David Sprouse

Curtis Hanson's adaptation of James Ellroy's brilliant noir mystery should have won best picture in 1997, of course Titanic did. Such is life. The way Hanson and Brian Helgeland reimagined Ellroy's dense novel was damn near a feat of magic. Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, and Kevin Spacey are excellent as the movie's protagonists. James Cromwell, Danny Devito and many more fill out the excellent cast. Kim Basinger is perfect as Lynn Bracken a call girl with an uncanny resemblance to Veronica Lake. Prostitution, drug usage, porn, this movie rips to shred any notions of a more innocent time. The Nite Owl is a coffee shop where six people are murdered. The police quickly arrest three young black men. They are ultimately killed resisting arrest (sound familiar?) and the case is closed. Bud White (Crowe) and Ed Exley (Pearce) have doubts about the resolution of the case, and become unlikely partners. They uncover the truth at great cost. L. A. Confidential is a late 20th century masterpiece. If you haven't seen it, do so immediately.