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L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential

Crime · Mystery · Thriller · 1997

Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.

Movie details

L.A. Confidential

“Everything is suspect... Everyone is for sale... And nothing is what it seems.”

1997 Crime · Mystery · Thriller 2h 18m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.8 / 10

Community rating

Three detectives in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over L.A. Confidential?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Curtis Hanson

Written by

Brian Helgeland · Curtis Hanson

Kevin Spacey

Kevin Spacey

Jack Vincennes

Russell Crowe

Russell Crowe

Wendell 'Bud' White

Guy Pearce

Guy Pearce

Edmund 'Ed' Exley

James Cromwell

James Cromwell

Dudley Smith

Kim Basinger

Kim Basinger

Lynn Bracken

Danny DeVito

Danny DeVito

Sid Hudgens

David Strathairn

David Strathairn

Pierce Patchett

Court is in session

Put L.A. Confidential on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.