L.A. Confidential (1997)

"I admire you as a policeman - particularly your adherence to violence as a necessary adjunct to the job. "

Film noir continues to be one of the most difficult genres to make well particularly today (I'd note for purists that film noirs are largely in black & white a fixture of the genre). Film directors can't hide the flaws of a noir behind big explosions, car chases or visual effects. "L.A. COnfidential" probably isn't for everyone because it combines the film noir genre with a solid mystery and strong dramatic performances.

Set in Los Angeles during the early 1950's, "L.A. Confidential" opens with a bang quite literally--Three very different detectives the by-the-book golden boy Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), the hard nosed violent Bud White (Russell Crowe) and the celebrity obsessed Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey)try and unravel the conspiracy behind a seemingly random shotgun slaying at a popular diner and how it is tied into the murders of organized crime kingpin Mickey Cohen's gang. The three detectives make a reluctant team hoping to solve the crime and achieve their own personal agendas in the process. They also must find out how Lynn Bracken (Kim Bassinger) a hooker who looks like Veronica Lake and a cavalcade of other hookers made up to look like Hollywood stars figure into all of this.

Well directed by Curtis Hansen from a terrific script by Brian Helgeland and Hansen that manages to adapt James Ellroy's novel without betraying its story or atmosphere, "L.A. Confidental" was nominated for a bucket load of Oscars winning two for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Kim Bassinger). The entire cast is terrific from Crowe to Danny DeVito who plays Sid Huggins the editor of the scandal rag L.A. Confidential. Spacey plays oily Vincennes with confidence and style while Crowe embodies the brutal force of Bud White. Pearce who plays Exley the son of a highly regarded murdered police officer gives depth to a character that could easily have been cookie cutter.

The Blu-ray looks positively stunning particularly. How does this look in comparison to the 1998 original DVD release? There's greater detail and sharpnes. The original DVD was one of the best transfers of its era (and still holds up remarkably well). The new DVD also looks sharper but the Blu-ray manages to capture the golden cinematography Oscar nominated Dante Spinotti perfectly.

We get a great mix of previously released extras ported over from the first "Special Edition" when DVDs were still being released in snapcases to some stunning brand new ones as well. The best here is the audio compilation of comments by the director, cast and crew. Although it isn't as fascinating as a scene specific commentary track, it allows each important member of the creative team to give their thoughts on shooting the film, the characters and the story.

"Whatever You Desire" is a brand new 30 minute documentary on the making of the film. "Sunlight to Shadows" another new extra focuses on the cinematography. "The Cast" is pretty self explanatory focuses on the seven main characters and two relative "unknowns"-Pearce and Crowe. "From Book to Screen" gives us Hansen and Helgland discussing the difficulty of translating Ellroy's terrific novel to the screen without sacrificing too much of the story or characters. We also get two very neat extras--"L.A. Confidential" a 2003 pilot for a TV series that was to star Keifer Sutherland and a second disc that gives us a sampler of the soundtrack featuring the following songs: Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers -- "Ac-Cent-tchu-ate The Positive"
Chet Baker -- "Look for the Silver Lining"
Betty Hutton -- "Hit the Road to Dreamland"
Kay Starr -- "Wheel of Fortune"
Jackie Gleason -- "But Not For Me"
Dean Martin -- "Powder Your Face With Sunshine

The DVD set has three discs if you count the sampler while the Blu-ray has two. A terrific 10th Anniversary reissue I'm glad this reissue wasn't kept off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush.
October 1, 2008

Excellent, acting was top drawer.

This is my first glimpse of Russell Crowe, and omg, what a hunk o' man. Does he have any brothers? I haven't seen a leading man in decades that looked and acted all man like him. I will see any movie he is in, no matter how crummy. Just to drool at him. Bring back the real leading men like him, not the whiney, ugly, wimps we've been enduring since the eighties. September 30, 2008

They dont make movies like this anymore!

To call this movie superb...is an understatement.
A spectacular film that should have taken home every major Academy Award.
Proof that the Academy has truly lost touch with what making a film is all about

Best Actor: Russel Crowe
Best Supporting Actor: Kevin Spacey Or Guy Pierce (pick one)
Best Picture (titanic.???? really???)
Best Actress: Kim Basinger (which she received)
Best Director: Curtis Hanson
The great thing about this film is the 3 protaganist theme.
Officer Bud White (Russel Crowe), the brutal police officer who hands out his own brand of justice and has a thing for helping women in distress . Ed Exley (Guy Pierce), the strait laced, by the book ladder climber and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), the hollywood bigger than life cop who is caught up in the underworld of lurid payoffs and sleazy tabloid journalists.

It is a work of art how the Director, Curtis Hanson weaves all three into the frey at a breakneck pace until The film's exposive climax. A shootout at a rundown hotel that will go down in history as one of the most exciting and taught gunfights in the history of movies.

Hanson, by using two relatively unkowns to play the Parts of Bud White and Ed Exley, makes this movie a Character driven plot instad of a star driven vehicle.

And the plot, deftly adapted from James Ellroy's novel is just a work of art. Believable, Not too big for its britches, intricate in its subtlety and incredibly acted. The ensemble cast is truly remarkable with thier chemistry and dedication to thier craft.

If you enjoy crime drama, if you enjoy film noire or if you just want to see what real film making is all about, this is a movie that will Knock your socks off. Should not be missed.

The Blu Ray disc in 1080P is a real treat.



September 29, 2008

The Best Film of the 1997

Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake


I don't care if TITANIC did win the Oscar. For my money, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL was the best film of 1997.

Scratch That! It's the best picture to come out of Hollywood in the last 20 years.

L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is prime film noir. It ranks right up there with the great ones, such as DOUBLE INDEMNITY, OUT OF THE PAST and THE BIG SLEEP. And, as much as I admire and consistently enjoy those classic movies, I think that L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is the finest of the lot.

Adapting James Ellroy's intricately-plotted, sometimes confusing, novel was certainly a monumental task for writer/director Curtis Hanson and his screenwriting collaborator, Brian Helgeland. Not only did they have to bring to life more than a half-dozen key characters, but there were also several intertwined plot lines to juggle.

Hanson and Helgeland did an admirable job. Their characters are real and, although the story is complicated, by the end credits, everything is explained. There are no loose ends. Truly, the movie is better than the book.

Set in a superbly re-created 1950's Los Angeles, the film's primary storyline concerns the real reasons behind a mass murder in the Night Owl Cafe. Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Kevin Spacey, three police detectives of widely different backgrounds and agendas, ultimately join together to battle police corruption, the Mob and, at times, each other. Along the way, they interact with some fascinating folk, including a hooker who looks like Veronica Lake (Oscar winner Kim Basinger), her rich pimp (David Strathairn) and the editor of a nasty scandal magazine (Danny DeVito).

The plot of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL may be a bit more complex than your average film, but that's part of what makes it so memorable.

- Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008) September 28, 2008

Movie: 4.5/5 Picture Quality: 4.25/5 Sound Quality: 4/5 Extras: 3.5/5

Version: U.S.A / Warner Brothers / Region A, B, C
VC-1 BD-50 / 1080p / 23.976fps / Advanced Profile 3
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Running time: 2:17:53
Movie size: 34,02 GB
Disc size: 42,31 GB
Average video bit rate: 22.91 Mbps

Dolby TrueHD Audio English 1464 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 16-bit / 1464kbps (AC3 Core: 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio German 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Italian 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 640 kbps 5.1 / 48kHz / 640kbps
Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 192kbps
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 2.0 / 48kHz / 192kbps

Subtitles: English SDH / Chinese (traditional and simplified) / Danish / Dutch / Finnish / German / Italian / Norwegian / Portuguese / Spanish / Swedish

Number of chapters: 40

Disc 1:

#Audio commentary
#Trailer gallery and TV spots
#Music-only track - Jerry Goldsmith's score
#Whatever You Desire: Making LA Confidential (29m:30s)
#Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of LA Confidential (21m:03s)
#A True Ensemble: The Cast of LA Confidential (24m:24s)
#LA Confidential: From Book to Screen (21m:07s)
#Off the Record: Vintage cast/creator interviews (18m:50s)
#Director Curtis Henson's Photo Pitch (8m:25s)
#The LA of LA Confidential Map Tour (15 locales / 25 seconds per locale)
#LA Confidential TV Pilot (45m:00s)

Disc 2 - CD Sampler - six songs from the movie September 28, 2008

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