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L.A. Confidential (1997) 8.3
Ratings:
8.3/10 from 383,688 users
Metascore: 90/100
Reviews: 614 user | 172 critic | 28 from Metacritic.com As corruption grows in 1950s LA, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice. Director:Curtis Hanson |
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kevin Spacey | ... | ||
| Russell Crowe | ... | ||
| Guy Pearce | ... | ||
| James Cromwell | ... | ||
| Kim Basinger | ... | ||
| Danny DeVito | ... | ||
| David Strathairn | ... | ||
| Ron Rifkin | ... | ||
| Matt McCoy | ... | ||
| Paul Guilfoyle | ... | ||
| Paolo Seganti | ... | ||
| Elisabeth Granli | ... |
Mickey Cohen's Mambo Partner
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| Sandra Taylor | ... |
Mickey Cohen's Mambo Partner
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| Steve Rankin | ... |
Officer Arresting Mickey Cohen
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| Graham Beckel | ... | ||
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
1950's Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir-ish tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley, the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead, except sell out; Bud White, ready to break the rules to seek justice, but barely able to keep his raging violence under control; and Jack Vincennes, always looking for celebrity and a quick buck until his conscience drives him to join Exley and White down the one-way path to find the truth behind the dark world of L.A. crime. Written by Greg Bole <bole@life.bio.sunysb.edu>
Taglines:
Everything is suspect...everyone is for sale...and nothing is what it seems. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sexuality | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
19 September 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Los Ángeles al desnudo See more »Box Office
Budget:
$35,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$5,211,198 (USA) (19 September 1997)Gross:
$64,604,977 (USA) (29 May 1998)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Dolby DigitalColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Sid Hudgens: [voiceover] Come to Los Angeles! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows... you could even be discovered, become a movie star... or at least see one. Life is good in Los Angeles... it's paradise on Earth." Ha ha ha ha. That's what they ...
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(1949)
Written by R. Alex Anderson
Performed by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records
By Arrangement with Universal Special Markets
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
In preparation, Curtis Hanson showed his cast and crew Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Bad Influence (1990), The Killing (1956), The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), In a Lonely Place (1950), Private Hell 36 (1954) and The Lineup (1958). See more »Goofs
In one shot, when Bud White is dangling the D.A. out the window, the actor's safety cable is visible. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Sid Hudgens: [voiceover] Come to Los Angeles! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows... you could even be discovered, become a movie star... or at least see one. Life is good in Los Angeles... it's paradise on Earth." Ha ha ha ha. That's what they ...
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Crazy Credits
At the end of all the credits, there is a brief scene from "Badge of Honor" featuring a onscreen dedication in honor of Sgt. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), who within the film had served as the "Hollywood cop" and advisor to the film. The scene shows a black-and-white closing moment of "Badge of Honor" with the credits inscribed as "Dedicated to Sgt. Jack Vincennes," as Badge of Honor actor (Matt McCoy) closes the door on the HOMICIDE office and walks sorrowfully away. See more »Soundtracks
Mele Kalikimaka(1949)
Written by R. Alex Anderson
Performed by Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters
Courtesy of MCA Records
By Arrangement with Universal Special Markets
See more »
When a film evokes an era as well as L.A. Confidential does, people take notice. It could be argued that it is easier to replicate the recent past than the distant on film, and in a sense this is true. Costumes, language, and the necessary absence of the modern in "period pieces" make them expensive and difficult to film. But couldn't it be argued that it is just as difficult to make a film about more recent periods? I have no knowledge of how a Victorian era table was set, or what a knight really spoke like; we are subject to the directors view of reality. But what if a good deal of your audience lived through the time you are portraying, as in the case of the 1950's? I can even envision my grandfather coming back from WW2 to a booming economy, and living in the world Curtis Hanson created.
The real genus of this film is that it creates not only a physical world, but one with all the politics, corruption, racism and inequity of the time. As a result we feel the characters motivations and understand their faults all the better; Bud White, Ed Exley, Lynn Bracken and Lana Turner all live here.
This film, like others that make us believe we are there for two hours (and $7.50), will endure. I was thinking a perfect double feature would be with Chinatown, another film that will stand the test of time.