Rating: 
Summary: Call the cops! Julianne Moore got robbed!!!
Review: I almost skipped this movie during its theatrical run because the trailer for it was such a jumbled mess. It left me confused about what kind of movie it would be. But after it made so many Top Ten lists (not the David Letterman kind) I had to see it, and BOY WAS IT GREAT!!!!! Complex, noir-ish, well-acted, well-written... Fantastic on every level. An intelligent, action-packed, suspenseful nail-biter. Here's the one problem, though: Between seeing it twice in the theaters and numerous time at home on DVD, I'm left wondering if there is a cut of it I haven't seen yet. For some inexplicable reason, Kim Basinger won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for this movie. I've watched this movie a number of times and I cannot recall, even when I was deliberatly watching for it, ANYTHING that she did in this movie to warrant a nomination, to say nothing of a win. Julianne Moore in BOOGIE NIGHTS that year -- now THERE was an Oscar-caliber performance! But I didn't see anything in Basinger's role or performance that merited that kind of achievement award. Maybe I have a "bad pressing" of the DVD. Maybe there are scenes missing that everyone else has seen except me. Yeah, right. Can anyone out there help me on this? Basinger's felony theft aside, this DVD packs a lot of punch for your purchasing dollar -- a great film, interesting commentary and behind-the-scenes stuff, and a "virtual tour" of the Hollywood of old.
I hope Julianne Moore filed a police report the night that Basinger won the Oscar, because Moore was ROBBED in broad daylight!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT MOVIE.......
Review: I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS MOVIE TO BE AS GOOD AS IT IS. I LIKE KEVIN SPACEY A GREAT DEAL AND HE IS GREAT IN THIS MOVIE. THE PLOT KEEPS YOU GOING THROUGHTOUT THE MOVIE AND THE ENDING IS
INTERESTING.. GREAT MOVIE TO OWN.
Rating:
Summary: So good, I'm afraid I'll gush.
Review: Modern film-noir about three cops investigating a murder at a coffee shop are intertwined in a situation far more complex than they were led to believe. Brilliant thriller has it all: mystery, suspense, action, romance, humor, drama, and it's all placed into one ingenious, engrossing mix in the hands of director Curtis Hanson. Hands down the best film of its genre and one of my personal favorites. The three leads (Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, and Kevin Spacey) deliver sharp, terrific performances. Excellent score from Jerry Goldsmith.
Rating:
Summary: Elroy at his best, and a great transfer to the screen
Review: As a retired police officer I make it a point to view this movie at least once every year. The foibles, weaknesses and heroics of officers I knew, and some scenes were dead on, keeps me alert and aware of how difficult, dangerous and frequently dirty police work really is.
Rating:
Summary: one of my favorites
Review: L.A. confidential is one of my favorit movies. It's one of my favorite performances my Kevin Spacey. It's a good mystery that keeps you entraged to see what happends next through a series of great performances and entriging story.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best film noirs ever
Review: Film noirs are often a little bit hit and miss and for that reason I was a little dubious about seeing 'LA Confidential'. However, after watching it late one night on TV I snapped it up straight away. This is a one of a kind. It's set in 1940's LA, a city of hope and dreams which hides corruption, betrayal, drugs and death behind its glitzy veneer, as we are told by Danny deVito writing for Hush Hush magazine. We're introduced to three police officers first off: Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacet), a celebrity cop who is fond of scandal, Bud White (Russell Crowe) an agent who works things out with his fists, and Ed Exley (Guy Pierce), a by-the-book officer following in the footsteps of his father. That the movie manages to get past these apparent stereotypes to show you that not is all as it seems (the very same thing that is said of Hollywood in the beginning) is a feat in itself. That it's utterly engrossing with superb performances is another thing entirely.There are various subplots that are woven together with style, with it all centering around high-class Veronica Lake-lookalike Lynne Bracken (Kim Basinger), a woman on the edge of snapping but managing to hang on by the skin of her teeth. The movie poses various questions about judgement, morals and even the effectiveness of the law at the time to hand out efficient justice. It's a shame that Kim Basinger was the only woman to receive an award for her truly excellent performance. Perhaps it was the same case as with 'Thelma and Louise', that it would be unfair to choose one of the cast. The three male leads are all revelations, interestingly enough each one just about to make a huge impact on the film world shortly after 'LA Confidential'. Kevin Spacey gives a completely different performance as he did in 'The Usual Suspects' and 'American Beauty', the actor of his generation by a long shot. Russell Crowe is great too, with his apparent brute violence hiding secret inner torment, and he's every bit as good as he was in 'Gladiator'. Guy Pierce is absolutely superb, showing just what a star performer he is, something which is more than evident in the equally fantastic 'Memento'. I urge you to go and see thing cunningly devised, pulse-pounding film noir.
Rating:
Summary: A Cinamatic Triumph
Review: L.A. Confidential was a brilliant film. The acting was very good and the plot kept your interest peaked. The changes in the relationsonships of the characters progessed smoothly and the various comic lines were added well. L.A. Confidential is a perfect movie of you like mystery and drama. Although Kevin Spacey is mentioned first in credits Russell Crowe deserves more notice for his leading role at which he does an amazing job portraying. Kim Basinger who was much noted for her character, which is preformed well, but not quite as award worthy as commonly said. Guy Pearce makes in affective change from the obnoxious snitch to a likable cop. Kevin Spacey's character is refreshingly funny as well as moving in the changes he makes on himself, by starting to understand what he has become. The various twists in the plot keep your mind roling and your curiousity present. Altoghether L.A. Confidential is the paragon of a great film.
Rating:
Summary: Modern noir at its finest.
Review: What is a good cop? One who joined the police force because he was unable to save his mother from being killed by an abusive husband, but who now uses violence not only against wife-beaters but whenever called for by his superior officers; be it to beat a confession out of a suspect or to discourage criminals from settling in town? Or one who joined the police force to emulate his father, a department legend; to go after "Rollo Tommasi" (the guy who thinks he can get away with anything), but who thereafter lets his career and department politics dictate his actions? Or, in the end, is it the one who has let corruption wipe out so thoroughly the reasons why he once joined the police force that he doesn't even remember a single one of them, but who for once in his life still finds it in himself to go after real criminals, even at the risk of his own life? This is just one, although maybe the central question asked in "L.A. Confidential," the movie based on James Ellroy's novel with the same name. And as does the book, the movie refuses to provide an answer to this and the other questions it asks. The story is set up by tabloid editor Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito), who during the movie's opening credits gleefully sums up the L.A. clichés that still hold true today: "Come to Los Angeles! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, ... there are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside the house a happy, all American family. You can have all this, and who knows, you can even be discovered - become a movie star or at least, singer. Life is good in Los Angeles: it's paradise on earth." Laughing sarcastically, however, he adds: "That's what they tell ya', anyway, 'cause they're selling an image. They're selling it through movies, radio, and television." Then Hudgens proceeds to tell the story of crime boss Mickey C.'s arrest, which left the void in the City of Angels's organized crime scene that sets the stage for this movie's story, and concludes with his tabloid's tag line: "Remember, dear readers, you heard it here first: Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush ..." And as indicated in these opening lines, nothing is as it seems in this 1950s' version of a Los Angeles populated by hookers cut to look like movie stars and cops with more or less disreputable alternative sources of income. As the story progresses, its three heroes - career-driven and pseudo-correct Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), tough-fisted and golden-hearted Wendell "Bud" White (Russell Crowe) and nonchalant, corrupt "celebrity crime stopper" Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) - become unlikely allies in their search for their city's most elusive commodity: the truth. Shades of gray abound, and even the end, which (unlike the novel's) has at least some redeeming aspects, is not a happy ending by a long shot. Just as many people longingly remembered the days of "The Maltese Falcon," "The Big Sleep" or, for that matter, "Chinatown," proclaimed "they don't make 'em like that anymore" and were ready to announce the death of the noir genre, along came a group of new directors and screenwriters and breathed new life into patient. "The Usual Suspects" is one excellent example, this one is another. Unlike other noir stories', this tale's heroes are no private detectives; but all the classic elements of a film noir are there, from a damsel in distress (Veronica Lake-look-alike hooker Lynn Bracken, award-winningly portrayed by Kim Basinger) to crime, corruption and abuse of power, and to dimmed lights and hard boiled dialogue with many memorable one-liners. In a year overshadowed by the success of the vastly overrated "Titanic," "L.A. Confidential" managed to at least collect the Academy Awards in the best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay categories (Kim Basinger and Brian Helgeland/Curtis Hanson, respectively; the movie had also been nominated in the best picture, best director - again Curtis Hanson -, best original score - Jerry Goldsmith -, best cinematography, best art direction and best editing categories). And while the 1990s have seen a revival of the noir genre, this one is a standout even among the new films noirs the past decade has brought us. It made the careers of its writers, director and two of its stars (Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe), and boosted those of several others of its cast members (Kim Basinger and Kevin Spacey, to name just two). I am sure it will find its eternal place in the annals of Hollywood, alongside its famous predecessors. There are way too few movies like this these days - if you haven't seen it already, go and buy or rent it soon. This is modern noir at its finest.
Rating: 
Summary: Good entertainment
Review: If you like cops and robbers, detective stories, Columbo style, with good acting and great sets, you'll like LA Confidential. Story of 3 cops, in a corrupt LA department, with Hollywood at it's prime as the backdrop. Great acting primarily by Russell Crowe, Guy Perce, Kevin Spacey, and Kim Basinger makes the movie especially enjoyeable. An interesting performance by Russell Crowe in his pre-gladiator roles, shows this guy is a real actor, not another hunk. The acting alone is worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Excelent,but a bit to long,movie.
Review: This is an excelent, intrigueing movie,its only weakness being the length (which is why I gave it 4 instead of 5).It captivates you, & holds your interest from the jail riot in the begining to the ( what did you expect ) shoot-out climax.It has a twist of an ending, linking several characters you wouldn't expect.Some may have to watch it more than once to get the whole picture.A word of advice: Start the film no later than 9:00pm, it is along film ( much like waiting for a long time in a line for the new ride, that after you have ridden it you know the wait was worth it ).Some people complain about the violence & profanity which is minimal & should be over-looked because it is such a wonderful film. The violence & profanity is minimal compared to, Casino (another must-see film,under-rated at the Oscars), for instance( think the "field beeting" scene,the "hand-breaking" scene).If your kids ( the inevitable hazard for an adult to enjoy a movie ) hav never seen "The Sopranoes" ( or any other HBO program for that matter ), or late night tv, you may think twice about letting children under 12 see this film.( I chose not to bring up plot points, they're already in the other reviews )( by the way,Guy Pearce should have won best actor )This is a fantasticly enjoyable film, anyone who is a film fan should see this one ASAP
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