L.A. Confidential
by Curtis Hanson (1997)
A new entry in this series dedicated to films that deal with criminal enterprises.
Three police officers, all very different from each other, navigate 1950s Los Angeles, a place ruled by corruption, immorality, and political scandals.
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*”When I know more, dear readers, so will you. This is unofficial news, just between us, so: keep it hush hush.”* (Sid Hudgens)
Bloody Christmas
It’s Christmas Eve, 1951, in Los Angeles. Two police officers respond to a call claiming that minors are consuming alcohol inside a bar on Riverside Drive. Upon arrival, however, they find seven adults, members of the Mexican community, who refuse to comply with their orders to leave the bar.
A brawl breaks out in which the two officers sustain minor injuries. Seven hours later, the police arrest six of the seven men, dragging them from their homes and taking them to prison. The last one, Daniel Rodela, is dragged by his hair into a patrol car and taken to Elysian Park, where several officers brutally beat him, causing multiple facial fractures.
Two blood transfusions are required to treat him.
The next morning, while the officers are getting drunk despite the alcohol ban, word spreads that one of the officers involved in the bar brawl the previous night had lost an eye in the fight. In retaliation, the officers decide to avenge him: the six arrested men are lined up outside their cells, and at least fifty policemen participate in a beating that lasts for ninety-five minutes.
The prisoners suffer severe injuries, with some ending up with broken bones and punctured organs.
All of this happens in front of a hundred witnesses.
Considerations
Curtis Hanson brings James Ellroy’s novel to the screen, offering a personal take that focuses more on action and plot twists than on the analysis of a harsh, corrupt, and violent world.
Nevertheless, the packaging of L.A. Confidential is flawless, brilliantly recreating the era in which the events take place, and is enhanced by Dante Spinotti’s stunning cinematography.
Kim Basinger, in a state of grace, needs just fifteen minutes of screen time (this is the total duration of her scenes) to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
But it’s the entire cast, as often happens in particularly successful productions like this one, that delivers commendable performances:
from the diplomatic Jack (Kevin Spacey) to the violent Bud (Russell Crowe), not forgetting the contemplative Ed (Guy Pearce) and the corrupt Captain Smith (James Cromwell).
Finally, Brian Helgeland’s impeccable script deserves mention, winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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