L.A. Confidential

Director:Curtis Hanson
Screenplay:Curtis Hanson
Starring:Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kim Bassinger, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Danny DeVito

John's Review

Mullholland Falls had a great concept just poor execution. What Falls did wrong, Hanson did right with L.A. Confidential. Much like Falls, Confidential takes place in Los Angeles in the mid 1950's. It centers on the police force and it's attempts to keep the mob out of L.A. From here the films begin to differ. L.A. Confidential, keeps up it's good pace and has a very interesting story, Mullholland Falls does not.

Ed Exley (Pearce) is a rising star in the L.A. Police Force, Jack Vincennes (Spacey) is a veteran who likes to get by doing what is barely necessary, and Bud White (Crowe) is a tough cop, who doesn't take crap from anybody and isn't afraid to use force. The story begins with 4 latino's who are arrested for apparently beating two cops. Rumors fly and the officers who are at a Christmas party think that that both cops are going to be hospitalized for months. Tempers flare and one thing leads to another and several of the cops head down to the jail cells to return the favor to the latinos.

Exley tries to stop them but nobody listens. White's partner gets thrown off the force after Exley rats him out to help his own career. Jack Vincennes, gets suspended but eventually makes it back to the force with help of the Captain (Cromwell). Then things start to get interesting. Several people are apparently murdered at a midnight diner, including White's ex-partner. Exley with some guy's help solves the crime and becomes a hero. White doesn't feel like it was that easy.

This is where the film really starts to get interesting, several sub-plots are going at once, but we never feel bogged down as we go back and forth between them. Curtis Hanson's script, based on the novel by some guy, is fast moving and keeps the movie-goer glued to the screen. To say that it is a thriller or tension filled would be an overstatement. What it is, is a great murder mystery/drama. One could easily compare this to Roman Polanski's Chinatown. Same plot twists and intrigue keep you wanting to find out just what this is all about.

Kim Bassinger's Oscar� for Best Supporting Actress was deserved in that she really had no competition last year. It probably is her best performance to date, but nothing to write home about. Jerry Golsmith's score though good is not riveting, I expected more out of him. David Gruisin's soundtrack for Mullholland Falls was much more mood setting and reflective of the times. Hanson did do a good job of setting period songs for the soundtrack though. I would definately recommend this film, but it is not for everybody.

Grade: B+

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