L.A. Confidential

We've not come very far since this classic in terms of high quality cop crime dramas. Acting and direction is perfection.

In the gritty LA of the 1950's, stardom is the boom industry and all is about appearance and visual image. However under the surface drug use is rife, prostitution is rampant and the police officers are violent thugs. In the middle of this are three officers with different aims. Ed Exley is an ambitious young officer who will do anything to climb the ranks, Bud White is a muscle man and gets the job done while Jack Vincennes is only concerned with celebrity busts and getting his face in the paper. When the three come together on a coffee shop killing that brings in elements of cases they are following they solve it together. However each has suspicions that something is not right.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't pick up on this at the cinema and it wasn't until the Oscars brought it to my attention that I first saw it. Since then I have seen it several times and have enjoyed it every time. The plot is slightly complex (although maybe not by the genre's standards) and it isn't simplified for the audiences sake – it respects the audience enough to trust us to keep up with it's pace. The film is split into three strands dictated by the characters, they are not quite distinct but are mostly intertwined the whole way through – coming together in the final hour to great effect.

The pace of the telling is great; it has moments of drama, of tension and great action. Hanson has done a great job with the direction, he has a great sense of place and time to his 50's Hollywood – whether it be the stars' lives or the black suburbs – but he directs each scene with a sense of tension and urgency that the material deserves. The final twist is OK if not great but it is more the telling of the story that is enjoyable, not just the denouncement.

The casting did a great job of getting growth names and established qualities but no one huge star who could dominate the film. It is the Australian stars that stand out here. Pearce is excellent with a subtly changing character but it is Crowe that sticks in the memory with a very strong character and a performance to match. Spacey is as quality as he ever is (or at least, was for a few years either side of this film) and the support cast is as good with De Vito, Basinger, Cromwell, Rifkin, Strathairn and Guilfoyle.

There is nothing I really dislike about this film. The longer than average running time is not a problem as it easily fills it without dragging at any point. The film oozes class and has a great tough plot from Ellroy where nothing is as simple as right/wrong and everything comes together at the end. A real classy film with brains and brawn which continues to be one of my favourites of recent years.

"L.A. Confidential" is brilliant. The screenplay and direction are second-to-none. The performances by the ensemble cast are also superb. Kim Basinger stands out the most with her Oscar-winning role. Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, and Danny DeVito all have their moments as well. The film deals with the seamy side of Los Angeles in the post-World War II 1950s. Los Angeles is a place of shady dealings and police corruption. To add to those problems is the creation of the smutty tabloid. Multi-layered and smart, "L.A. Confidential" will be the greatest survivor of the films released in 1997. 5 out of 5 stars.

L.A. Confidential is, without a doubt, the best film of the 1990s, and quite possibly one of the best films ever made.

As with any great film, it all starts with the writing. The story is riveting, the dialogue is smart and quite funny, and the characters are written in three dimensions.

The acting is phenomenal. Perhaps a bigger tragedy than L.A. Confidential's loss to Titanic in the Best Picture race is that none of the three lead actors even garnered nominations. Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey are absolutely phenomenal; it is their characters that drive this fascinating story about police corruption in 1950s Los Angeles. We get to know these people, to understand who they are and why they do what they do, and to root for them to overcome their imperfections.

The directing is fantastic. Curtis Hanson doesn't shove anything in the audience's face; instead, he allows the audience to discover the film's nuances on their own. (That makes this an excellent film for repeat viewings, you truly catch something new every time). 1950s Los Angeles is reproduced beautifully. The editing is quick and seamless, the music is perfect for the film (Hanson should teach other directors how to do a montage effectively), and the cinematography is great.

I can't find a negative thing to say about this film. It's truly a masterpiece.

What happens when a squad of corrupt cops in the 1950s explore a murder case from multiple angles and find their corruption coming back on them like chickens coming home to roost? Who will solve the crime? Who will survive and what will be left of them?

This movie is phenomenal. The only reason I didn't give it 10 out of 10 is because I didn't care for the ending (which I won't reveal). It's a world were Hollywood and law enforcement cross over and even the hookers want to be movie stars.

I have not read the Ellroy novels, but I have been told they are even more intricate than this film with a lot more backstory. I would watch a five or six hour version of this film. But even so, that is the strong point of this film: multiple stories that begin to overlap. Sure, others (Tarantino) have tried this, but I think this is the most expertly done conception I've seen yet.

Kevin Spacey's part as a Hollywood obsessed cop is beautiful and he fits the part to a tee. His role is supposed to be similar to Dean Martin and I can see that; Spacey again harnessed this kind of character when he made "Beyond the Sea". Spacey's role is the connection between the world of law and the world of fame.

Russell Crowe plays the "bad cop" who crosses the line with sheer thuggery and an attraction to a prostitute (Kim Basinger, who does a fine job being both alluring yet tasteful). His part was supposed to be for Michael Madsen (one of the greatest actors of all time for a cop/crook movie), but I think Crowe may have been the better choice. Who else can be a natural thug?

Guy Pearce... I was not sure how to take him. I have not enjoyed him ("Time Machine") and yet also loved him ("Memento"). In the beginning, I thought it would be another geeky Pearce role and I was a bit concerned. But as the film progresses, so does Pearce's character become more lovable and impressive. You'll agree.

Danny DeVito was okay and James Cromwell was insidiously delightful.

Brian Helgeland adapted this screenplay. You may know him best as the writer of "A Knight's Tale" and "The Order". The Order was crappy. But A Knight's Tale is fantastic. This, by far, will go down as his crowning achievement. He may as well call up Michael Bay and go retire in the South Seas where they'll never be found.

Simply put, this is the best film I've seen in at least a month (and I watch at least a movie a day). Maybe the best film I've seen all year. Don't set this movie aside, you need to put this on the top of your honeydew list.