L.A. Confidential
by Robbo
Posted on 19 May 2021
Rating -
L.A. Confidential is a 1997 American neo-noir crime film directed, produced and co-written by Curtis Hanson. The screenplay by Hanson and Brian Helgeland is based on James Ellroy’s 1990 novel of the same name, the third book in his L.A. Quartet series.
The film tells the story of a group of LAPD officers in 1953, and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity. The title refers to the 1950s scandal magazine Confidential, portrayed in the film as Hush-Hush.
At the time, actors Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe were relatively unknown in North America. One of the film’s backers, Peter Dennett, was worried about the lack of established stars in the lead roles, but supported Hanson’s casting decisions, and the director had the confidence also to recruit Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito.
In early 1950s Los Angeles, LAPD Sergeant Edmund “Ed” Exley is determined to live up to the reputation of his father, famed detective Preston Exley. Already isolated from other officers by his intelligence and career ambitions, he volunteers to testify against them in the “Bloody Christmas” case in exchange for promotion to Detective Lieutenant.
Officer Wendell “Bud” White, whom Exley considers a “mindless thug hates Exley due to his partner, Dick Stensland, being fired thanks to Exley’s testimony.
With crime boss Mickey Cohen imprisoned for tax evasion while his underlings are being mysteriously killed, Captain Dudley Smith recruits White to torture and frighten away out-of-town criminals trying to gain a foothold in Los Angeles.
While at a liquor store, White also encounters Lynn Bracken, a sex worker resembling Veronica Lake, and former cop Leland “Buzz” Meeks. Both work for Pierce Patchett, whose Fleur-de-Lis service runs high-end prostitutes altered by plastic surgery to resemble film stars.
Sergeant Jack Vincennes is a narcotics detective who moonlights as a technical advisor on Badge of Honor, a TV police drama series. Sid Hudgens, publisher of the Hush-Hush tabloid magazine, tips Vincennes on celebrity criminal activity so that he can make high-profile arrests for Sid’s publication.
Exley soon investigates a robbery and multiple homicide at the Nite Owl coffee shop. Stensland was one of the victims. Exley and Vincennes arrest three African-American felons for the crime; they later escape from police custody and are killed by Exley in a shootout. Exley is decorated for bravery. Although the Nite Owl case appears solved, Exley and White individually investigate further, discovering evidence of corruption all around them.
White begins a relationship with Lynn, and recognizes Nite Owl victim Susan Lefferts as one of Patchett’s escorts.
Lefferts’ mother tells White that Stensland was Susan’s “boyfriend”; White searches the crawl space under the mother’s house and finds Meeks’ corpse. He then interrogates Johnny Stompanato, Mickey Cohen’s ex-bodyguard, who says Meeks was trying to sell a large stash of heroin he had stolen.
White and Exley then work together to bring down those involved.
L.A. Confidential, like many of Ellroy’s books feature fiction entwined in fact and the screenplay is an adequate adaptation of the source medium.
Multiple plot lines converge into a crescendo of violence at the end, but not so complicated that the audience cannot follow.
The attention to period detail adds to the neo-noir atmosphere, had it been shot in Black & White you could imagine this being made in the 50’s.
The film is fast paced with a tight script which keeps the story zipping along and the audience on the edge of their seats with some memorable moments.
The film features some great performances, particularly Kevin Spacey and the relatively unknown, at the time Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe.
L.A. Confidential is on many lists of top ten films and I would totally agree, a must see film.
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