Summary

• Exley's pursuit of Rollo Tomassi ties back to his father's murder, driving the plot's corruption and justice themes.
• Jack cleverly uses Rollo Tomassi to expose Smith's corruption before meeting a shocking fate.
• L.A. Confidential's ending sees Exley seek revenge on Smith, embodying justice in this '90s crime gem on Netflix and Hulu.

L.A. Confidential's is a noir masterpiece but also a very complex story that can be hard to make sense of, including the famous Rollo Tomassi twist explained. Directed by the late Curtis Hanson, L.A. Confidential is an adaptation of James Ellroy's novel of the same name following three separate detectives in 1950s Los Angeles who operate in very different ways. There is the Hollywood player detective Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), brutal and violent detective Bud White (Russell Crowe), and straight-laced and ambitious detective Ed Exley (Guy Pearce). It is through Exley that the Rolla Tomassi twist comes into play.

While it is initially a seemingly inconsequential story that highlights part of Exley's backstory, the Rollo Tomassi twist is an example of the brilliant writing on display in the classic noir movie. As the three detectives find themselves all circling the same case and diving deeper into a dangerous conspiracy, it is the Rollo Tomassi story that comes back to reveal a big secret at the center of it all and sets up the climax. The twist also speaks to the themes of corruption and justice, making it worthy of a deeper dive.

L.A. Confidential is available to stream on Netflix and Hulu

Rollo Tomassi Is Linked To The Murder Of Exley's Father

Exley Became A Cop To Stop The "Rollo Tomassis" Of The World

Rollo Tomassi is the name Exley uses for the man who killed his father, despite the fact that the identity of the killer is not known. Exley tells narcotics detective Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) about Rollo in confidence when he's trying to convince him to dig deeper into the Nite Owl murders. He explains that Rollo was a purse-snatcher who ran into Exley's cop father while he was off-duty and killed him. He explains the name is one he invented to give the unknown killer a personality.

Exley goes onto explain that Rollo Tomassi is the reason he became a police officer, not to find the specific man who killed his father, but rather to bring to justice any criminal who thinks they can get away clean. Exley admits that he lost sight of this as he became more ambitious in his job, but after suspecting that the Night Owl murder case has more to it than it seems, he embraces his original mission and looks for the real killers.

Jack Uses Rollo Tomassi To Reveal Smith's Corruption

Jack's Clever Dying Words Identify His Killer

Exley is able to motivate Jack into digging deeper into the case, and he eventually brings his findings to Captain Smith (James Cromwell). After telling Smith that he is working with Exley but hasn't told him what he's found so far, Smith suddenly shoots Jack in the chest. It is a shocking noir movie twist with one of the main characters taken out in a shocking fashion. However, Jack literally gets the last laugh as he uses his dying words to mention the name Rollo Tomassi to Smith, chuckling as he dies as he knows what will happen next.

Given that Rollo is a made-up name, there is no way he could be a known associate of Jack, and it is clear he could only have heard the name from Jack himself.

Smith then reports to the rest of the force that Jack was found murdered in a park. Then, just as Jack planned, Smith goes to Exley, knowing he was working with Jack on the case. He says that they are trying to track down a known associate of Jack and asks Exley if he's heard of him.

However, as soon as Smith says the name Rollo Tomassi, he knows that Smith is the one who killed Jack. Given that Rollo is a made-up name, there is no way he could be a known associate of Jack, and it is clear he could only have heard the name from Jack himself.

Rollo Tomassi Plays Into L.A. Confidential's Ending

Exley Gets Revenge For His Father's Murder

L.A. Confidential's ending finds Exley and Bud White teaming up to take down Smith and the other corrupt cops. However, Smith knows the power he wields and considers himself untouchable. In their final confrontation, Exley suggests that Smith is Rollo Tomassi as "You're the guy who gets away with it." However, as Smith confidentially walks away, Exley shoots him in the back. While it is an out-of-character moment for the straight-laced police officer, it is also a moment of Exley truly taking revenge for his father's murder.

He could never find the name who really killed him, but the thought of Smith simply getting away with everything, including the murder of Jack, makes Exley see that this is his chance to ensure the bad guy does not escape justice in the highly underrated '90s crime movie.