You 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.
Comment
04/09/08
L.A. Confidential (1997)
95
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:20
Fresh:19
Rotten:1
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Taut pacing, brilliantly dense writing and Oscar-worthy acting combine to produce a smart, popcorn-friendly thrill ride.
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director Curtis Hanson captures the duality of 1950s Los Angeles in this striking film noir adaptation of James Ellroy's novel. The City of Angels might be sunny, inviting, and glamorous to the... [More]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
Director: Curtis Hanson
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Reviews for L.A. Confidential
1 - 18 (sorted by date)
Top CriticAn irresistible treat with enough narrative twists and memorable characters for a half-dozen films.
04/09/08
Top CriticThis movie restores genre elements to a level of potency that's disturbing, satisfying, and rare as hell.
04/09/08
Top CriticA 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.
04/27/07
Top CriticA rattling good police story and a dark, laughing tone poem to the never-innocent city of illusions.
04/12/02
Top CriticAgainst all odds, L.A. Confidential succeeds brilliantly, right down to Jerry Goldsmith's score, which evokes his haunting theme from Chinatown without being haunted by it.
05/11/01
Top CriticIts intricate plot is so nihilistic and cold around the heart, its nominal heroes so amoral, so willing to sell out anyone and everyone, that the film is as initially unnerving as it is finally irresistible.
02/14/01
Top CriticIt's the story of good white actors stranded, in the name of noir, in a movie that refuses to kick into gear until it's far too late.
01/01/00
Top CriticCrooked cops. The mystery and allure of Hollywood in the '50s. Death, double-crossing, and secret alliances. Paparazzi waiting to get that one breakthrough picture.
01/01/00
Top CriticCurtis Hanson's resplendently wicked L.A. Confidential is a tough, gorgeous, vastly entertaining throwback to the Hollywood that did things right.
01/01/00
Top CriticFun, if you have the stomach for it.
01/01/00
Top CriticThis is about one of the best crime dramas in years.
01/01/00
Top Critic
Try to imagine this: a mainstream American movie, rife with violent and often murderous behavior, yet so densely plotted, so richly peopled, that you can't summarize it in a sentence.
01/01/00
Top CriticL.A. Confidential is immersed in the atmosphere and lore of film noir, but it doesn't seem like a period picture--it believes its noir values and isn't just using them for decoration.
01/01/00
Top Critic
It's a film that has substance and sweep to match its high sense of style.
01/01/00
Top Critic1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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