L.A. Confidential (1997) is a stellar movie and probably my favourite neo-noir film. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), burned out cop, and Bud White (Russell Crowe), a tough cop, try to solve related murders and team up with the lily white, ladder-climbing Detective Ed Exley (Guy Pearse) to find out how a police chief (James Cromwell) and a hooker (Kim Basinger) are all tied up in the City of Angels mess. “Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush,” as the reporter (Danny DeVito) keeps saying. In case we had a predilection to glorify 1953 as an innocent time, the L.A. police force of the day acts like the typical bureaucracy today except they kill more people. Wonderful acting, dialogue, action, photography, costumes and sound track make this tough-talkin’ bad-cop movie a winner.
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