LA Confidential oozes with the 50s style it's going for. Every aspect of the production from the costumes, the sets, cars, music, and dialogue is spot-on for the era, and in no way feels like actors from the 90s playing for a bygone time period.
This is a far superior, more historically honest production as opposed to movies like 2013's "Gangster Squad" that had a racially diverse, politically correct depiction of a similar era, or the revisionist history remake of The Magnificent Seven (to go further back). The racism, sexism, and bigotry of the 50s are on full display in LA Confidential, and the film isn't even always apologetic about it. Your mileage may vary on how much the depiction of this kind of content affects you. As time goes on, the American public seems to be more and more aware on average of police corruption, racial profiling, and unnecessary violence used by police departments, so a movie like LA Confidential, where these elements are shown as a harsh reality of the time period (not that they don't happen today) and a reality of police procedure, might be hard to watch. I was impressed that the movie was so honest about this content, it's more or less always been a part of the police system, even when criminals are successfully dealt with. The politics and power-plays shown in police departments are what elevates this over a typical shoot 'em up thriller. The entire cast is excellent, especially vintage Russell Crowe in his prime, even pre-Gladiator, who's an ass-kicking force of nature as hard nosed detective Bud White. LA Confidential impressed me a lot, but it's held back by some scenes that stretch what's an otherwise very believable setting and premise. *Spoilers ahead*
The scene where Guy Pearce and Russel Crowe's characters threaten and assault a sitting District Attorney to get information on the corruption case is over the top. There's dozens of witnesses on the street who can see he's being dangled above a sidewalk. Whether or not he confessed to collusion, he could always say his confession was given under duress, Exley and White would've never made it a step further in their investigation after that. Also, in the shootout at the end, White gets shot at least twice, maybe three times in the body, and once in the jaw, and is shown several scenes later alive and relatively well. He would have a tough time surviving that if that happened today, much less with the medical technology available then.
Despite a few scenes that stretch beliveability in its otherwise gritty, down to Earth setting, LA Confidential is a solid watch for anyone who enjoys detective drama and action, dressed up in the glowing sheen of a vintage era of Hollywood history that gives refreshing contrast to the bloody, harsh underbelly of Los Angeles.
This is a far superior, more historically honest production as opposed to movies like 2013's "Gangster Squad" that had a racially diverse, politically correct depiction of a similar era, or the revisionist history remake of The Magnificent Seven (to go further back). The racism, sexism, and bigotry of the 50s are on full display in LA Confidential, and the film isn't even always apologetic about it. Your mileage may vary on how much the depiction of this kind of content affects you. As time goes on, the American public seems to be more and more aware on average of police corruption, racial profiling, and unnecessary violence used by police departments, so a movie like LA Confidential, where these elements are shown as a harsh reality of the time period (not that they don't happen today) and a reality of police procedure, might be hard to watch. I was impressed that the movie was so honest about this content, it's more or less always been a part of the police system, even when criminals are successfully dealt with. The politics and power-plays shown in police departments are what elevates this over a typical shoot 'em up thriller. The entire cast is excellent, especially vintage Russell Crowe in his prime, even pre-Gladiator, who's an ass-kicking force of nature as hard nosed detective Bud White. LA Confidential impressed me a lot, but it's held back by some scenes that stretch what's an otherwise very believable setting and premise. *Spoilers ahead*
The scene where Guy Pearce and Russel Crowe's characters threaten and assault a sitting District Attorney to get information on the corruption case is over the top. There's dozens of witnesses on the street who can see he's being dangled above a sidewalk. Whether or not he confessed to collusion, he could always say his confession was given under duress, Exley and White would've never made it a step further in their investigation after that. Also, in the shootout at the end, White gets shot at least twice, maybe three times in the body, and once in the jaw, and is shown several scenes later alive and relatively well. He would have a tough time surviving that if that happened today, much less with the medical technology available then.
Despite a few scenes that stretch beliveability in its otherwise gritty, down to Earth setting, LA Confidential is a solid watch for anyone who enjoys detective drama and action, dressed up in the glowing sheen of a vintage era of Hollywood history that gives refreshing contrast to the bloody, harsh underbelly of Los Angeles.