L.A. Confidential
- 1997
- Tous publics
- 2h 18min
Tandis que la corruption s'épanouit dans les années 1950, trois policiers - l'un un peu guindé, l'autre brutal, le dernier au comportement douteux - enquêtent sur une série de meurtres en fa... Tout lireTandis que la corruption s'épanouit dans les années 1950, trois policiers - l'un un peu guindé, l'autre brutal, le dernier au comportement douteux - enquêtent sur une série de meurtres en faisant justice comme bon leur semble.Tandis que la corruption s'épanouit dans les années 1950, trois policiers - l'un un peu guindé, l'autre brutal, le dernier au comportement douteux - enquêtent sur une série de meurtres en faisant justice comme bon leur semble.
- Réalisation
- Scénario
- Casting principal
- Récompensé par 2 Oscars
- 91 victoires et 86 nominations au total
- Jack's Dancing Partner
- (as Symba Smith)
Résumé
Avis à la une
Russell Crowe plays Detective Bud White, a tough L.A. cop who bends the rules in order to bring justice to the city. He is ruthless, and unforgiving of anyone, which brings him into direct conflict with Detective Lieutenant Ed Exley, played by Guy Pearce. Russell Crowe became with this role a full pledged character actor,: the cop with a steel physique, and a vulnerable heart. He becomes so believable and real to the audience, you can not help but sympathize for his character under the circumstances. From this role, Crowe went on to garner three best actor nominations, winning for his role in Gladiator.
Guy Pearce, the little known Australian body builder, became the character known as Ed Exley, a straight, uptight detective trying to live up to the legend his father created before him. Exley has so much to prove to the LAPD, trying to show them that he is just as good, maybe even better, than his father. He plays the politics in a corrupted police department very well, and is able to use these skills in solving the corrupt and mysterious case of the Night Owl murders. This film officially put Guy Pearce in the big leagues of film, making his next appearances in Memento and The Count of Monte Cristo. He is a severely underrated actor who deserves better than what he has been getting.
Finally, the ever wonderful Kevin Spacey. Spacey plays Lieutenant Jack Vincenes, a cop who gives a popular LA police show, Badge of Honor, real solved cases in return for money. Jack sees his life as an ever going soap opera, until he comes across a case that somehow has a connection to the Night Owl murders. Kevin Spacey has proved time and again his abilities as an actor, and he continues with this performance.
Curtis Hansen does a wonderful job bringing this story to the big screen. His talents, although recognized, have not been awarded as of yet. I can only hope that someday, someone will give this amazing director something worthy of his talents.
Highly Recommended.
MJR
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.
This story takes place in 1950s Los Angeles but this is a side of L.A. most people don't get to see. Behind all the Hollywood glamour L.A. has a seamy side which will be the focus of this tale. At the heart of the movie are three cops who ostensibly are supposed to be working together but who go about the business of dispensing justice in very different ways. Crowe plays aggressive hothead Bud White. Spacey is Jack Vincennes, who takes more pride in his work as an adviser on a popular television cop drama than he does in his actual police work. And Pearce plays Edmund Exley, a young up-and-comer in the department who plays things by the book. As we will soon see Exley is rather unique in an LAPD which believes in doing whatever is necessary to bring the guilty to justice. Even if it means becoming a little guilty themselves.
The movie really begins to move forward with a massacre at a coffee shop. It seems a pretty cut and dried case but initial appearances can be deceiving. Soon White, Vincennes and Exley will find themselves caught up in a maze of lies, deception and mystery. It will be a great test for these very different men as it appears they may well need each other's unique talents to solve this puzzle. And quite the elaborate puzzle it is. One important piece is Lynn Bracken, a high class call girl played by Basinger. Tying together many of this complex story's strands is gossip writer Sid Hudgens who is played with appropriate sleaziness by DeVito. And in the background the whole time is the somewhat mysterious Captain Dudley Smith, played by Cromwell. Here is a man who believes in bringing the guilty to justice by any means necessary. That's all well and good if you know who the guilty are but in L.A. Confidential you're never quite sure who to believe. The viewer is guessing right along with the investigators on the screen. And in the end it all comes together and pays off brilliantly.
L.A. Confidential is first and foremost a great story, with many fascinating twists and turns along the way. The film also serves as a showcase for some of this generation's finest acting talents. Each of the main characters is wonderfully unique and each of the actors involved does a terrific job in bringing those characters to life. These are complex characters in a complex tale. It's so involved that the acting had to be stellar if this film was going to work and none of the stars disappoint. Terrific storytelling brought to life by a collection of inspired performances makes L.A. Confidential an absolute winner.
Basically, L.A. Confidential is the story of three very different kinds of police officers who become involved in the same case, the Night Owl Murders. There's Russell Crowe as Bud White, the loose cannon, a strong but vulnerable cop; Guy Pearce as Exley, the political, honest, by the book cop who incurs everyone's wrath; and Kevin Spacey as Jack Vincennes, the celebrity detective who is a consultant on a Dragnet-type TV show, Badge of Honor. He works hand in hand with a writer for Hush magazine (Danny DeVito). But they're not the only ones embroiled in the Night Owl diner slaughter. There's Dudley Smith (James Cromwell), the Chief of Police, Ellis Loew (Ron Rifkin), the bisexual D.A., the wealthy, powerful Pierce Patchett (David Straithairn); and Lynn, the Veronica Lake-lookalike call girl (Kim Basinger). And Rollo Tomassi, of course - an important name in the investigation.
It's hard to single out any one performance. The film is perfectly cast. The three officers - Spacey, Crowe, and Pearce - are as brilliant as the characters they play are different. And everyone else in the cast is fantastic as well.
Historically, there are some things that are not correct as far as Hollywood - The Bad and the Beautiful and Roman Holiday did not run at the same time; and the duo of Johnny Stompanato and Lana Turner came later. However, two elements of the film are based on reality or at least rumors - there was supposedly a call girl ring where the women looked like famous film stars; and "Hush" magazine, the cover anyway, looks like "Whisper" magazine from that era.
L.A. Confidential is a story of twists, turns, and camaraderie that take place on the mean streets of '50s L.A., a story that winds up changing the lives of everyone involved. Filled with atmosphere and suspense, it's a not to be missed, violent, vivid portrait of a time when things at LAPD were (and still might be today) off the record, on the q.t. -- and very hush-hush.
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesAt the time the film takes place, no building in Los Angeles was allowed to be taller than City Hall, so the cameras were placed at certain points so that any building taller than City Hall would not be seen.
- GaffesIn one shot, when Bud White is dangling the D.A. out the window, the actor's safety cable is visible.
- Citations
Captain Dudley Smith: I wouldn't trade places with Edmund Exley right now for all the whiskey in Ireland.
- Crédits fousAt the end of all the credits, there is a brief scene from "Badge of Honor" featuring a onscreen dedication in honor Sgt. who served as an advisor to the film. The scene shows a black-and-white closing moment of "Badge of Honor" with the credits as Badge of Honor actor (Matt McCoy) closes the door on the HOMICIDE office and walks sorrowfully away.
- Versions alternativesIn the Hong Kong television version, during the scene where Bud breaks into the interrogation room, the part where he removes all the bullets from the gun but one is removed for some reason. So it cuts straight from his coming into the room and then sticking the gun into the rapist's mouth without giving it a Russian roulette feel.
- Bandes originalesAc-cent-tchu-ate the Positive
Written by Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen
Performed by Johnny Mercer
Courtesy of Capitol Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets
Meilleurs choix
- How long is L.A. Confidential?Alimenté par Alexa
Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Sites officiels
- Langue
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- Los Ángeles al desnudo
- Lieux de tournage
- Sociétés de production
- Voir plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
Box-office
- Budget
- 35 000 000 $US (estimé)
- Montant brut aux États-Unis et au Canada
- 64 616 940 $US
- Week-end de sortie aux États-Unis et au Canada
- 5 211 198 $US
- 21 sept. 1997
- Montant brut mondial
- 126 216 940 $US
- Durée
- 2h 18min(138 min)
- Couleur
- Mixage
- Rapport de forme
- 2.39 : 1