L.A. Confidential

Always heard great things about this one and now I finally confirmed it myself. L.A. Confidential is excellent! An absolutely terrific thriller!

Great direction, great dialogues, great and very intriguing story with very good twists and turns.
The performances are outstanding by all of the amazing cast but I have to do a special mention to Kevin Spacey, he is such a good actor! I love to see him perform. He is so powerful, he doesn't even need to speak to spread his charm! I wish we could see him in more films nowadays.

If this film is not perfect I am sure that is very close to that.

Going into L. A. Confidential, I was apprehensive. James Ellroy's novel is a sprawling, intricate masterpiece, and I worried that the film adaptation would inevitably fall short. Boy, was I wrong.

Curtis Hanson's film is a stunning achievement, a gritty and unflinching dive into the underbelly of 1950s Los Angeles that captures the essence of Ellroy's novel while forging its own cinematic identity.

The performances are simply breathtaking. Guy Pearce is mesmerizing as Ed Exley, perfectly capturing the character's internal conflict and simmering ambition. Russell Crowe is a force of nature as Bud White, raw and volatile yet strangely sympathetic. And Kevin Spacey, in one of his finest roles, embodies the cynical and jaded Jack Vincennes with chilling accuracy.

But it's more than just the acting. The film is a visual masterpiece, with stunning cinematography that perfectly captures the seedy underbelly of 1950s Los Angeles. The screenplay is sharp and witty, capturing the essence of Ellroy's dialogue while maintaining its own cinematic flow.

This is a film that stays with you long after the credits roll. It's a testament to the power of cinematic adaptation and a reminder that sometimes, a film can even surpass the book that inspired it.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars

Recommendation: An absolute must-see for any fan of film noir. This is a film that will stay with you long after the final frame.

Great plot,perfomances and superending scene! 8.6/10

Terrific storytelling brought to life by a collection of inspired performances makes L.A. Confidential an absolute winner.

Awesome cast and a great story, but not as surprising as I’d hoped. You can see everything coming from a mile away. Still very enjoyable! Whole thing gave me L.A. Noire vibes too, which is a big plus in my book.

Hollywood loves movies about Hollywood, but this one was particularly enjoyable as the Aussies won out...except for Simon Baker. Shock and intrigue, but why did she sleep with Ed?!

A noir treat. feels like just another days work. it was engaging and fun to watch. these streets ain't what it used to be toots

When you think of neo-noir, it certainly doesn't take long to arrive at "L.A. Confidential". For me, this movie is the ultimate representative of the subgenre. It is bursting with atmosphere and stylishly tackles themes such as organized crime and police corruption in Los Angeles after World War II. The Hollywood theme, in combination with numerous sins, is, of course, also present. The plot is perhaps a little overloaded with too many characters, but it is easy to follow at all times. The tension is maintained until the very last minute.

However, "L.A. Confidential" only becomes a truly great film because of the consistently strong performances. Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce are convincing in the lead roles. But the important supporting parts are also well cast, with actors such as Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, and Kim Basinger. Ultimately, this film adaptation of James Ellroy's novel of the same name is, in its quality, a rather unique work of art. Those who like the setting should perhaps give the game "L.A. Noire" a chance.

LA Noir rips this movie off so hard. I'm not sure if that makes it good, or if it's just very cliché, but it's enjoyable.

I have zero comprehension of the [spoiler]Lynn / Ed[/spoiler] relationship and the ending scene.

The last third of the movie is much more poorly written than earlier sequences – it's like the writers felt an overbearing urgency to get to any kind of conclusion because of how little playtime they had left to do so.