1997 movieRating: 18/20
Plot: Following a massacre at a diner, three 1950's Los Angeles cops--a by-the-book youngster with a tragic past, a thuggish veteran with a special hatred for wife beaters (men who beat women, not the shirts), and another veteran more concerned with his own fame and wallet weight--uncover corruption.
I think all movies should start with Danny DeVito. The plot of this one confused me the first time I watched it. I finished it, enjoyed it, turned to a friend sitting beside me, and said, "I'm not even sure what happened during a lot of that." Of course, since nobody was actually watching the movie with me, I wasn't exactly lucid anyway. I really feel like this movie pulled its punches. Don't get me started on the ending which puts the capital H in front of ollywood. The movie should have ended with Guy Pearce flashing his badge, and you're not going to convince me otherwise. And the makers of this really tease us with Kim Basinger who could have been a lot more naked. She does have the perfect look for this sort of femme fatale role and does a nice job. Really everybody is almost given a role that is perfect for them. Pearce is good, even when they put glasses on him. The Crowe (that's what I'm calling him), for whatever reason, is a very realistic tough-guy-with-temper. And Spacey and DeVito are terrific in their sleazy roles. And you have to love James Cromwell who I think is the best of the bunch. I'll tell you, when you put him in a situation where he's not talking to a pig, that guy's as menacing as they come. There's a lot of interesting stuff packed into this almost-Shakespearean tragedy--racism, Hollywood and the nature of tabloid, greed and corruption, pornography, what shapes us as human beings/determinist philosophy. And I really like how 50's L.A. is created here. The costumes, the music, the settings, the dialogue, etc. all recall the earlier noir films this pays homage to, and the clash between the sparkling time and place--these almost peachy-keen 1950's--and its much darker underbelly really is what drives this movie and makes it pretty special. The complexities of this story fit together so well, and its twists and turns are interesting even when you're seeing this for a second or third or fourth time. The biggest tragedy is that this (and Boogie Nights, and probably almost every other movie released that year) lost to Titanic for Best Picture. Somebody should be embarrassed about that. L.A. Confidential is a great old-school movie movie, arguably one of the best made in the last twenty years. It could have done without all the glitz and gleam of Hollywood though in a sort of strange way, that fits thematically.
As you probably have guessed I give this one a 20. Its the exact opposite of movies like Fight Club and The 6th Sense, in that you get more out of it each time you watch it. I personally like the Hollywood setting and the whole Los Angeles as a kind of wild west town is pretty cool. Its the casting that is most impressive in this, as each of the three male leads, gives arguably their greatest performance in a film. The Crowe is the most impressive, and his sheer animal actions are downright intimidating. As you pointed out James Cromwell is an impressive villain, and you really do appreciate him getting blown away at the end.
ReplyDeleteThis is a movie I would have given a 17 to when I first saw it in the theaters.....now its one of my favorites of all time.
You guys pretty much covered it. A 19.
ReplyDeleteSo I didn't like that The Crowe lived to see the credits of this one. I thought that was 1) implausible and 2) just too happy-endingish. As you guys know, I don't read books, but I read online that his character does not survive the book. My ending (the badge flash) would be so much better than the ending this had, and part of the reason is that we'd assume Crowe's character is dead.
ReplyDeleteThis is at the bottom of my top 10 list, but it remains there non-the-less. Nothing has managed to bump it off regardless of few, yet troubling, flaws.
ReplyDeleteI'll start with the goodies. It's epic. The art direction, costume design, cinematography, and directing make it delectably grandiose and engaging. The story is so involving that EVERYBODY who watches it has to give it another watch in order to "get it." The magic of this movie is that just about EVERYBODY ends up giving it another watch. That's what makes a good movie. Especially one that can lose its audience but make them come back for more. It's incredibly smart in that way.
The acting is totally hit and miss for me. Spacey, DeVito, and Cromwell steal the show. I think Stratherin and Pearce are HUGELY underrated in just about everything they do and this is no exception. They play their parts conservatively and don't try to chew the scenery for the sake of being movie stars. Crowe, on the other hand, does just that in my opinion. I know I'm probably in the minority on this, but I think Crowe is a smart man and a small actor. He's smart about the movies he chooses, but his acting is over-the-top and too much. I think people forget that all the things he's saying are lines written for him; they don't see the cheesy delivery. I will concede that this was a good role for him, but I think his interaction with Basinger is pathetic when it comes to acting. I see right through it all and he looks like an ameture. I'm not saying I could do any better, buy for the money he made, HE definitely should have. But, the director was obviously happy with it, so who am I to complain? Basinger is also too cheesy in this film. Her lines are subdued and her character is flat. They film attempts to give her a back story, but it just lays there like the hooker she's trying to portray. Speaking of hooker, how PG can you get? I think Julia Roberts was dirtier in "Pretty Woman." Again, she got an Oscar for her work, so who am I to judge?
Overall, this movie is iconic in what it does and I think it will be a classic that will unseat notable classics of yester-year and the Golden Age of film.
*SPOILER*
One last thing: Spacey's delivery and character is timeless and original. His role from beginning to his finality is quintessential and brilliant!
"Unseat notable classics of yester-year and the Golden Age of film."
ReplyDeleteLike, classic film noir? I don't know about that. It's a very well done homage. I'll give it the modern classic tag and leave it at that.
I liked Crowe just fine!
Yeah, I didn't like this movie at all when I first saw it. I like it better now that I have more film references under my belt. I think an understanding of "the Golden Age" gives this more texture. I didn't get it the first time though. I like how it clicks a little more each time you see it.
What about my ending?