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Movies / On DVD / L.A. Confidential
L.A. Confidential

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L.A. Confidential (1997)

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Reviews Counted:80

Fresh:79

Rotten:1

Average Rating:8.6/10

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... 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 rest of the world, but it's also filled with corrupt cops, elegant hookers, murder cover-ups, and manipulative paparazzi, all of which are just the tip of the iceberg. It's impossible to know exactly who's trustworthy and who's not as three detectives (Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, and Guy Pearce) each use their own tactics to investigate a coffee-shop massacre. The script by Hanson and Brian Helgeland maintains the fragile framework of human relationships developed in the novel, while 45 different shooting locations give the film a solidly unique tone and feeling of integrity, immersing the viewer in 1950s Los Angeles. The entire cast is first-rate, with compelling performances from Spacey, Crowe, Pearce, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger, and David Strathairn. [More]

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger

Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, David Strathairn

Director: Curtis Hanson

Director: Curtis Hanson
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland, Curtis Hanson
Producer: Arnon Milchan, Michael G. Nathanson, Curtis Hanson
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Apr 14, 1998

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Reviews for L.A. Confidential

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21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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This police corruption thriller, based on a James Ellroy novel, drags in places and ultimately fails in its film noir genre, but it's tops in art direction and photography.

Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment 1 Comment
06/22/04
Judith Egerton
Judith Egerton
Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

A hard-boiled cops and crime story that is at once viscerally entertaining and intellectually satisfying.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Leonard Schwarz
Leonard Schwarz
Palo Alto Weekly

Acted to perfection with more twists than you can shake a stick at.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/21/03
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine

It is an intriguing whodunit, but nothing really unpredictable. Good work by Pierce and Crowe, though.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

A wondrous troika of actors lends L.A. Confidential its slippery but distinctive erotic poignancy.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

It's dark stuff, all right. But it's good dark.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer

L.A. Confidential is the closest thing to a classic cop movie you could imagine, a throwback to a few decades ago.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

It demands that the viewer pay attention, not assuming for one second that its audience may consist of dummies. That audience is rewarded with an environment oozing with atmosphere.

Full Review Source: Window to the Movies | comment Comment
07/12/02
Jeffrey Chen
Jeffrey Chen
Window to the Movies

How good is "L.A. Confidential"? Kim Basinger gives a convincing performance - that's how good.

Full Review Source: Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL) | comment Comment
06/21/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Pode parecer impossível, mas ainda se pode fazer um ótimo filme noir hoje em dia.

Full Review Source: Cinema em Cena | comment Comment
05/31/02
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

A rattling good police story and a dark, laughing tone poem to the never-innocent city of illusions.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
04/12/02
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix

A riveting crime story about the shadowy side of city life where things are never what they seem.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
02/28/02
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Exhilarating entertainment that sacrifices not a scrap of intelligence.

Full Review Source: Film Written Magazine | comment Comment
09/02/01
Shay Casey
Shay Casey
Film Written Magazine

Against 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.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
05/11/01
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Curtis Hanson's elegant film is faithful to Ellroy's multi-layered and labyrinthine book, requiring some concentration to keep up with the subtle plot twists and coded dialogue.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
04/17/01
Jane Crowther
Jane Crowther
BBC

Destined to be one of the best, if not the best, of the year.

Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | comment Comment
02/27/01
James Kendrick
James Kendrick
Q Network Film Desk

Its 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.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/14/01
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One of the best films of the year, an excellent film noir murder mystery brimming with style and atmosphere and topped off with fine acting.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
01/01/01
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

L.A. Confidential is a tour de (police) force. With characters as intricate as any you'll find on film this year, and performances that rise to the occasion.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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