Rating: 
Summary: It has everything!
Review: L.A. Confidential has everything! It's got murder, betrayal, drugs, a pinch of sex, great acting, awsome directing and screenplay, and a fantastic soundtrack. It is without a doubt my favorite movie of all time! L.A. Confidential takes you back to L.A. in the 1950's. It recreates the time period perfectly with the costumes, sets, and music. The story is extreamly complex with many twists and turns. It would be very hard to give you a specific plot; but it is basically about 3(very different)cops eventually coming to work together to figure out a huge scandal involving drugs, prostitution, and murder. The movies preformances are outstanding, especially Kim Basinger who recieved an Academy Award for Best Actress. She definatly deserved it. She plays an expensive prostitute made to look like Veronica Lake. Russel Crowe, Guy Pierce, and Kevin Spacey all give excellent preformances as the 3 cops. This movie is definatly worth seeing, especially if you liked the movie Chinatown or like Film Noir thrillers. This movie was nominated for Best Picture as well, even though it didn't officially win it, it won it in my book.
Rating:
Summary: The best film noir film of all-time.
Review: And no, that's not hype. It's a truism. The look, feel, and soundtrack that the movie emplores is so rich period detail and flavor that those elements alone sold the film to me. However, riveting action scenes, super performances (all around, I like all of them-well, especially, Basinger, Crowe, and Spacey), a good dose of mysterious suspense, subtle black humor, and a large array of convoluted plot turns were equally excellent. The film curiously avoids gore, racial slurs, and sick male humor (a la RESERVOIR DOGS and GOODFELLAS), but that just makes it more unique and authentic. Easily the finest crime film ever and I don't mean to bash the classics like MALTESE FALCON, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, or CRISSCROSS. Yet those classic gems had a large influence on this modern movie with a lovingly nostalgic feel-and everyone should see it. The film is rated R (appropriately), for partial nudity, adult situations, suggested sex, torture, adult themes, drug content, sexuality, profanity, and extreme graphic violence and murder (everything those classics wanted to show but couldn't). WARNING: I've never seen this many on-screen murders and torture scenes in my life.
Rating: 
Summary: unexpectedly interesting....
Review: This is a movie first rises to your attention by its starring..
I am not going into too much detail about this movie, because you have to see it..Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe an Kim Basinger..Danny De Vito is a different character than he is usually in his movies in that particular movie. Conspiracy, double crossing, action, erotism,and emotion.. all together.. I enjoyed every second of it..
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Movie!
Review: Sex, violence, and scandal all rolled up in one great story. A mystery and thriller, this movie is a joy to watch. Guy Pearce is the real star of this film. The only complaint is that there are too many important characters to keep track of and that confuses the story just a little.
Rating:
Summary: UNMISSABLE
Review: A must-see for any person that claims to be a film fan. Set in Los Angeles in the early 1950's, L.A. Confidential is a violent but gripping thriller which examines the dark underbelly and corruption of the city of LA, at a time when it still held a beautiful movie star image. Principally, this is the story of 3 very different cops, Bud White (Russell Crowe), Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) and Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce), who have totally different ways of getting the job done. Each with their own agenda, each with their own character and each corrupt to a differing degree, their paths cross in this intricate but brilliantly plotted movie as they seek to find "the coffee shop killers" and solve the mystery of high class prostitutes "cut" to look like movie stars. Brilliantly directed by Curtis Hanson and based on a James Ellroy novel, LA Confidential also boasts an outstanding supporting cast including, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Danny Devito and the Oscar winning Kim Basinger. The best film of 1998 and perhaps even the best film of the nineties, LA Confidential should have walked off with a barrowload of Oscars. Better than a thousand Titanic's (if you disagree you're wrong) , LA Confidential never fails to hit it's mark and is simply unmissable.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, great actors, truly great film.
Review: L.A. Confidential has everything worth watching in a movie: an intelligent and involving script, wonderful acting, three dimensional characters and a conclusion that is not forgone in the first five minutes. It is refreshing to see such great storytelling in a movie. I swear, for a time other movies paled in comparison while I basked in the afterglow. You want a good reason for such high praise? I'll make you a list.
First, the characters. Russell Crowe is Bud White, an LA police officer who is quicker to use his fists than his brain but has no tolerance for woman-beaters. Guy Pearce is an ambitious officer who plays politics with the best, and wants to outshine his policeman father, killed in the line of duty. Rounding out the officers is Kevin Spacey, the press-loving cop who consults on the TV crime drama Badge of Honor. He also makes extra cash tipping off the publisher of a local tabloid. Last is James Cromwell, the smart, politically adept Chief of Police whose force has recently gotten a black eye in the press.
None of these people are very likeable. They are too selfish, too sleazy or too self-righteous to really care about until White's partner is killed in a shooting at a late-night cafe. Each officer becomes involved for his own reasons in tracking down the killers. As the search continues, terrible truths are revealed in the case and our guys face some disturbing truths about themselves. By the end of the film, these characters have changed sufficiently for the audience to accept them and finally really like them. The change is gradual. Never does the character development ever seem artificial.
The second reason to love this film is the story. It is of grand scale with lots of twists, turns and red-herrings. Perhaps a smarter person than I could have figured out how the puzzel fit together before the end, but I did not suspect a thing (which allowed for quite a surprise).
Other reasons to love this film are Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito. Despite the fact that these two characters exist only to be used by others, they have well-rounded parts and are always interesting. Basinger plays a high-class hooker who is probably the most likeable person in the story, despite the fact that, well, she's a hooker. She is intelligent, wise and for the time being accepts her lot in society with a sad kind of grace. DeVito is absolutely wonderful as a sleeze-meister tabloid publisher always looking for 'prime sinuendo'. He plays this scumbag with such glee that it's impossible not to like him.
I could go on and on about why you should watch this, even if you don't normally watch crime dramas. This one has it all. The DVD has plenty of good stuff to justify the extra $, so don't deny yourself such a rare indulgence. Get this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Hello Lad!
Review: Does it get any better than this? Film Noir in Color! This movie is a film noir with natural lighting. This not only applies to the sets. The characters in this film are shown as they are - the good, the bad, and the ugly about each is right there on the screen for all to see. The acting is exceptional all around. Watching Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pierce (playing cops as different as you can imagine) each pursue the same case in their own ways is captivating entertainment. Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito and James Cromwell also turn in notable performances. I saw this in the theater when it first came out and I have seen it several times since then on DVD. It only gets better with each subsequent viewing. Note: If you love a move with great music, then you are in for a treat with this one. The soundtrack is good enough to listen to without the movie.
Rating:
Summary: A Modern-Day Classic
Review: L.A. Confidential is that good. In the echelons of all-time great film noirs, this belongs next to Chinatown and The Big Sleep. All of the traditional elements of a noir are here -- a gorgeous femme fatale, tough guys in sharp suits, fist fights, shoot-outs, moral ambivalence, and a surprise ending. However, this film also works to update the old prototype of noirs -- it takes place in the early 1950's (as opposed to the 1930's) and deals with homosexuality and drug use and other contemporary issues in a way that few noirs have ever done. Russel Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Danny Devito, Kim Basinger, and James Cromwell make up one of the best ensemble casts I've ever seen in a film. Not only are they all good actors, but each of their characters are unique and original. The screenplay is an excellent adaptation of James Ellroy's novel, and Curtis Hanson, who had previously worked as a film critic, did a masterful job building the tension to a gripping shootout in an abandoned motel. Watching this film in the theater, I was struck by the film's attention to detail. When Characters in the movie shoot a gun, it sounds as if bullets are flying over your head in the audience, and the camera-work and framing heightens the suspense by betraying Hollywood conventions. The best film of 1997. Titanic's popularity robbed L.A. Confidential of its Oscar.
Rating:
Summary: The Godfather of Cop Movies
Review: This film is an absolute masterpiece, and is the equal of any academy award-winning film, including Titanic. L.A. Confidential is one of those rare pictures, like The Godfather, which seems flawless - all the loose ends are tied up perfectly. Russell Crowe steals the show as Bud White, a brutal thug of a cop who begins to realize his humanity and intelligence despite the wishes of his captain. He is supported by Guy Pierce, whose Ed Exley is an idealistic crusader dragged down by the reality of life, and the always excellent Kevin Spacey, whose character is caught up in behind-the-scenes Hollywood but losing his taste for the heartless wheeling and dealing. Kim Basinger shines as a high-class hooker wanting more from life, but was less deserving of the Oscar she won than Spacey, Pierce or especially Crowe. Throw in Danny Devito as a sleasy tabloid publisher, David Strathairn as a shady millionaire pimp, and James Cromwell (180 degrees removed from the gentle farmer of Babe) as the sinister police captain who is much more than he seems, and you have the makings of one of the greatest films of all time. I will give away no further details, except to say WATCH THIS FILM. It should have won all the awards, and Titanic sinks by comparison.
Rating:
Summary: L.A. Confidential (1997)
Review: Director: Curtis Hanson
Cast: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito.
Running Time: 156 minutes.
Rated R for violence, language, and some sexuality.
A toast and dedication to the fine film noir classics that evolved in the 1940's and 1950's, "L.A. Confidential" is a cop story told the way it should be--intellectually, right in your face, and with a spice of humor. Based on the bestselling novel by James Ellroy, this crime caper is a masterpiece of suspense, sensuality, and straight-up heroism. After a holiday mishap at the police station in which several officers brutally beat up inmates and a killer maniacally shoots and kills numerous victims at a local bar, detectives Kevin Spacey and Russell Crowe search for answers. Spacey is a high-profile cop who benefits from raunchy tablod writer Danny Devito's busts of movie stars and political figures, while Crowe is wonderul as the straight-laced detective who finds his life in shambles of corruption as he gets closer and closer to the truth, and also as he gets more involved with one of an enigmatic millionare's erotic hookers (Kim Basinger in a knock-out role). Guy Pearce plays the up-and-coming son of a police station legend who will do whatever it takes to get a promotion, including selling out his colleagues and stealing their girls. Excellent adaptation of the wonderful novel, using the cast to create a rigorous, enveloping story that will keep audience's guessing until the very last second. Bold, telling performances from the entire cast, especially Crowe (which should have been at least Oscar-nomination worthy) and Pearce (who steals the show from Crowe time to time). Action-packed, character driven, and as smart of a crime drama as you will ever find. Certainly one of the best, if not THE best of its kind made in the 1990's. Was very unfortunate to be overshadowed by the juggernaut "Titanic"; could very well of won Best Picture. The DVD has some special behind the scenes documentaries--check out "Off the Record"--which contains interviews from the film's creators, lead actors and novelist James Ellroy.
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