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Rating: 5 out of 5
When you think of L.A., what comes to mind? Is it the glitz and glamour? Is it the sunshine, beaches, and beautiful people walking around? How about the movie stars and the idea that anyone can come from anywhere and make their dreams a reality? L.A. is known for the big times. I have lived close to the city for the past twelve years, and it still amazes me each and every time. Yet, we know that with all the good, L.A. does have its bad side and demons. Crooked cops, drugs, and homelessness. You ever walk down the Hollywood Stars Road, and you are bound to see something. Hey, the LAPD is known for being not the best police department. You know what else gets around in L.A.? The tabloids. News places want to be the latest with their information, whether it’s scummy or how they get it. Looking at you, TMZ, but I can’t hate on the game.
L.A. Confidential is a neo-noir crime film directed, produced, and co-written by Curtis Hanson. The title refers to the 1950s scandal magazine Confidential, founded by Robert Harrison and portrayed in the film as Hush-Hush. Confidential is the O.G. and pioneer magazine that dealt with scandal, gossip, and exposé journalism. The film tells the story of a group of LAPD officers in 1953 and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity.
The film begins with a beautiful and accurate portrayal of Los Angeles that is narrated by Sid Hudgens (DeVito), publisher of “Hush-Hush,” a Hollywood sleaze magazine and O.G. template for magazines like National Enquirer. After talking about the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, Sid goes into detail about the seedy side of the city. He explains that Mickey Cohen has taken over the organized crime rackets in Los Angeles after the murder of the one and only Bugsy Siegel. Mickey’s actions have tarnished the reputation of the L.A. police department. Things change when Cohen is arrested on income tax evasion. If you need a little history lesson, that is how they captured the legendary Capone. Gangsters need to remember that no matter what, the government will get theirs.
After the montage, we are introduced to the film’s main characters during the Christmas season of 1952. Each one is a cop in the department and couldn’t be further apart from each other in how they do things. First, there is Bud White (Crowe), a tough-as-nails, down and dirty cop who breaks the rules to seek justice for women that are beaten by men. Bud doesn’t tolerate women getting hit, but he does have a violent streak and anger issues. Then there is Ed Exley (Pierce), the golden boy of the police force who is determined to live up to his father’s reputation. His father was famed detective Preston Exley, who was killed by an unknown assailant whom Exley secretly nicknamed “Rollo Tomasi.” Exley will do almost anything to get ahead and show everyone that he is far better than his daddy. Finally, there is Jack Vincennes (Spacey), a narcotics detective who moonlights as a technical advisor on Badge of Honor, a T.V. police drama series. Nowadays, we have police dramas all over the place from Cops, Chips, and so many others. Jack and Sid have a partnership where Jack always looks for celebrity and a quick buck. The three soon find themselves teaming up and investigating a robbery and multiple homicides at the Nite Owl coffee shop. They soon find out that police corruption has no limit as they dig deeper.
The only way I can describe the fantastic plot is a labyrinth of many different angels. Like a police drama, it seems to have many layers on what is going on. Each character goes down a pathway that ultimately leads them all to the same destination. First, the whole Bloody Christmas scene was a nice touch to put everyone in line with each other. Everyone in the same altercation, and then you see Bud being loyal to his former partner. We also see Exley willing to sacrifice anyone to get that promotion and prove that he is better than his father. We also see that Jack is willing to give up people to keep his nighttime job. This is quite an interesting dynamic between Exley and Jack because there is a code to not snitch and give up your fellow police brother. Another side is Bud encountering Lynn Bracken (Basinger), a prostitute resembling Veronica Lake. At the liquor store, he meets Pierce Patchett (Strathairn), a glorified high-end pimp whose Fleur-de-Lis service runs high-end prostitutes and has his girls altered by plastic surgery to resemble film stars. I’m telling you that this shit is WILD and has so many twists and turns.
What I like about the story is that at the Nite Owl massacre, which involves the death of Bud’s former partner, the film leads each character down a different path of investigation. You can see that each one wants to figure out who committed the murders. You get swayed away in different directions because you don’t know who is corrupt. You really get swayed when the police force identifies three black males as the culprits. Some things never change.
This film is so well done because the pacing keeps up with the violence and sometimes sex. It’s like you’re watching that cop drama, and you know someone is about to get interrogated, but the police are about to put their paws on people. Then you turn your head, and someone is screwing someone, and then they get their ass beat. What I love is the added little drops of movie stars. I have been watching some movies lately with Lana Turner. I started dying with laughter with the whole “Lana Turner” scene, and the confusion people make when they don’t realize that the person is the actual person. Only in Hollywood.
Also, the cinematography and musical scores are highlights of this film. First is the cinematography. I liked how the film has a look and feel of a 1950s cop show. The way the camera moved, and its setting felt like an old-time cop show, and I loved it. Then you add the musical score that was intense when it needed to be and somber at other times. It had that cop music going on.
Now, as far as the cast goes, each one played their respective part well. Pierce was good as Exley. Did I find him to be a snitch and pain in the ass? Yes, I did. Yet it seemed to work because the three other co-stars were so different. Crowe played Bud well as the intense, emotionally damaged officer who wanted to punish all women beaters because of his past. Spacey was the cool cop that seemed to be loved by everyone but also had an ego because he was big time.
Now the one who should be praised is Kim Basinger. You would think that she has no feelings with her job, but she shows emotion and depth when she falls for Bud. When she hooked up with Exley, she showed true emotions stating that she was trying to help Bud. You can tell that she was a woman who wanted to get out.
L.A. Confidential is one of those film noir films that is one small tier below the likes of The Maltese Falcon and Chinatown. The film does a great job showing each character’s psychological and emotional depths as each one tries to solve a specific case. The action and pace are top-notch, and Basinger is the one that stands out. When watching other film noir films, definitely stop at this one. You will be entertained to the very end.
