Review of L.A. Confidential (1997) by Blake P — 23 Jun 2012

"L.A Confidential" is one of the few movies where in every sense you can call it perfect. It obviously has a plot that can go two routes: 1) become less and less interesting as the movie drags on or 2) embrace everything going on in the film and instead create compelling aspects.

Luckily, "L.A. Confidential" goes down the second route, and I'm pleased to say that I not only was extremely entertained by the film, but I was also very, very impressed. As a drama it works really well-- despite its large sum of characters, they all have interesting relationships with each other, which gives the film a vintage Hollywood melodrama feel.

But of course, that's not the part of the film that has everybody gawking. It's everything else-- the screenplay, the acting, the score, the cinematography, etc. "L.A. Confidential" so perfect because unlike so many big Oscar movies, the technical aspects work with the entertainment aspects, and they combine to make something as delicious as a bowl of ice cream.

Hanson has the film take place in the '50's, and obviously he could be like most directors and take the scenario and take a nostalgia trip back to the glorious film noir days; but instead he breathes in the atmosphere and immerses us in the world that 1950's Hollywood must have been.

The crimes all feel so real, and the corrupt things going on are gritty but never over the top. And the actors, all of which are phenomenal, give us characters that are very human, and we want to see everything that happens to them.

Crowe and Basinger in particular are magnetic. And even with all of these, we still get a whodunit as the center of the story, which is the cherry on top. "L.A. Confidential" is flawless. Highly recommended.