July 1998

L.A. Confidential
Reviewed by Doug Schneider
DVD Format

Overall Enjoyment:
Picture Quality:
Sound Quality:
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Starring Russel Crowe, Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey

Directed by Curtis Hansen

Theatrical Release: 1997
DVD Release: 1998
Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen

1997 was a Titanic year for the movies. However, two other movies of that same year were head and shoulders above the rest and stood at least a chance of sinking the big boat at the Oscars, Boogie Nights and L.A. Confidential.

Critics went wild over these two films mainly because for too many years it seemed that Hollywood had forgotten how to write movies. Save for the work of Quentin Tarantino, David Mamet and handful of others who really care about their words, tight storytelling has been replaced by whiz-bang special effects. All flash, it seems, with little substance, this summer's Armageddon is the epitome of this.

L.A. Confidential is a well-written crime thriller set in the ‘50s. Director and co-writer Curtis Hansen (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) includes all the necessary elements—like police corruption, plastic surgery, exploitation, murder, voluptuous vixens, prostitution, extortion and even a little pornography thrown in for good measure. Don't worry, it sounds much nastier than it really is and could actually be shown as the "Sunday at 9" movie—no kidding.

The story mainly centers on the massacre of the patrons of the Night Owl Restaurant—including one former police officer. Two hot-shot cops with opposing styles compete to uncover the mystery of that evening. The storytelling is sprawling and involves a multitude of characters as it winds itself around in an attempt to solve the crime. What makes L.A. Confidential special is its ability to exploit the wide body of excellent actors, all giving fine performances, and the screenplay's ability to make each of these characters an essential part of the conclusion. Many comparisons have been made to Chinatown—actually, I enjoyed L.A. Confidential more. It's no use giving away any more of the plot, but I will say that it's smart enough to throw enough hooks and curves to keep you guessing until the end, and the result is more than satisfying.

The acting is first-rate, most likely because the cast is. Kevin Spacey, Russel Crowe and Danny Devito all deliver rock-solid performances. Kim Basinger is good, but did she really deserve the Best Supporting Actress Oscar bestowed upon her? Hell no. That should have gone to Julianne Moore of Boogie Nights. Not that Basinger was bad—she wasn't. In fact, she was quite good, for what she had to do—look sexy and sultry like few actresses can. However, she does this all the time, even when she's grocery shopping.

The film is transferred very well on DVD. It’s vivid, bright and detailed, just like in the theater—no problems there. While some have criticized L.A. Confidential for looking more ‘90s in its production design than ‘50s, I believe this works in its favor, and I love the lush landscape it paints—it's beautifully made. Dolby Digital 5.1 is used for the soundtrack, and it sounds just fine. It's the dialogue that really counts here and it comes through clean and crisp. The disc uses dual-layer technology, meaning there will be no flipping, but you may detect the "layer switch" depending on your player. If there is something to criticize, perhaps it's the lack of really interesting packaged extras, at least from my point of view. Frankly, though, I can't think of what else I really wanted to see. Perhaps I was just more interested in the movie itself. While the DVD is not a technical standout in the way of The Fifth Element, it is excellent and can't really be criticized in any meaningful way.

L.A. Confidential is neither as original nor as compelling as some may have you believe, but it is very, very good. I think that critics have had far too long a drought with poorly made, mass-market movies, and this makes L.A. Confidential seem like a pitcher of water in the desert. This isn't to criticize it, simply to put it into perspective. In the end, L.A. Confidential is definitely worth renting, perhaps owning, and proof to Hollywood that all the special effects in the world won't outdo intelligent storytelling and fine acting.

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