Curtis Hanson
L.A. Confidential

Presented at the 50th Cannes Film Festival, "L. A. Confidential" ended up becoming one of the most acclaimed films, and then quickly overshadowed, of the last fifteen years. The film in question is the work of Curtis Hanson, initially labeled as one of the most promising American filmmakers, a consideration that has faded over the years with some films that weren't quite successful. Yet "L.A. Confidential" remains one of the cornerstone noir films of recent years.

The film was shot between late 1996 and early 1997. The presence of actors of the caliber of Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell and Kim Basinger elevated it to a cult film, although time has stripped it of much popularity. The film is inspired by the novel of the same name by the American James Ellroy, while taking improvisational liberties not present in the book's pages. The plot is too complex and intricate to be unraveled: Hanson does not bother to explain the various situations and subplots that develop within the story. The viewer must grasp the various names and multiple events to keep track of a film that sometimes, precisely due to this setup, risks becoming a poorly assembled mess. Great credit for bringing it all together goes to Hanson himself and Brian Helgeland, who constructed a screenplay capable of supporting a heavy film in terms of events and twists.

What the film excels at is especially entertainment: beyond thematic references, "L. A. Confidential" convinces from the first to the last of its 127 minutes, alternating dialogues in full '70s gangster movie style, without neglecting a violence that at times recalls Scorsese's "Goodfellas" and sometimes harkens back to the vintage noir of Polanski's "Chinatown." A saturated cinematography perpetually oriented towards brown/shadowy tones (our very own Dante Spinotti was rightly nominated for an Oscar), helps convey the idea of a story with realistic traits, set in an undefined past within the film.

The three characters Jack, Bud, and Ed (played by Spacey, Crowe, and Pearce, respectively), captivate the entire story and, in their own way, serve the director in offering different ways of approaching a career in law enforcement and the choices one can make. Three "symbols" of the American police, too often entangled in criminal schemes and collusion with the mafia. Two hours in which Hanson analyzes both internally and externally the hierarchy of the U.S. police force, revealing its contradictions and nefarious actions, relying on Ellroy's pen.

"L. A. Confidential" is a film enjoyable in every part, shot beautifully and with equally beautiful cinematography. A complex and captivating story, performed by a stellar cast completes the work, which in its time swept up awards. A noir to be savored...

2 Academy Awards 1998: Best Supporting Actress (Kim Basinger) and Best Adapted Screenplay.

"Some men get the world, others get an ex-hooker and a trip to Arizona."