L.A. Confidential
L.A. Confidential is a 1997 American neo-noir crime thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Curtis Hanson. The screenplay by Hanson and Brian Helgeland is based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel, the third book in his L.A. Quartet series. The film tells the story of a group of LAPD officers in 1953, and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity. The title refers to the 1950s scandal magazine Confidential, portrayed in the film as Hush-Hush.
Plot
In 1953, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) aims to improve its public image following decades of corruption. Career-focused sergeant Edmund Exley lives in the shadow of his legendary detective father, whose murderer was never identified; Exley names the suspect "Rollo Tomasi,” representing any criminal who escapes justice. Fame-seeking narcotics sergeant Jack Vincennes collaborates with tabloid journalist Sid Hudgens to perform high-profile celebrity arrests, and volatile officer Wendell White uses violence to interrogate and intimidate suspects, particularly women-abusers, because his father murdered his mother.
Awards
Cast
- Amber Smith
- Brenda Bakke
- Danny DeVito
- Darrell Sandeen
- David Strathairn
- Graham Beckel
- Guy Pearce
- Jack Conley
- James Cromwell
- Jeremiah Birkett
- Jim Metzler
- Kevin Spacey
- Kim Basinger
- Matt McCoy
- Michael McCleery
- Paolo Seganti
- Paul Guilfoyle
- Ron Rifkin
- Russell Crowe
- Shawnee Free Jones
- Simon Baker
- Steve Rankin
- Symba Smith
- Tomas Arana