L.A. Confidential (1997)

L.A. Confidential opens with a pitch-perfect voice over narration by Danny DeVito, continues by showcasing the colorful, golden streets of L.A. in the mid 50's with terrific attention to detail in buildings, cars, hairstyle, costumes, interiors, etc., then continues with a terrific story that involves three policemen with very different backgrounds that are all involved in the same case. The case is the Night Owl Cafe murders where a giant bloodbath seems to have happened inside the cafe. One is in it because his partner was one of the dead bodies, another because he took the call and was first on the scene after the murders happened, the last because a blonde bombshell who has information is part of the other officer's case with this sleazy hitman who turns women into prostitutes. In addition, there's a love triangle between the blonde, the hard hitting cop who's partner was murdered and the young rookie cop who took the call. It all fits together like a watch. Like a jigsaw puzzle. It just works on all details.

Critics love this film and it won major awards, so I was expecting it to be very entertaining. I was very disappointed at how slow and dull it is. It's far too long for the small amount of actual material in it. The characters are dull and there are a lot of scenes that are just boring conversations.Kim Basinger plays a call girl, so she should certainly have at least one good sex scene. However, we don't even see her nude - let alone having sex.We don't see the murder that's at the centre of the plot - we only see the corpses afterwards and people talking about it. That means that we don't know exactly what happened.

I am going to concur with the other glowing reviews here and say that this is an excellent film that deserves the high reputation its has. Except for one aspect - sound design and management. Much has been said about the recent trend to balance dialogue with other sound tracks badly but this film really is the worst I have come across. Dialogue and music are fairly well balanced and work well together but any on-screen violence causes the volume to be cranked up to ear splitting and totally unnatural levels. Gunshots, fist fights and even door slams are unacceptably louder than the dialogue and music levels and in a domestic viewing environment this means the finger has to be constantly on the volume control to compensate. I see no reason for this other than shock value. Unfortunately the shock effect wears out very quickly and we are left with something that is crude, annoying and badly thought out. Pity, because everything else about this film is brilliant.

For me one of the few good films of the last twenty years. He went to see the movie. I've seen her at home several times. And I always remember that when I was in the cinema watching the thought, what woman, but what a bad actress is, but ... my mother, you can be a woman, you are going to give the Oscar. The film is huge in all sections. It gets you into it to the bone. It gets you in those days. You believe everything you are seeing.Everything is real and seems to be happening at that moment. The film has an absolute truth.The actors are all incredible. But Kim Basinger is above all others. It is like the goddess made woman who is, but also has sold her soul to the devil and asked, give me a good interpretation in my life and stay the rest. And he has granted it. Her presentation is very good, little by little, and there it is, beautiful with a touch of love and glamour.The picture is great. It has a beautiful color, even in the street.The management is great. It has staging, movement of characters, composition, beautiful plans. They are very well composed. But also, it is well worn, is well mounted.The costumes are great as the makeup and the hairdresser.I do not think you could ask for more of a movie, well yes, come back to see the.