L.A. Confidential

Rating:
Summary: Pretentious, Boring
Review: This must be a "guy movie," but I'm sure there are some females who enjoyed it. When I asked my brother if it was a good film, he said it was an "intelligent" film. Intelligent? Anytime someone tells me a movie is "intelligent" I intuitively substitute the word "boring." My gut feeling was right. When I watched it, I thought the way some of the actors talked was pretentious with their low voices. Were they trying to sound sexy or what? It got on my nerves. The characters all struck me as phonies except for one or two guys. But it wasn't enough to redeem this movie in my eyes. Maybe this is a masterpiece to some people, but that perspective escapes me completely.

Rating:
Summary: One of The Greatest Films of All Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This was such a fantastic film. The storyline was amazing, the development of three protagonists was astoundingly done with an awesome cast. Unfortunately there was this little boat movie that got in the way of the true glory deserved by this film. Rightfully it should have won in every category at the 1997 Academy Awards. But the Academy Awards is really into Awarding "love stories" (presumably to promote a more glamourous view of Hollywood, the fairy tale gimmick) But what's done is done. As time passes though I believe people will truly understand and appreciate what this film did. It raised the level for the suspense/crime thriller, giving the genre a more sophisticated and complex approach. I'm sure future attempts at imitation will be undeniably bad, but at least you can try to honor what has been done with this film. You can only sink a boat once. Check this one out if you haven't already and be ready folks, cause you gotta think...

Rating:
Summary: Perfectly Okay, No More
Review: A good enough little movie. Perfectly adequate in all ways, except for the utter tedium that sets in whenever Kevin Spacey appears on screen. Strange that this has become acclaimed as some sort of masterpiece. I can't agree. It is merely an amusing little movie that entertains for a couple of hours. Sad that that is enough, in the late 1990s, to confer classic status on a movie.

Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest pictures of all time.
Review: Unfortunately, I did not happen to witness the masterpiece known as "L.A. Confidential" until after the Academy Awards in which "Titanic" made its sweep. I was one of the blind few who jumped the bandwagon - "Yes! 'Titanic' must win! It's the best film of the year!" Boy, was I wrong! The summer following the Oscars, I stumbled across the DVD, then hard to find. Having not seen the film, I purchased it because of its reputation alone. Suddenly "Titanic" became merely a movie and "L.A. Confidential" became a true film, one of style and ability. One thing about "L.A. Confidential," (in my last comparison to "Titanic") is that "Confidential" gets better and more twisted with every viewing. "Titanic" just gets longer. I've seen "L.A. Confidential" numerous times now, and it seems that each time I watch it, I pick up something new. I definitely needed to watch it more than once in order to pick up on the whole story. "L.A. Confidential" is SO dense, it's wonderful. And don't forget the performances by a stellar cast - Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell and Kim Basinger all shine in their roles, worthy of any award that could be bestowed upon them. If you have not yet seen "L.A. Confidential," or if you have only seen it once, you need to experience the best movie of 1997 for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: A 90's type of 50's classic
Review: The director of "L.A Confidential" has mixed that grand stage called the 50's and the intrigue of the 90's into one whole artistic aurora of cinematic genius.'L.A Confidential' is the most entertaining movie to come along in a long while. Kim Basiner is not one of the best actress' around but she puts up a grand performance as a Lana Turner-look-alike. Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and newly discovered Guy Pearce create a genuine masterpiece about good, bad and the "who's-dun-it-of who's done it". Each part of the film has meaning which makes it so exciting.

Rating:
Summary: A DVD Essential
Review: This is one DVD title that belongs in everyone's collection. Never mind the naysayers, this was the best picture in the year of that big boat. The acting is sensational--esp. Spacey's and Crowe's In my mind, the image of Bud White hanging the dirty DA out of his office window is a classic. The extras on the DVD are great, and there is nothing like wide screen. Buy this movie and enjoy!!

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece that was sadly overshadowed by Titanic
Review: It is a sad state of affairs when you watch a movie such as L.A. Confidential be overshadowed by superficial junk such as Titanic. Since the film was released I have met a lot of people who do not like this film (I do Film Studies at University in England) and it always astonishes me that nearly all of them think that Titanic is one of the greatest films ever made. Whilst I do not hate Titanic it has always struck me as being decidedly average. To me, with L.A. Confiential being my favourite film, I can never agree with them and have always felt that this film was wasted on a multiplex audience with this being a film that requires a small degree of intelligence in order to get to grips with the larger themes at work in the film (the difference between image and reality, redemption etc). Curtis Hanson is not the best director ever (The River Wild anyone), but it is obvious that he has put his heart and soul into this film rather then $250 million of two film companies money. In the long run this is the film that will be hailed as a classic in years to come whilst a film such as Titanic will slowly sink without a trace much like the real ship did all those years ago.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie until the last 3 minutes.
Review: Actually, I'd rate this movie 4 and a half stars if I could. It's got so many things going for it. Riveting storyline, great atmosphere, excellent performances from the entire cast, first-rate directing, explosive finale . . . then Detective Bud White gets shot 3 times at virtually point-blank range. He's a dead man, right? No. As the movie ends, we see him blissfully riding into the sunset, so to speak, with Kim Basinger in yet another textbook Hollywood happy ending. That's what costs the movie half a star in my book.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: If you haven't seen this movie, why are you reading this when you should be on the way to the store to rent it.

Rating:
Summary: This movie should not be kept "Confidential"!
Review: This movie is excellent - as other reviewers have said, in any other year it would have won best picture, but "Titanic" stole the show that year, undeservingly. Kevin Spacey puts in his usual excellent performance in this movie, but I would have to say that Guy Pearce really steals the show - I believe he should've won best actor or supporting actor for his wonderfully complex performance as Edmund Exley in this film. I was amazed when I found out he was Australian, because he was so incredibly convincing as an American police officer. The story is quite complex - this is a movie you definitely want to watch more than once, but the adaptation is faithful to the novel in most ways and won best adapted screenplay. Most of all, the style carries the movie. Not many film noir movies are made anymore, and certainly not any are made as well as this one anymore. I would definitely recommend this movie to anyone interested in more than the latest commercially successful film with a meaningless script and huge stars there just to draw in crowds. LA Confidential should not be overlooked!