year. It also recieved nine Oscar nominations, but sadly, in the wake of the technical landmark Titanic, it won only two, for Kim Basinger and for Curtis Hansonn and Brian Helgeland's brilliant screenplay, adapted form several of author James Ellroy's crime novels. Without a doubt, this is far and away the Best Picture of 1997, and indeed one of the best movies of the 1990s, but it also stands as one of the great film noirs. A stylish and spectacular detective yarn of corrupted justice, that goes beneath the Hollywood glamour of the '40s, and consistently dazzles. A perfect picture!
Rating:
Summary: Another 5 star Classic
Review: It has long been debated - "Can a film noir be made in color?" Many have tried and failed. This film does not. It has all of the classic elements that one looks for in a good ole gangster flick, as well as in a noir flick. This film is shocking in its talent and its craftsmanship. No complaints from me, from the score to the cinematography, from the direction to the casting, everything hits its mark, and brings you along for the ride. One of the best DVDs yet released; this slick Warner Bros. disc has it all. There are three behind-the-scenes documentaries, including "The L.A. of L.A. Confidential" (an interactive map tour) and "Off the Record," which offers cast and crew interviews. In addition, the disc has a mood-setting, music-only soundtrack; three TV spots; production notes; theatrical trailers; a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen picture; and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio tracks in English and French. They really packed it in there. This is the best film of the nineties. Titanic was just an overblown soap compared to this complex mystery/crime drama. The plot twists are jaw-dropping and require the film to be seen several times. The acting and direction are superb! Enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: very good movie, just not a great one.
Review: This was a very good movie, but it could have been so much more. The story starts as a cross-section of the LAPD in the early '50s - when the city is poised to become "the city of the future". Fallout from a stationhouse race-brawl on Christmas Eve elevates lowly (but ambitious) patrolman Ed Exley (Guy Pierce) to the detectives squad. Incredibly honest and the son of a slain officer, Exley triumphs as the lone holdout when drunken cops brutalize perps unlucky enough to have been arrested on a holiday eve. Bud White (Russel Crowe) is lucky enough to keep his shield even as his best friend, a corrupt and inept detective named Stansfeld is forced to leave LAPD in disgrace. Meanwhile, Jack Vincennes, a detective who's also the consultant for a "reality" cop show (circa 1950) manages to barely survive the fallout himself. Above them all presides James Cromwell, the Captain of the LAPD of the future, whose smiling veneer masks an appreciation for cruelty and a quick resort to violence. Embittered with Exley at the start, White's grudge with Exley seems magnified when Stensfeld turns up as a victim in a horrific multiple homicide at an LA Diner. Worse, the two embody polar opposites - with Exley as the thinker and schemer and White as the muscle - each looking down on the other. The script works up an obvious idea - forcing them to team up despite what each thinks of the other when their respective and apparently distinct cases soon prove linked. The story tosses in David Strathairn who provides hookers surgically altered to look like Hollywood starlets, Danny Devito as a columnist who gives LA's seedy side the Winchell treatment, various seemingly unconnected murders and hints at a fortune (in 1953) in missing heroin. So why don't it work? It does, but the story works up these great characters, and keeps cutting away just when they start to look good. Exley's ambition never reveals itself in full - in the end he looks square enough to actually believe the "serve and protect" oath that nobody else in the flick accepts. Spacey starts to get good, but the film wastes him in the end. Kim Basinger won best supporting actress - she's good but not great here, and the flick tosses in an unbelievable triangle, putting her between Exley and White when her love for White is so obvious. It's obvious that, whether by accident or design, this is Crowe's character's movie. He starts out as a violent thug, but one with a sense of justice. It takes Basinger's character to find the real human underneath his muscle and coiled anger. The end is a total dissappointment, but not bad enough to hide the pleasures of the rest of the film.
Rating: 
Summary: Its not that good.
Review: L.A. Confidential revives the glorious tradition of the film noir genre, or at least it tries. It stars some of the most famous actors of the last few years, but non of them are interesting. Basically it is the story of an honest cop caught in a corrupt police department. Sound familiar? A certain actor by the name of Al Pacino starred in a certain movie called 'Serpico'. There are numerous fights and shootouts distracting the audience, making them forget the jumbled mess of the story. 'L.A. Confidential' jumps from one small story to the next. I felt I didn't have any focus. A love triangle exists between Bud White and Kim Basinger, but it is flat and contrived, and the only thing Basinger is good at is look pretty. All of a sudden the honest cop has sex with her. Why in the world did he do this and what purpose does it serve? I know what purpose it serves; it keeps the audience awake and distracts them even more. An implausable shootout happens in the end where all the good guys survive and bad guys die. And in the end the pretty girl kisses the hero. Whoa, talk about a modern cinematic masterpiece.
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