La Confidential

By Naomi Abraham

What is L.A Confidential?

Initial release: September 19, 1997 (USA) Director: Curtis Hanson Story by: James Ellroy Screenplay: Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson L.A. Confidential is a 1997 neo-noir film based on James Ellroys 1990 novel of the same title, the third book in his L.A. Quartet series. Both the book and the film tell the story of a group of LAPD officers in the year 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. The film adaptation was produced and directed by Curtis Hanson and co-written by Hanson and Brian Helgeland. At the time, actors Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe were relatively unknown in North America, and one of the film's backers, Peter Dennett, was worried about the lack of established stars in the lead roles. However, he supported Hanson's casting decisions and this gave the director the confidence to approach Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger, and Danny DeVito. Critically acclaimed, the film holds a 99% rating at Rotten Tomatoes with 85 out of 86 reviews positive and average rating of 8.6 out of 10, as well as an aggregated rating of 90% based on 28 reviews on Metacritic. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won two, Basinger for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Hanson and Helgeland for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

Plot of L.A Confidential

Against the backdrop of Los Angeles in 1953, three LAPD officers become caught up in corruption, sex and murder following a multiple homicide at the Nite Owl coffee shop. Their story expands to encompass organized crime, political corruption, narcotics, pornography, prostitution, tabloid journalism and institutional racism. Sergeant Edmund "Ed" Exley (Pearce), the son of a legendary LAPD detective, is determined to live up to his father's reputation. His intelligence, insistence on following regulations, and his cold demeanor contribute to his social isolation from other officers. He exacerbates this resentment by volunteering to testify in a police brutality case (based on the real-life Bloody Christmas incident), insisting on a promotion to Detective Lieutenant (which he receives) against the advice of Captain Dudley Smith (Cromwell). It is revealed that Ed's consuming ambition is fueled in large part by the murder of his father by an unknown assailant. Officer Wendell "Bud" White (Crowe), whom Ed considers a "mindless thug," is a plainclothes officer violently obsessed with punishing woman-beaters. Bud comes to dislike Ed after his partner, Dick Stensland, is fired due to Ed's testimony in the "Bloody Christmas" scandal. Bud is sought out by Dudley for a job intimidating out-of-town criminals trying to fill the void left in L.A. following the imprisonment of Mickey Cohen, the city's most successful and notorious gangster. The Nite Owl case becomes personal after Stensland is found to be one of the victims.

Plot of L.A Confidential (Continued)

Sergeant Jack Vincennes (Spacey) is a slick and likable narcotics detective who moonlights as the technical advisor on Badge of Honor, a popular Dragnet-type TV crime program. He is also connected with Sid Hudgens (DeVito), publisher of Hush-Hush magazine, receiving kickbacks for tipping Sid off to celebrity arrests that will attract even more readers to the magazine. When a young actor winds up dead during one of these schemes, a guilt-ridden Jack is determined to find who did it. At different intervals, the three men investigate the Nite Owl killings and concurrent events which in turn begin to reveal indications of corruption all around them. Ed pursues absolute justice, all the while trying to live up to his family name. Bud pursues Nite Owl victim Susan Lefferts, which leads him to Lynn Bracken (Basinger), a Veronica Lake lookalike prostitute with ties to the case he and Ed are independently investigating. Meanwhile, Jack follows up on a pornography racket with ties to both the Nite Owl and Lynn's handler Pierce Patchett (Strathairn), operator of Fleur-de-Lis, a call-girl service that runs prostitutes altered by plastic surgery to resemble popular film stars. All three men's fates are intertwined. A dramatic showdown eventually occurs with powerful and corrupt forces within the city's political leadership and the department.

Cast of L.A Confidential

Kevin Spacey as Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes Russell Crowe as Officer Wendell "Bud" White Guy Pearce as Det. Lt. Edmund "Ed" Exley James Cromwell as Capt. Dudley Smith Kim Basinger as Lynn Bracken Danny DeVito as Sid Hudgens David Strathairn as Pierce Morehouse Patchett Ron Rifkin as District Attorney Ellis Loew Graham Beckel as Det. Richard "Dick" Stensland Amber Smith as Susan Lefferts John Mahon as Police Chief Worton Paul Guilfoyle as Meyer "Mickey" Cohen Matt McCoy as Brett Chase Paolo Seganti as Johnny Stompanato Simon Baker as Matt Reynolds Shawnee Free Jones as Tammy Jordan Darrell Sandeen as Leland "Buzz" Meeks Marisol Padilla Snchez as Inez Soto Gwenda Deacon as Mrs. Lefferts