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Source:
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Early though it may be to make such a prediction, I'm going to do so: no one will be more deserving of an Adapted Screenplay Oscar in 1997 than Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson. James Ellroy's 1990 novel "L.A. Confidential" was 496 pages of sprawling, tangled plotting and a staccato prose style in which entire chapters seemed to fly by without a single verb rearing its active little head. Even the author himself said he didn't always know what was going on at any given time. Hanson and Helgeland took that narrative and tamed it into an intricate but accessible crime drama. They remained true to both the style and gritty substance of the story while giving it the appeal of pop entertainment.
Which is not to say that they have created an unqualified triumph. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is the kind of sturdy, satisfying studio vehicle which turns up rarely enough that it's easy to mistake it for a minor masterpiece. It's well-crafted but never dazzling, consistently interesting without being engrossing. Helgeland and Hanson haven't exactly taken an unfilmable novel and turned it into a classic. They've taken a novel which would have been a three hour art film and made a 140-minute mainstream multiplex success.
Set in 1951-52, the bulk of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL focuses on Hollywood police precinct filled with shady characters. Det. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) pays more attention to serving as technical advisor to a "Dragnet"-style TV show and getting pay-offs from a tabloid reporter (Danny DeVito) than he does to his job; Det. Bud White (Russell Crowe) regularly beats uncooperative suspects into submission. Into this world steps Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), the son of a decorated cop who appears determined to do things by the book. Unfortunately, the book doesn't cover how to deal with complex cases like the mass slaying at the Nite Owl diner, a case which turns out to have far broader implications than anyone suspects.
There's more than a whiff of CHINATOWN to L.A. CONFIDENTIAL -- it's hard not to break into a chuckle when one character appears with a Jake Gittes Memorial Nose Bandage -- but the story manages to stake out its own unique territory in exposing the dark side of booming post-war Los Angeles. It does a particularly impressive job of hooking into the relationship between high-profile crime and the media, skewering the public's inexhaustible appetite for sordid tales about which they can feel morally superior. Curtis Hanson's direction manages to navigate a smart path between the glossy image of Hollywood and the sleazy reality. It's a perfectly appropriate ambiguity that L.A. CONFIDENTIAL (photographed by the talented Dante Spinotti) may be one of the best-looking films ever made about ugly doings.
It's also appropriate that the characters are similarly ambiguous, complex people whose motivations are never as pure or as selfish as they appear at first glance. Another of the accomplishments in this fine script is that those characters feel softer and more humanized than they do in Ellroy's novel, easier to sympathize with. Yet one of the problems with L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is that while the characters are uniformly well-acted and multi-dimensional, there's not enough time to get under the skin of any one character. We find ourselves surprised by some of the decisions the characters make, but once we understand a single basic motivation for each one there's not much left to learn about them. Pearce, Crowe and Spacey do solid work with solid characters. They're never boring, and never fascinating.
Hanson and Helgeland still do an impressive enough job that I couldn't help wishing they had trusted their own skill with material a bit more. The plot twists of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL may be a lot to take in, but not so much that they require the constant nudging the script and direction provide. Every character is identified in bold letters (sometimes literally), every significant development is accompanied by a flashback or wordy exposition to make sure we realize the significance, and whole chunks of the film are summarized at various points like chapter-ending Cliff's Notes. It all gives a smart film the feeling that it's not quite so smart after all, or that the audience isn't expected to be smart enough to figure it all out. Perhaps when Mssrs. Helgeland and Hanson are standing at the podium, trophies in hand, they'll realize what they've accomplished.
By : Scott Renshaw
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Source:
rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup
Rating:
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Crooked cops. The mystery and allure of Hollywood in the '50s. Death, double-crossing, and secret alliances. Paparazzi waiting to get that one breakthrough picture. These are just some of the elements that make Curtis Hanson's L.A. CONFIDENTIAL one of the most exhilarating noir thrillers to reach the screen in recent memory. With a script that pays homage to the films of the '40s and '50s and may remind some viewers of the likes of CHINATOWN, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL proves that every period piece thriller doesn't have to go the way of MULHOLLAND FALLS.
It's 1953, and the City of Angels is in the grip of an unprecedented wave of violence. Cops on the take turn their backs on crimes. The jailing of a major mob boss leaves a vacuum of power that leads to a turf war. Then comes the Night Owl Massacre, where six victims (including an ex-cop) are brutally gunned down at the Night Owl Cafe. The police begin routine investigations, but it quickly becomes apparent that this is no ordinary multiple homicide.
There are three cops on the job. The first, Bud White (Russell Crowe), is a "muscle" guy who believes that violence solves almost everything and is willing to bend (or even break) the rules to obtain results. The second, Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), is the kind of officer who prefers the spotlight to a down-and-dirty lifestyle. He's the high-profile technical advisor to the hit TV series, BADGE OF HONOR, and has a clandestine agreement with the editor (Danny DeVito) of HUSH HUSH magazine, a sleazy tabloid that publishes photos and stories showing Jack arresting celebrities in compromising positions. Finally, there's Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), a by-the-book cop who thinks he can rise through the ranks without resorting to Bud's boorish methods. Obviously, the tactics used by these three differ greatly, but, as they delve deeper into the murky mysteries of the L.A. police force, it becomes clear that their survival depends on working together.
The difference between L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and numerous other, more routine films of the genre begins with the script. Smart, insightful, and consistently engaging, Hanson and Brian Helgeland's faithful adaptation of James Ellroy's novel is a real treat for anyone who views film as a medium for both art and entertainment. The movie is filled with small twists and turns, but not so many that the plot becomes difficult to swallow or to follow. The subplots =96 and there are several=
=96 are as well-developed as the main story, and the supporting characters=
are presented as more than mere colorful misfits decorating the background.
Atmosphere is another of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL's strengths. This is Technicolor noir =96 a film made in color that has black-and-white sensibilities. Like DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, this movie proves that multi-hued film stock does not automatically hamstring such a production. And, while the Los Angeles of L.A. CONFIDENTIAL may not accurately reflect the real city during the '50s, it nevertheless represents what we expect Hollywood to have been like, from the glitzy buildings to the cool-but-beautiful femme fatales and the sure-handed, silent men.
The three leads give strong performances. Spacey's Jack is cocky and confident, Crowe's Bud is brimming with tightly-controlled anger, and Pearce's Ed is caught between his towering ambition and his desire to do the right thing. It's interesting to note that two of the three main actors in this distinctly American tale are Australian. Despite having appeared opposite Denzel Washington in VIRTUOSITY, Crowe is best known for roles in the likes of PROOF and ROMPER STOMPER. Pearce's big break came when he cross-dressed in THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT. It's worth noting that both actors have perfected their American accents to the point where it's virtually impossible to detect a down under twang. Meanwhile, the supporting performers include James Cromwell as the chief of police, Kim Basinger as the woman torn between Ed and Bud, and David Strathairn as a high-class pimp.
It takes L.A. CONFIDENTIAL nearly two and one-half hours to spin its tale, but the time passes remarkably quickly. There's hardly a wasted moment in the entire movie, and director Hanson (whose previous credits include THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE and THE RIVER WILD) maintains tight control of every scene. Lately, it seems that film noir has become the province of independent productions. As a result, it's refreshing to see a big-budget, studio effort of this sort that does nearly everything right. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is likely to be one of the best offerings of the early Autumn.
By : James Berardinelli
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