L.A. Confidential (Two-Disc Special Edition)

An interesting and unique noir thriller that kept me watching until the very end. I thought it to be a perfect picture of the novel, some changes here and there, but still wonderful, and definitely worth the buy, something every noir film lover should have. Every one a fan of dectective films as well will love this movie.

Keven Spacey, Kim Bassinger, Russel Crowe emblazon the scenes as hard nosed and wise cracking and defiant leads and immaculate skill as actors, they embody their characters, and empower the film in the process. Guy Pearce as the straight laced cop is excellent and though flat and sometimes predictable, he definitely makes good with what he has. Danny Devito was born to play the Sleazy Entertainer Tabloid Journalist willing to do anything for a story, the paparazzi of the fifties. This was was certaintly a masterpiece, a work of unique and entertaining genuis... BUY IT NOW.

I cannot stress enough to avoid this movie like the plague. I used to think it was a masterful piece of cinema. Then I read the book and everything changed. My problems with this movie are the same as any other Ellroy book to movie adaptations - stories and characters are rewritten without any consideration for how it affects the overall piece, casting is done without reading the characters descriptions, and the angst and misery of the main characters is never properly conveyed. Hopefully White Jazz can break the cycle, though I have very little hope.

Damn you Titanic! Had it not been for that sinking ship, Oscar would have gone to bed with L.A. Confidential!

I'm no noir aficionado, let alone a lover of cop flicks, but this one, THIS one, I absolutely adore. I bought it on VHS when it came out and would watch every now and then. Though it was senior year in high school, seven years ago, that I was constantly watching "L.A. Confidential" over and over again. I was wearing out my VHS copy! I just couldn't get enough. I was so impressed with it (I still am). The writing, the directing, the acting, the production design, cinemaphotography, the music, the finale; everything was so flawless! Who doesn't love these characters: "Shotgun" Ed, Officer Bud White, Jack Vincennes, Lynn Bracken, and Captain Dudley?
This is definitely director, Curtis Hanson's masterpiece (forget "Lucky You" already!).

"L.A. Confidential" ranks with the best of the best. It's one of my favorite films of all time. It's simply fantastic!

L.A. Confidential is Curtis Hanson's masterpiece. Overlook the flaws--especially the stereotypical characters--and see that it's all a part of the genre. The film noir does use stereotypes, and this movie takes that genre and makes it into a wonderful story of the gray between good and bad. There's the police thug who hates women beaters. There's the political good guy who won't compromise for anything. There's the gorgeous prostitute. There's the smarmy celebrity cop. There's even the loathsome smut-mag publisher. And none of them are quite what they seem. Each one changes over the course of the film, or we at least see a different side to every one of them.

It's watching these stereotypes develop (albeit in their generic ways) that makes this movie fun. That and the amazing shoot 'em up scene at the end. When the two protagonists make their final stand, you know it's coming, and it still keeps you on the edge of your seat. That's the sign of a good movie, and L.A. Confidential continues to deliver, even at a second and third viewing.

This latter-day descendant of film noir may be the most perfect movie to come out of Hollywood in my lifetime. Great story, excellent cast, show-stealing performance by a then little known Russell Crowe, classy soundtrack, violence that still manages to shock jaded modern sensibilities, and above all enough twists and turns in the masterful plot to surprise the innocent and smug alike. A fabulous achievement in filmmaking, and a rare example of a movie that is every bit as downright good as it is monumentally great. I could see LA Confidential fifty more times and never grow tired of it.