A fine piece of homage to another era.
- L.A. Confidential review by jl
A truly excellent piece of movie noir. Modern and period clever but not flashy. Great acting by a superior caste including the great Kevin Spacey. Cynical and funny well edited and very entertaining.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Very few chances to pause & catch your breath.
- L.A. Confidential review by DW
I'm not a big fan of the writing of James Ellroy but from what little I've read, I'd say this film is a fine depiction of the novel on which it's based so if you like to read Ellroy then you'll love this film. The pace is frantic & there's only a few "not much happening" moments so no time for a comfort break! Besides, you need to concentrate hard throughout in order to spot the baddies. (The goodies are, of course, dead easy to spot).
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Fabulous and sadly timely
- L.A. Confidential review by CW
Great story, homage to old crime film noir but better. Excellent casting, acting and script. I was glad to see it again. Much of the story deals with L.A. police corruption and framing young blacks for crimes. Familiar to news reports today. Gripping scenes, sometimes I gasped out loud. Brutal , violent, compelling. Rarely do really wonderful movies of this calibre come out of the US today. It was nominated for a long list of awards.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
First Class Cop Thriller
- L.A. Confidential review by GI
Brilliantly scripted and sharply directed by Curtis Hanson this is modern crime thriller is reminiscent of a Hollywood 1950s film noir. A brave decision to cast two relatively unknown Australian actors, Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe, in what is essentially a very American film and they are both superb aided by the stellar cast including Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito. A tale of corruption and violence in the 1950s Los Angeles police. With superb plot twists, a mystery element and a distorted romance. Pearce plays Ed Exley, a highly ambitious and straight laced LA cop who is hated by his colleagues for his righteous attitudes and Crowe is Bud White, another officer, and the antithesis of Exley, a cop ready to use deadly violence when required. They hate each other but are forced to join forces when a massacre at a night time cafe leads to a web of corruption and murder. This is a thoroughly satisfying film that keeps you hooked throughout and with twists and counter twists in a cleverly scripted story. It's arguably one of the best cop thrillers of modern times.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Gangster style
- L.A. Confidential review by JD
There is a nice 1940s feel to this film, with well cut suits and a debonair attitudes. The plot is quite difficult to follow but comes together nicely in the end. For me Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe steal the show. Their acting is brilliant and the fight scenes sweaty to watch. Danny de Vito is too crude and corny to enjoy. The others are pretty good. The 18 certificate must be for violence because it ain't saucy. The violence is pretty straight forward punching and shooting, should be a 15.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.