User Reviews

A wonderful movie and the performance of most of the actors was excellent and the development of Ed Exly's character was excellent and the ending was good. I did not expect the death of jack. The film discussed the issue of corruption among the police officers in an excellent way and the directing was very good and the writing was good, but at the end of the film I felt very bored

"Rollo Tomasi" is a name that anyone had seen this movie should remember for the rest of his life or at least be aware of the existence of the name, because this is the key to the spirit of this whole story. Due to the setting of this clue, there is no doubt one great movie had become a classic!

As a Taiwanese, I saw a lot of Hong Kong movies about police and gangsters while I was a child, and they were all very impressive. Therefore, the particularly genre has been promoted to such high levels in my mind that I can hardly be pleased. Fortunately, "L.A. Confidential" satisfies me not only with its thoughtful scenario, but also with several great actors' performances. More specifically, the story is not just about justice versus evil, there are also many elements such as passion, wisdom, greed, friendship and of course love which all made this movie more than fun to watch. In other words, you might feel angry at this moment, shocked latter, and finally moved by their insistence on doing the right things which made us believe there are still several police worth our trust.

Guy Pearce was one big surprise in the movie not because he played the leading role of the movie, but for his courage and wisdom, and most important of all, his slightly pride that caused admiration accompanied by hostility at the same time. Because the complexity he showed, we couldn't help but be deeply attracted, and that's when we built connections with the character inside the frame. Secondly, Kevin Spacey was not the one who would gain our trust at first, but no one ought to disagree with his contribution after the shocked "Rollo Tomasi" scene. Likewise, Russell Crowe twisted his role impressions only after his cooperation with Guy Pearce, but he really needed to adjust his tempers for his own sake. Such a crew made this great movie never out-of-date, not even after similar stories keep brainwashing our minds.

How lucky I am to see such a classical film. As a matter of fact, I haven't found one movie that reaches the same level as it did, at least not in the genre. Thus, I just have to repeat watching the film again and again, and I believe many people are doing the same thing I do.

Although this movie 'flopped' at the box office at $53 million, this just may be one the smartest movies you haven't seen. With great performances from an ensemble all-star cast and a clever script, the dramatic tension of this modern film-noir classic is an absolute must-see! Told through a variation on the theme of "good cop, bad cop" with an overarching corruption angle, this film cleverly deals with issues of racism, social justice and ethics in a non-discriminatory manner. Character development is well-done and the dramatic tension is superb. If you are a fan of crime-drama and detective stories, you won't be disappointed!

"L.A. Confidential" is the kind of gritty crime drama you can really sink your teeth into with compelling characters and a complex story that brings Los Angeles of the 1950's to life in a big way. You have to pay attention though, because there are a host of main players all vying for attention when they're on screen, and their stories intertwine involving hookers, a heroin racket, and corrupt cops all over the place. All of the principals are stand-out, so it's tough to single out any of the main players; all are on top of their game and convey their characters effectively. Guy Pearce looked like he might have been out of his league at the outset among actors like Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, James Cromwell and Kim Basinger, but his character grows throughout the story until he leads the final charge to take down the corrupt chief of detectives Dudley Smith (Cromwell). Comparisons to 1974's "Chinatown" are inevitable and are all over this board, so I won't dwell on the obvious. Of the two films, I'll take L.A. for it's even MORE intricate plotting and writing. The fictional Rollo Tomasi may have been inspired by the non-existent Keyser Soze, but since we knew that up front, we see it utilized as the hook Exley (Pearce) uses to put two and two together. All in all, this is a masterful film and one of the best that doesn't quite crack my Top Ten List, but it just misses ever so slightly. Maybe if it had been done in black and white.

It is the early 1950s and Los Angeles is a great city to live in; the police keep everybody safe and everybody has a chance of making their dreams come true… at least that is the Hollywood version. The reality is less pleasant; cops are more than willing to rough up a suspect or plant evidence to secure a conviction and many who dream of becoming famous end up in vice. This story is centred around three detectives; Bud White, a man who is willing to get rough but won't tolerate those who hurt women; Ed Exley, an honest cop who would rather see a guilty man go free than break the rules; and Jack Vincennes, a celebrity cop who takes payment to make sure any newsworthy people getting arrested make the front page as well as working as an adviser for a popular police show. They end up working for a common purpose after a massacre in a local diner where one of the victims was a recently fired cop, White's ex-partner. Evidence points to a trio of black youths but evidence isn't always what it seems and the detectives soon start to believe they got the wrong people. As they dig deeper they uncover corruption in the LA Police Department, high end prostitutes who look like movie stars and the blackmail of city officials.

This is a great thriller with a real noirish feel; it may be twenty years old but it still feels fresh thanks to the great performances from an ensemble cast of quality actors. The story has a grittiness to it as few of the characters are particularly pure and even those who are will have to bend the rules more than a little at times. There is a good central mystery concerning who is behind the killings and when the truth comes out it is neither too obvious nor too much of a surprise. There is a sense that our protagonists are in real danger as those who they should be able to trust are the very people who present the threat. Over the course of the film we learn about the characters backgrounds in a way that makes them more sympathetic; even some who initially come across as brutish or sleazy. I can't say I know that much about '50s LA, apart from what I've seen in movies, but this certainly feels authentic. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of crime drama; it is a great example of the genre.

Truly, one of the greatest mistake the Academy has made is not awarding this film the Best Picture award. For months, I argued that while "Titanic" was a nice spectacle with great special effects, the script, the directing and the acting was all rather mediocre. However, here we have "L.A. Confidential." Perfection in script. Perfection in directing. Perfection in cast. Obviously, because Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey all gave Oscar worthy performances, the voting was split, and therefore, none got enough votes for a nomination.

Crowe gave an invigorating performance and Bud White, a man who knows that he is not very smart and has instead relied on pure brawn all his life. But as the film progresses, you watch him yearn to put his strength aside and become self-reliant, instead of being purely muscle for the cause of justice, which has become obscured as he has had to resort to violent and debatably immoral method to preserve peace in Los Angeles. And yet, while he does make us question whether he is going to end up on the side of good or evil by the end of the film uncertain, we do empathize enough with him to hope that he does redeem himself by the end.

Pearce delivers Ed Exley as a man who is wholly set on the purest means of justice. While he follows his father into the same profession, his goals are unique; to uphold the law without having to bend or break it. And yet, his good aspiration are certainly out of place in the corrupt organization of the police of that time. He slowly becomes drawn into the graft. He becomes glory-hungry, pulling whatever strings he has to in order to be promoted or be seen in a good light by the press. And yet, he does begin to find himself giving into exactly the cause he fought against. And so, throughout the film, he struggles to overcome the instinctive nature of man to achieve power and glory. He has to be a better man than that. And so, the audience can quickly see the nobility in that. He is not perfect. But at least he tries to be.

And probably the best performance in the film comes from Spacey. Here we see what Exley might have become in a few years if he wasn't careful. Jack Vincennes has succumb to the call of money and celebrity status. He does not care in the least about duty or about justice. It's all become simply a matter of vanity. And yet, he begins to see through his own fault. Spacey's performance is undoubtable the best, because he is one of those actors who doesn't have to try to communicate his emotions in order to communicate them (or, at least, he is good enough not to show the strings). I had to watch this film several times to really take in the impact of his role, and fully absorb his character. His key moments within the middle of the film are absolutely unforgettable. When he stares into the mirror of the bar after receiving the hundred dollar bill, that scene is a turning point for the character. And he was able to convey the message of that scene without saying a thing. And also, when asked why he became a cop, the delivery of that next line, just that, was Oscar worthy on its own.

Even aside from those three performances, it would have been totally respectable if James Cromwell or Danny DeVito had received a nomination. Truly, this film had one of the greatest ensemble casts ever captured on screen.

SPOILERS...

The story of three cops who changed their minds. Guy Pearce begins as a coldly manipulative cop interested mainly in promotions. He winds up sanctioning the use of brute force in order to obtain what passes for justice in this movie. Kevin Spacey is sort of "affiliated" with the LAPD but his chief interest is in being technical adviser on a "Dragnet" show and getting his picture in the L.A. Times. He discovers that he has a sense of responsibility when a sympathetic young bisexual is murdered on his watch. Russell Crowe is an apparently mindless brutal thug who finds that love has made him vulnerable and that the instrumentality of anger has its limits.

Overall, it's an excellent film. The theme is similar to that of "Chinatown," in which Jack Nicholson, a brittle but basically decent representative of objectivity and order, discovers corruption in high places. "L. A. Confidential" isn't "Chinatown" (what is?) but it brims with the same irony and sense of dis-ease, although our identification with a single isolated human being is dispersed over a trio of flawed cops.

What a well-drawn flick. Curtis Hanson handles the direction competently, blessedly without the sort of dazzling special effects a viewer has come to expect from cop movies. There is plenty of action, but no car chases, exploding heads, or slow-motion deaths. In fact, all but two of the deaths take place offscreen. That's directorial bravery for you. Bring another Medal of Valor here.

The performances are about as good as they come. Danny DeVito is a tabloid reporter who speaks in headlines, liable at any moment to say something like, "What he needs is a snoot of coca-cola up the old schnozzola." (This is 1953, don't forget.) Kim Basinger is beautiful as a Veronica Lake lookalike but doesn't have too much of a chance to stretch her acting chops. Guy Pearce as the independent loner is the only character who gets my respect from beginning to end. He really BELIEVES in the cause, a hard charger, unfriendly though he may be. He also looks oddly like Arnold Schwarzenegger, especially odd since he was a body builder of sorts. I knew another body builder who was Schwarzenegger's body double in "Raw Deal" because he was a ringer. (Do all body builder have to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger? I mean, aside from their glutes?) Speaking of body builders, Russell Crowe gets a lot of screen time in a dark brown suit speckled with what looks like bird droppings, perhaps the ugliest suit ever committed to film, with shoulders as wide as the central span of the George Washington Bridge.

Two of the performances are irreproachable. John Cromwell is the corrupt police captain. He plays the role chewing gum and exuding unpretentious Irish charm ("Call me Dudley.") while tempering the charm with what sounds like good-natured and sincere common sense advice. Underneath that, he's thoroughly rotten in every respect. And Kevin Spacey is perfect as the vain detective who knows his way around the show-biz part of L.A. and enjoys schmoozing with councilmen, celebrities, and the press. He's involved in the two most amusing scenes in the movie. The first involves an almost miraculous control of facial expression. He's called in for interrogation by his superiors and is asked to testify against some other officers. "No," he says, "I won't snitch on anyone in the department." They offer him no punishment more severe than a slap on the wrist and before he knows it, he'll be back on "the show," which he loves. "The show?" he asks. There is a long long moment while his face sort of drifts from surprise, through disbelief, and into resignation. Then he figuratively shrugs his shoulders and says, without any deliberation, "All right, I'll do it." The very model of a complete sellout. The other amusing scene is when he and Pearce accost a beautiful blond in a nightclub and sneer at her because she's a whore plastic-surgerized to look like Lana Turner. And Spacey informs Pearce to lay off, "She IS Lana Turner." When they return to their car, both officers begin laughing.

The photography is fine, the early 50s decor is what you'd expect from a professional job like this. There isn't much in the way of original music in the score -- hardly any in fact -- but period music is used, not overused, to good effect. (It's quality varies from Kay Starr to Cole Porter.) Extra Casting and Wardrobe even went to the trouble of making the actors playing Jerry Mulligan and Chet Baker LOOK LIKE Mulligan and Baker, although they cut Baker's recorded solo short on "The Lady is a Tramp."

The movie doesn't have a traditionally happy ending really. All values are gray, as they are in real life, rather than black and white. Pearce, the political animal, remains ambitious but now has distance enough from his role to see it for what it is. The same seems to be true for Crowe's character, who has found the love of a good woman. Well, the love of a woman anyway. Crowe still has a long way to go before reaching redemption. He's killed in cold blood a rapist and drug dealer and planted a gun on him and gotten away with it, but we've seen him look disgusted at some violence he's forced to witness later in the film. Vincennes is dead.

This one is definitely worth seeing.

Catch this, if you can.