Technicolor Crime (A film review of L.A. Confidential) by Timothy Scott
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell with Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito.
As a film critic, it 's rare to see a film of such quality where one has to wonder if heUll run out of superlatives to describe it. L. A. Confidential presents such a dilemma. Of course, these are problems a critic loves to have. Forget about The Game. Forget about Conspiracy Theory and these other wanna-be neo-noir impostors. L. A. Confidential is the RReal McCoy.S
WhatUs truly amazing is how this film comes completely out of nowhere. None of the major leads in this film are household names, nor is the director Curtis Hanson. Hanson achieved modest success with The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. However, he also helmed Bad Influence and The River Wild. This kind of inconsistency certainly demonstrates his ability to weave yarn that cloaks an audience in paranoia or steer his shaky raft right into the rocks. Let it be known that Curtis Hanson is now on the A-list.
There are other A-list names featured in the cast. Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger, James Cromwell and Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey all add their own spice to the mix. Yet, the real meat and potatoes are found in the performances of Russell Crowe (Virtuosity) and newcomer Guy Pearce.
So what is this movie all about, you ask? Well to quote a phrase from the film, let me try to give you Rthe skinny.S
Los Angeles, California, La-La Land, the city where dreams come true. A city with an image of bright lights and even brighter stars. Yet as the say, RAll that glitters is not gold.S Underneath the surface of this glamorous town is an underbelly of organized crime and corruption. The kind of town where the Media and Law Enforcement can create their own news to control or simply destroy anyone who wonUt play ball. The kind of town that consumes the innocent souls of anyone who buys into the hype and the routine promises of fame and fortune. The kind of town the Los Angeles Police Department always claims to have under control.
If the city your picturing looks an awful lot like the L.A. of 1997, roll your clock back about 40 years. Now youUre getting the idea. WeUve all heard the old cliche, RThe more things change, the more they stay the same.S Well, thereUs a reason we have old sayings like that. If you take a good look at this film, you can see the roots of a cannibalizing system based on a tradition of violence, racism and self-glorification.
To reveal anything more specific about the plot would be robbing you of all the pop-corn popping fun as you watch the story start to percolate before your eyes. This is a movie for people who love going to the movies. The surprises are endless, the tension is thick, and the action hits you head-on. Every element of the film is so skillfully mounted on top of the other that even the most logical developments of the plot make you gasp. Curtis, we hardly knew ya.
I hesitate to call L. A. Confidential a Rthrow-back.S It certainly feels like one. Yet, I feel thatUs only because most of the people making films in Hollywood today are just lazy. One ironic note I find interesting is how, in the film, Kim Basinger plays a prostitute whose appearance is altered to make her look like a movie star (a subplot that provides the filmUs funniest scene). To me, this is a great metaphor for Hollywood itself. Ultimately, everyone is in simply for the money and theyUll make themselves look like something they arenUt to whore themselves that much easier. Basinger delivers her role with style and grace; two words that perfectly epitomize this film.
Having said all that, I cannot conclude this review without giving special praise to Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. I know IUve talked a lot about clich s already. In crime-dramas, there is no cliche more enduring then RGood Cop-Bad Cop.S If there is one element of this film that I loved more than any other, it is the brilliant manner in which this cliche is turned on its ear. With Crowe as muscle cop, Bud White and Pearce as intrepid detective, Ed Exley, to simply call these men RGood CopS and RBad CopS would be a staggering over-simplification. These are two of the most complex police portrayals in screen history. The script allows them to drift within the gray area of law and order, but Crowe and Pearce never get lost. Comparisons could be made to Keitel, DeNiro, Nicholson, or even Bogart and Brando. Obviously, no one can become an instant legend, but these performances are as good as any of the aforementioned in their prime.
With L. A. Confidential, Oscar season is officially open. I imagine Contact is the only other possibility for a Best Picture nomination, so far this year. As the fall season progresses, the competition is sure to get stiff. Will Hollywood be willing to do justice to a film that pulls back the curtain behind their glittering facade? Only time will tell. If not, well...thereUs a great line in the film where Russell Crowe asks Guy Pearce if heUs willing to tear down the corrupt system that established his career. He quietly replies, Rwith a wrecking ball.S Amen.
Grade: A
reply to tim@conrad.harvard.edu
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