@Byline:By Michael Redman
L.A. Confidential A Film Review By Michael Redman Copyright 1997 Michael Redman
***1/2 (Out of ****)
The most difficult aspect of talking about "L.A. Confidential" is knowing where to begin. The film is thick with subplots come together to create a smart complex film that is one of the best police movies in recent years.
The City Of Angels of 1953 is one of police brutality, a clandestine attempt to take over the city's crime world and the heavenly bodies are working girls. When a chief mob figure is jailed, his lieutenants are mysteriously and violently eliminated as someone is making major moves into his territory.
When what appears to be a robbery gone bad at the Nite Owl Cafe results in a six-person massacre, it becomes apparent that things are not what they appear to be. A crooked ex-cop is a victim in the killings and it looks like his murder may have wide-spread implications.
Three officers become involved in the investigation from three distinctly different directions. Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) is a by-the-books new-look policeman complete with eyeglasses and a dapper look. He's so clean that he rats out others in the squad when they engage in beatings of jailed Mexicans.
Bud White (Russell Crowe) is at first glance his exact opposite. He's not above breaking some bones to get the co-operation that he needs even if his victim is tied to a chair.
Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is an attention-hungry media conscious operator. His deal with a tabloid reporter (Danny DeVito) who tips him off to nefarious activities in exchange for first-hand photos goes hand-in-hand with his position as advisor to the television program "Badge Of Honor" which closely resembles "Dragnet".
None of these characters are as simple as they first appear. Good boy Exley is not above manipulating situations for advancement in his rapid rising career. Mad dog White is particularly aggressive towards criminals who harm women. They both learn a thing or two when forced to work together. The interaction between the two of them and Kim Bassinger's character is right on target when it looks at the strangeness that exists in the attraction between men and women.
The supporting cast doesn't fare quite so well as complex characters. The millionaire who runs a stable of movie star look-alike call girls is the personification of sleaze. Bassinger as one of his prostitutes is the proverbial whore with a heart of gold. DeVito's "journalist" is played almost entirely for dark comedy.
Director Curtis Hanson has done a commendable job of turning James Ellroy's 1990 almost-500 page novel into a coherent film. You need to pay attention but it all makes sense. Converting a novel into a movie is a daunting task. Doing this one could have resulted in a five hour film, but it feels as if nothing were lost.
The film begs to be compared to "Chinatown". Although "L.A. Confidential" would rank in second-best in a contest, it is one of the few that could even come close. The noir pulp approach works well with one exception.
If I were King Of The Known Universe and had control over all films, I would have made different choices in lighting. The sets are sharp, the cinematography excellent, but most of the time everything looks lighted with about 20 spotlights. For a film drenched in darkness, there is a tremendous amount of brightness.
Look for this movie to pick up a number of little statues come Academy Awards time. It looks good, works well and doesn't talk down to its audience...at least not very much.
(Michael Redman, with over 22 years of writing these words of wisdom, is currently hanging out in big sky country – one of the few places that can rival southern Indiana's beautiful autumn. Email to mredman@bvoice.com will still reach him because the electrons go everywhere.)
[This appeared in the 9/25/97 "Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, Indiana. Michael Redman can be contacted at mredman@bvoice.com ]
-- mailto:mredman@bvoice.com
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