Rating: 
Summary: Easily one of the best films of the 1990's....
Review: The very first DVD I bought when I got my player. Astounding film with wonderful acting and a gripping storyline. Ellroy's novels are complex, believable, and entertaining. This movie is no different. A flawless direction by Curtis Hanson (a real student of the Craft, even though he's a veteran filmmaker). The music is perfect, and every actor shines. Should have one Best Picture, and I lost faith in the Oscars after this movie was robbed. The Screenplay won an Oscar for best adaptation, and rightly so. Hanson should have won Best Director. The entire cast is so good, they basically knocked each other out of the Oscar race. Yes, each role is deserving of an Oscar Nomination -- THEY'RE THAT GOOD!
Rating:
Summary: L.A., Take my life!
Review: L.A. Confidential is tough gorgeous and vastly entertaining (Janet Maslin, The New York Times), a genuine masterpiece that will knock your socks off (Rex Reed) and won 1997 Academy Awards for best supporting Actress (Kim Basinger) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Brian Helgeland & Curtis Hanson). Director Curtis Hanson and a terrific cast serve up a ravishing, thrilling tale of police corruption and Hollywood glamour (Marshall Fine, Gannett Newspaper) in this film version of James Ellroy's novel. Three cops (Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce), a call girl (Kim Basinger), a mysterious millionaire (David Strathairn), a tabloid journalist (Danny DeVito), and the Chief of Detectives (James Cromwell) fuel a labyrinthine plot rife with mystery, ambition, romance and humor.
Rating:
Summary: Best Movie of the 90's
Review: One of my favorite movies of the 90's. Too bad it got ripped off by Titanic for Best Picture, but oh well. The transfer is 16:9 enhanced and is 2.35x1 and looks very good. The sound is one of the best things about the movie! The music is heard all around and the final shoot out really puts you in the middle of the action. This is considered a Special Edition and has a lot of input from director Curtis Hanson. He explains how he brought the movie together from start to finish and it is seperated into many interesting sections. Plus the usual trailers and cast and crew biographies. I really recommend this movie, not only a great DVD, but a great movie as well and the price is unbelievable!
Rating:
Summary: BEST FAST PACED CRIME THRILLER OF THE 1990s
Review: Curtis Hanson proved he's both a great director and auteur by turning James Ellroy's terrifying novel about corruption and crime among members of the LAPD in the 1950s into one of the best movies of the 1990s. Perhaps the most fascinating detective film since Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil," the casting is brilliant. Corruption runs amok in the L.A. police department only to be exposed by an eager, politically sophisticated, smart young cop Ed Exley (well played by Guy Pearce).L.A. CONFIDENTIAL was produced with an exceptionally strong cast. Kim Basinger plays a wordly prostitute (Lynn Bracken) with a heart of gold and mind of steel. Strong in her character's every nuance, the viewer forgets Basinger is acting. She earned her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Kevin Spacey plays a sleazy detective who improbably solves an important part of a complex murder mystery. Russell Crowe was this film's wild card showing how a relatively unknown American actor at the time, got the leading part in such an important and expensive films such as "The Insider" and "Gladiator." Crowe plays the violent detective driven by his compulsion to protect abused women. The excellent supporting cast includes Danny DeVito (Sid), David Strathairn (Pierce Patchett), Ron Rifkin (D.A. Ellis Loew) and Matt McCoy (Brett Chase). Quite a few reviewers flatteringly compared L.A. CONFIDENTIAL with Humphrey Bogart's Film Noir "The Maltese Falcon." It is a murder mystery with surprises, many twists and turns, and satisfactorily becomes resolved with a little bit of optimism for justice triumphing over corruption; barely. Very many 1997 film goers felt cheated that the movie "Titanic" took away Academy Awards that rightfully belonged to L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. That is easy to understand because 'CONFIDENTIAL is really THAT good!
Rating:
Summary: A must have
Review: This film is one of the most underrated films of the 90's. It has great acting from Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and an outstanding performance from Guy Pearce. Russell Crowe is Bud White, an old style cop who doesn't play games and is the enforcer of the L.A police department. While others take a more professional approach Bud White is old school and gets things done his way. Even though Bud does not follow policy and breaks the law, as you watch the film you understand where he is coming from. Kevin Spacey gives one of his best performances as Jack who also happens to moonlight in the movie and showbiz tabloid business. Danny DeVito plays a sleazy reporter, Kim Basinger also does an excellent job. The story has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing till the end. This film is a must have for any collector or a fan of Crowe and Spacey. Picture and sound quality on the DVD are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Stylish and Utterly Engrossing
Review: Don't hate it because it's beautiful. Actually, this gorgeously shot retro-noir crime film is full of memorable characters and enhanced by some sharp acting. But it's just so wonderful to stare at... like a movie version of costar Kim Basinger (who won Best Supporting Actress). Russell Crowe plays taciturn Bud White, a brutal cop who nuts up when he sees anyone hit a female. Kevin Spacey portrays Jack Vincennes, a flashy-dressing cop who advises a "Dragnet-"style show and, thanks to sleazy journalist Danny DeVito, gets to make headline-grabbing drug busts. And Guy Pearce is Edmund Exley, the ambitious cop whose fortunes rise as his righteousness declines; classic noir "deal with the devil" stuff where the clean-as-a-whistle hero ends up covered with the muck he starts to rake. It also features perennial favorite character actor James Cromwell as Capt. Dudley Smith, Exley's mentor, and a character very different from the kindly farmer he played in "Babe." And what a plot- it propels itself through a vividly realized City of Angels where capped teeth and brightly-lit movie premieres alike hide dark secrets. White, Vincennes and Exley get themselves thoroughly embroiled in organized crime, blackmail, prostitution, police and civic corruption and murders. Features an unforgettable ending as master politician Exley joins White in a motel room shootout and has to make certain moral choices that will forever alter his life and career, and the Los Angeles police force itself. This is a classic film, destined to join such greats as "Chinatown," "The Godfather" and "Sunset Boulevard." Just remember... Rollo Tomasi.
Rating:
Summary: Great Film Making
Review: One Of The Better Movies Of 1997, L.A. Confidential Is What Anybody Who Appreciates Good Movies Wish Were Made Often. How This Movie Lost To Titanic For Best Picture At The Oscars Is Beyond Me. Worth Your Money.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: This movie has got it all. A dirty tale about corruption, scandals, prostitution, backstabbing, and all sorts of other sinful things. The acting is convincing and great all around-- Spacey, Pearce, Crowe, Cromwell. I would give them all an Oscar if I could. Basinger was good but I don't believe she deserved an Oscar. The direction was fantastic. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is a classic, it went beyond my expectations, and I'll admit I was a bit skeptical of a modern film noir. The somewhat intricate plot moved very swiftly and the mystery of it keeps you guessing. In short, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is a classic, unpredictable, well-acted, well-directed, action-packed film. It's also without a doubt the best movie of 1997.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, Nice finish
Review: Seeing this movie after Gladiator, it is easy to see where the choice of Russell Crow for that role was made. Pugilistic, doesn't even come close to his character here. Hit first, ask questions later! This was a well done movie, each character was well developed. You could see how they each clicked and interacted, who liked who, why and why not. Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger and James Cromwell do a masterful job fleshing out their respective characters. The script they had to work with was excellent as well. The action was fast and you had to pay attention and recall the situations and information you heard before. One scene was a complete surprise to my fellow movie watchers, but did not surprise me, because I thought the line of questioning & facts at hand peculiar and pointed to a certain end. See if you will too. This movie is set in the late 40s or early 50s, in L. A. and highlights the sordid actions on of the police department. At that time, the mob had just lost a boss and there were quite a few things going on that the police force was called in for. Not the least of which was as consultants for the movies. You see three ways of dealing with police work. One way through Guy Pearce's character (Ed Exley), who looks all moral high road, but explicitly for the purposes of advancing his career. Then there is Kevin Spacey's character Jack Vincennes, that is the department's link to the Hollywood movie sets and the shoot em up gangster versus police movies of the time. He's in it for the glamour and the payouts. And then finally Russell Crowe's character who, is an avid wife-beater pursuer, but will do anything his boss tells him too. Also he will think nothing about acting as judge and jury and executioner if he thinks it's justified. Put these three together in one department where James Cromwell's character Dudley Smith is the chief of the department and there is bound to be an interesting time. This chief knows how to use all of them to his ends, from his movie connections, his strong arm and the people he makes visible to the community. It is amazing the balancing act that must be done. If you like an involved drama that keeps you intrigued, this is it. The physical violence is limited to shooting and fighting. The sex scenes are implied, but one is somewhat violent. The only nudity is at a distance and very brief. Due to the violence and the cops portrayed negatively, I would not recommend this movie for children.
Rating:
Summary: Should've Won the Oscar!
Review: This was one of the best movies in recent memory. All the actors were fantastic and the plot was multi-layered and thorough. This is one to own.
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