L.A. Confidential (1997)
Country: US
Technical: col/scope 138m
Director: Curtis Hanson
Cast: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger
Synopsis:
Christmas Eve, L.A., some time in the fifties: the police force is racist and corrupt, using strong arm tactics and tipping off muckraking magazines to the choice arrests. One ambitious young officer intends to change all that, and a vicious coffee shop massacre in which, amongst others, an ex-cop and movie star lookalike hooker are murdered proves to be his testing ground.
Review:
Incisive, violent, supremely well acted look at Hollywood Babylon, with inevitable comparisons with Chinatown well held. Its cynicism in the final reel is a little hard to take, but excepting that it is a rare example of Hollywood being grown up, with contemporary resonances in details such as porno and freeways, and a bunch of Australian actors bringing a certain toughness to the fresh line up.
Country: US
Technical: col/scope 138m
Director: Curtis Hanson
Cast: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger
Synopsis:
Christmas Eve, L.A., some time in the fifties: the police force is racist and corrupt, using strong arm tactics and tipping off muckraking magazines to the choice arrests. One ambitious young officer intends to change all that, and a vicious coffee shop massacre in which, amongst others, an ex-cop and movie star lookalike hooker are murdered proves to be his testing ground.
Review:
Incisive, violent, supremely well acted look at Hollywood Babylon, with inevitable comparisons with Chinatown well held. Its cynicism in the final reel is a little hard to take, but excepting that it is a rare example of Hollywood being grown up, with contemporary resonances in details such as porno and freeways, and a bunch of Australian actors bringing a certain toughness to the fresh line up.
Country: US
Technical: col/scope 138m
Director: Curtis Hanson
Cast: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger
Synopsis:
Christmas Eve, L.A., some time in the fifties: the police force is racist and corrupt, using strong arm tactics and tipping off muckraking magazines to the choice arrests. One ambitious young officer intends to change all that, and a vicious coffee shop massacre in which, amongst others, an ex-cop and movie star lookalike hooker are murdered proves to be his testing ground.
Review:
Incisive, violent, supremely well acted look at Hollywood Babylon, with inevitable comparisons with Chinatown well held. Its cynicism in the final reel is a little hard to take, but excepting that it is a rare example of Hollywood being grown up, with contemporary resonances in details such as porno and freeways, and a bunch of Australian actors bringing a certain toughness to the fresh line up.