L.A. Confidential (1997)
Average Rating: 8.6/10
Reviews Counted: 85
Fresh: 84 | Rotten: 1
Taut pacing, brilliantly dense writing and Oscar-worthy acting combine to produce a smart, popcorn-friendly thrill ride.
Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 22
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 1
Taut pacing, brilliantly dense writing and Oscar-worthy acting combine to produce a smart, popcorn-friendly thrill ride.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 121,308
My Rating
Movie Info
Based on the best-selling novel by James Ellroy and directed by Curtis Hanson, this award-winning crime drama explores both the dark side of the Los Angeles police force and Southern California's criminal underbelly in the early '50s, when Hollywood was still seen as America's capital of sophistication, glitter, and glamour. Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) is the head of the LAPD and is loyal to his officers and eager to turn a blind eye to violence or corruption within his department, as long as
Sep 19, 1997 Wide
Apr 22, 1998
Warner Bros. Pictures
Watch It Now
Cast
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Kevin Spacey
Jack Vincennes -
Russell Crowe
Bud White -
Guy Pearce
Ed Exley -
James Cromwell
Dudley Smith -
Kim Basinger
Lynn Bracken -
David Strathairn
Pierce Patchett -
Danny DeVito
Sid Hudgeons -
Graham Beckel
Dick Stensland -
Gwenda Deacon
Mrs. Lefferts -
John Mahon
Police Chief -
Matt McCoy
Brett Chase -
Ron Rifkin
D.A. Ellis Loew -
Fred Scialla
Stand-In (Danny DeVito) -
David St. James
Detective at Hush-Hush ... -
Paul Guilfoyle
Mickey Cohen -
Amber Smith
Susan Lefferts -
Paolo Seganti
Johnny Stompanato -
Simon Baker-Denny
Mat Reynolds -
-
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L.A. Confidential Trailer & Photos
All Critics (85) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (92) | Rotten (1) | DVD (30)
With its plot that zigs and zags like knife slashes, its cynicism stoked to the melting point, the movie brings the thrill of corruption crackingly to life.
Top CriticYou have to pay close attention to follow the double-crossing intricacies of the plot, but the reward for your work is dark and dirty fun.
Stop reading. Put this review on hold until after you've seen L.A. Confidential.
An irresistible treat with enough narrative twists and memorable characters for a half-dozen films.
This movie restores genre elements to a level of potency that's disturbing, satisfying, and rare as hell.
A parlor game has already begun as to whether the supreme acting revelation in L.A. Confidential is provided by Mr. Crowe, Mr. Spacey or Mr. Pearce.
This is a movie that both deconstructs what it means to be a noir film and is a film noir itself in the best ways possible.
Dense, tangled period cop drama for adults.
It's an elaborate, morose, and brutally intelligent display of respective talents and truly keen storytelling that gets better with every single viewing.
Writer-director Curtis Hanson's adaptation of the James Ellroy novel wasn't merely one of the two or three greatest movies of the 1990s; it stands as a masterpiece for the ages.
Curtis Hanson's best movie may not be the American masterpiece many think, but it remains one of the best neo-noirs of the '90s and a fine example of classical Hollywood storytelling.
L.A. Confidential understands that men don't always respond to evil with good and that the question of whom society regards as heroes isn't always a clear cut as it seems.
Everything Angelinos love and hate about their city is here, as well as anything a movie fan could possibly wish for.
A modern cinematic classic...the alchemical reaction of a director and a charmed collaboration of actors, writers, and design artists...[Blu-ray]
...riveting entertainment for those who enjoy good detective stories, good character dramas, good thrillers, and plain-old good filmmaking. (Blu-ray Edition)
...one of the most absorbing, compelling, most thoroughly enjoyable crime thrillers to have come along in the past decade.
A neo-noir masterpiece in the league of "Double Indemnity"...
Taut, atmospheric, acted with confident ease -- this is one of the greatest American movies of the 1990s.
Spacey's Vincennes is the standout in a just about flawless ensemble, and director Curtis Hanson keeps the hugely complicated story zooming along the boulevard of broken dreams without losing sight of the details that make the trip worthwhile.
Audience Reviews for L.A. Confidential
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Bud White: What do I get if I give you your balls back, you wop cocksucker?
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- Dudley Smith: It's best to stay away from a man when his blood's up.
- Ed Exley: His blood's always up!
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- Bud White: LAPD, shitbird. Get the fuck outta here or I'll call your wife to come get you!
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- Police Chief: 'Bloody Christmas' The press love to label.
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- Sid Hudgeons: Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush.
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- Bud White: Now, I know you think you're the A-number one hotshot. Well, here's the juice: if I take you out, there'll be ten more lawyers to take your place tomorrow. They just won't come on the bus, that's all!
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Foreign Titles
- Los Ángeles al desnudo (ES)
