I caught "L.A. Confidential" on television last night. It aired on CBS and I wanted to check it out again to see if I missed something. I had rented the movie (which Time magazine picked as the best film of 1997) a while back and felt letdown. My opinion, unfortunately, hasn't changed.
The film takes place in Hollywood in the early 50's. (The time isn't specified but if you look quickly you can see a movie marquee advertising "The Bad and the Beautiful" which was released in 1952. Also, there's a scene in a movie theater where "Roman Holiday" is being shown; that one was released in 1953.)
There are three major characters in the story: Sgt. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), Officer Bud White (Russell Crowe, currently of "Gladiator" fame), and Sgt. Ed Exley (Guy Pearce). They all work for the LAPD under Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell, a million miles from his Farmer Hoggett role in "Babe").
The Kevin Spacey character is known as "Hollywood Jack" because he's the technical advisor for a TV cop show. He brags about how he busted Robert Mitchum, accepts payoffs, and shares information with a tabloid magazine writer (played by Danny DeVito). Bud White is tough and direct, loyal to his partner even if that loyalty is misplaced. He's a flawed character, not exactly straight and pure -- as his last name might indicate -- but, perhaps, the most decent of the bunch. He gets mixed up with a high-class hooker, a Veronica Lake lookalike (well played by Academy Award winner Kim Basinger). And lastly, there's the college boy Ed Exley, a smart, seemingly "honest" cop following in his father's big footsteps. But he's a snitch, eager to rat out his fellow cops if there's a promotion to be had.
Curtis Hanson, whose previous credits include two Hitchcock-like films -- "The Bedroom Window" and the underrated "Bad Influence", steamrollers us with plot. It all feels a bit labored. The movie does have a nice opening (narrated by Danny DeVito) with the Johnny Mercer song "Accentuate the Positive" providing clever counterpoint. Hanson revels in exposing the seedy underbelly of Hollywood in the 50's -- but that's not exactly fresh territory. He's shot a nice-looking film though, and all the details feel right. But there's a lot of plot -- probably too much. And the pace is relentless.
Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. policeforce of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover aconspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of t...More at HotMovieSale.com
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