Take strong performances, an involved story and period atmosphere, then throw in sex, violence, corruption and politics to make one hell of a crime drama. It’s the early ‘50s. Hopefuls flock to Los Angeles, the city selling an image. But there’s a seedy side to every story.
L.A. Confidential follows three cops: strong-arm Bud White (Russell Crowe) has a weakness for helping the innocent; by-the-book Ed Exely (Guy Pearce) covets political authority; and scene-maker Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) enjoys notoriety as advisor to television show Badge of Honor, forgetting why he became a cop at all. The men are drawn inexorably and morally together during a crime investigation involving corpses, heroin, mobsters and prostitutes who look like movie stars.
Director Curtis Hanson (The River Wild, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) co-wrote L.A. Confidential with Brian Helgeland, based on James Ellroy’s involved novel of the same name. Hanson loves to tell a story; it shows. You never know what will happen next. Character parts by Kim Basinger, James Cromwell and Ron Rifkin add extra kick to the casting cocktail, and Dante Spinotti’s cinematography (Heat) deftly captures the smoky mood.
Missed opportunities slightly mar the film’s presentation. For example, the voice-over reminiscent of ‘40’s film noir flicks which opens the picture is cut half-way through. Why? Then a tidy "closure" tacked at the end removes much of the enigma so skilfully molded. Also, a comparison to the film Chinatown is inescapable; although a sharp, morally complex story, L.A. Confidential doesn’t work on the same level as Polanski’s brooding epitaph to the City of Angels and humankind’s want for virtue.
L.A. Confidential is filled with suspense and intelligence. You never know what will happen next, but you know it’s worth finding out.
