Film Noir review - L.a. Confidential

L.A. Confidential Film Review

Death, double crossing and deceit along with crooked cops and secret alliances set against the mysterious and alluring backdrop of 1950’s Hollywood all come together to make Curtis Hanson’s L.A. Confidential one of the most exciting noir thrillers of all time.

It's 1953, and Los Angeles is in the grip of an unprecedented wave of violence. Corrupt cops turn their backs on crimes and the jailing of a major mob boss creates a power struggle that leads to a turf war. Then comes the Night Owl Massacre, where six victims (including an ex-cop) are brutally gunned down at the Night Owl Café. The police begin routine investigations, but it quickly becomes apparent that this is no ordinary multiple homicide.

There are three cops investigating the case. Bud White (Russell Crowe) is a ‘tough guy’ who believes that violence is the answer and is willing to bend, and in some cases even break, the rules to obtain results. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is the kind of officer who prefers to be in the spotlight rather than get bogged down in harsh police work. He's the high-profile technical advisor to the hit TV series, Badge of Honor, and has an illicit agreement with the editor (Danny DeVito) of Hush Hush magazine, a sleazy tabloid that publishes photos and stories showing Jack arresting celebrities in compromising positions. Finally, there's Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), a by-the- book cop who thinks he can rise through the ranks without resorting to Bud's unorthodox methods. Obviously, the tactics used by these three differ greatly, but, as they delve deeper into the murky mysteries of the L.A. police force, it becomes clear that their survival depends on working together.

One thing that sets L.A. Confidential apart from other noir movies is it’s use of the colour. The colour adds a whole new style to the film not featured in older film noirs. The colours add to the visual by helping to set the mood and making the element of blood more prominent which adds to the violence, making the film even grittier and much more compelling.

All three lead actors, Spacey, Crowe and Pearce, all give outstanding performances and each brings something unique to the film. Spacey's Jack is cocky and confident, Crowe's Bud is brimming with tightly-controlled anger, and Pearce's Ed is caught between his towering ambition and his desire to do the right thing. Although two of the three main actors, Crowe and Pearce, are Australian they have perfected their American accents to such a degree that it adds another level of realism to the movie.

Another of L.A. Confidential’s strengths comes from the atmosphere it creates. While the Los Angeles depicted in L.A. Confidential may not accurately reflect the real city during the '50s, it nevertheless represents what we expect Hollywood to have been like, from the glitzy buildings to the cool-but-beautiful femme fatales and the strong, authoritative men.

Overall this film is a true noir classic and is not to be missed.