L.A. Confidential (1997)

L.A. Confidential is a neo-noir film about a group of people working for the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1950s. The majority of the film consists of several police officers leading an investigation concerning a murder that took place at a diner. Over the course of the movie, the film talks about organized crime, police corruption, prostitution, drugs, and more.

The acting in this film is top-notch. It stars Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce who were mostly unheard of at the time. They are both very good and Crowe is especially memorable. The supporting casts consists of the likes of Danny DeVito, Kevin Spacey, and Kim Basinger. Basinger would go on to win the Academy Award for best supporting actress and this award is probably well-deserved.

While highly-entertaining, the plot does get a little confusing at times. I was hoping for a film like The Maltese Falcon, but this felt a little more like The Big Sleep. While this is a good movie, the convoluted nature of the plot during the first viewing will cost it a few points. In addition, the climactic shootout scene in this film was a little much. It felt like something out of a video game more than anything. Still, this is probably worth seeing especially for film noir fans looking to see a neo-noir film.

84/100
B

UP NEXT: Either The Killing or something else.