L.A Confidential Review

Number 112 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Neo-Noir Crime flick L.A Confidential (1997)

Set in the 1950s, L.A Confidential follows the intertwining lives of three very different LAPDs.  Firstly, there is Det. Lt Ed Exxley (Guy Pearce) an ambitious young cop who vows to remain an honest cop.  Then there is Officer Wendell "Bud" White, (Russell Crowe) a copper who is prepared to do anything to get get his man.  He is also particularly tough on wife-beaters.  Lastly, there is Dt. Sgt Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) who in his spare time works as a technical advisor on police show Badge of Honour.  When a shoot-out in a diner leaves White's partner dead, all three cops believe that there is more to the massacre than meets the eye.  Supporting characters include police Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) high-class prostitute Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger) and sleazy journalist Sid Hudgens. (Danny DeVito)

I've watched a few crime films from the '50s like Double Indemnity, and I think that L.A Confidential did a great job at recreating the atmosphere.  This was obviously down to the brilliant production design and use of props.  For example, Jack Vincennes was never seen without a cigarette in his hands.  But it was always present due to the brutal attitudes of the police officers.  This film was set 13 years before Miranda Rights came into effect, explaining why the police were able to get away with such nastiness.

Like many of the films on this list, L.A Confidential was boosted by strong performances.  Director Curtis Hanson chose Kevin Spacey for the role of Jack Vincennes, as he felt the character was a movie-star among cops  Thus he needed an actor that had movie-star charisma.  This is exactly what Spacey has.  To this role, he brought the same charisma and magnetism that he brought to his roles in American Beauty, The Usual Suspects and Se7en.  Danny DeVito was also great as journalist Sid Hudgen.  He was sleazy, dirty-handed and entertaining to watch.  The evolution of each character felt right as well.  White progressively became softer, as he embarked on a relationship with Lynn Bracken, and Exxley had to employ more dirty tactics, in his pursuit of the truth.

Overall, this was a good film with strong performances, a tangible atmosphere and plenty of plot-twists,  It wasn't the easiest to follow, but this made me like it more.  I was trusted to put everything together myself, rather than have it handed to me.