There are some movies where you actually believe they have created a world. The atmosphere, the setting is so real that its immersive and inclusive. L.A. Confidential (1997) is one of those movies, and the setting is a warm and gritty 1950's L.A. I always wonder if people in previous generations were as dirty or as filthy as the ones in my generation; this movie seems to believe so, with the underground pornography, closet homosexuals, hotel murders, betrayals, celebrity fascinations, and abused women. The movie starts out slyly with a glamorous introduction of Hollywood and then spends the rest of the movie deconstructing that notion. Behind the glamour, there are rats and spiders crawling around, and those are the things (that go bump in the night) that drive this city. And behind them? A police force, doing the best they can to keep the streets somewhat manageable, doing the best they can to maintain that sickly-sweet Hollywood image.
The masterstroke of this movie is its introspection on three different cops working in the same force. There is the new guy, intent on building an image and wiping the streets clean. There is the old guy, who's been in the force long enough to know the in's and out's, and how to make a profit on the side. And then there's Bud White (Russell Crowe), the most fascinating character of the movie, who does not really know what his purpose is within the force. The movie sticks with these three men, weaving in and out of their own personal successes and problems, while at the same time developing a grand criminal scheme. Beyond the characterization of these three men, there are some superb action scenes that seem to come out of nowhere. A particular interrogation scene with Bud White really stands out in my mind. The violence, when it hits, hits hard. And that's surprising in this beautiful city. This movie deserves plenty more words.
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