LA CONFIDENTIAL
US, 1997, 138 minutes, Colour.
Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger, Danny de Vito, David Strathairn, Ron Rifkin, Paul Guilfoyle, Graeme Beckell, Simon Baker Denny.
Directed by Curtis Hanson.
Somebody must have written a book about the portrayal of Los Angeles in the movies - not a very flattering portrait. This film contributes quite significantly. There has been a documentary with an extensive range of clips, LA Plays Itself.
LA Confidential is based on a book by crime thriller, James Ellroy. It is set in the early months of 1953 with the arrest of the local gangster chief and the consequent battles for his territory. Curtis Hanson, who has directed some enjoyable thriller like The Hand that Rocked the Cradle and The River Wild, takes us into a world of government and police corruption where integrity and opportunism collide. The world is tough and ugly, but Hanson walks the fine line between sensationalism and an intelligent immersion of the audience in an often repellent world. The screenplay demands audience attention to complexities of plot and character.
The police are excellently portrayed by Australians Russell Crowe (impulsively violent yet tender) and Guy Pearce (icy ambition and political shrewdness) as well as Kevin Spacey and, best of all, James Cromwell as the chief, all with behaviour familiar from recent enquiries and Royal Commissions All kinds of characters, standards from this kind of film, are given vitality by the supporting cast led by Oscar-winning Kim Bassinger and Danny de Vito as a gossip tabloid editor. This is the police of forty years ago - and we are asked to wonder how it has influenced the police in the succeeding decades.
Brian de Palma filmed Ellroy’s The Black Dahlia in 2006.
1.Acclaim for the film? Its status as a film classic?
2.The writings of James Ellroy, the history of Los Angeles crime, police, corruption, cover-ups? The re-creation of the 50s, the look of Los Angeles as a city, Hollywood, wealth, poverty, ghettos? The atmosphere (and the films: The Bad and the Beautiful, Roman Holiday)?
3.Hush magazine, the title of the film, the gossip, the confidentiality of scandals – and their being broken to a curious public?
4.The perspective on the 1950s from the 1990s? The issues, crime, the police, integrity?
5.Los Angeles and the history of the police, policing, corruption, cover-ups, the involvement of the police in organised crime? Race issues, the gangs? Official stances on these issues over the latter part of the 20th century?
6.Danny de Vito as Sid Hudgens? His initial voice-over, commentary, perspective, cynical? His gathering of information, his magazine, the tone, interest in scandals, readership curiosity, gossip? His connection with Jack Vincennes for police stories? His collaboration with Dudley Smith, taking compromising photos, his finally being bashed to death? The dangerous consequences of the Confidential?
7.The picture of Los Angeles society at different levels, the crime world, the police world, the world of wealth and business, the world of prostitutes? The ghettos?
8.Los Angeles in 1953, the gangster world of Mickey Cohen? His style, the dance, his arrest? The consequences of his being in prison? The gang wars wanting control of the drug trade? The setting up of the different murders? Meeks and his being a chauffeur to Pierce Patchett? His death? Stensland and the setting up of the murders in the Night Owl restaurant? The irony of Dudley Smith and his role as commissioner, the police in on his gang? His recruiting – and even wanting Bud White? The contrast between the public image, the hearings and the reality? Smith and his taking control behind the scenes, his admiration of Bud White and suggesting that he might be part of his team? His interest in Edmond Exley? Calling his men boyos? His investigation of the crimes, supervising Exley’s interrogations, seeing Bud White’s violent outbursts? His finally being found out, Vincennes making connections, his shooting Vincennes? Vincennes giving him the nickname which gave him away to Exley? His research, manipulation, his treatment of Patchett, Sid Hudgens, the police? The build-up to the final confrontation, the set-up? His being shot by Exley? The hearing, the decision to call him a hero, the newspaper headlines? Symbolic of corruption? And Exley saying that he was being used and he was using the police?
9.Stensland, partnership with Bud White, the encounter with Meeks? The girl in the car? The prostitutes? White and his encounter with Lyn, the shop, at the car? Stensland and the opening up of his links with Meeks? The past work with Dudley Smith, his control of them? Contacts and lies? The massacre and the Night Owl? The motivation? The finding of Meeks’s body under the house?
10.The role of the district attorney, the hearings, his public figure, going on TV? The party and his being introduced to Matt Reynolds? The set-up, Hudgens wanting photos? Reynolds being murdered? The confrontation with Bud White? His callous stance, especially about Reynolds? The visit to the office, his being hung out the window? His fears, confession? The final hearing, the suggestion of the cover-up? The end and his keeping his job?
11.Image and reality, television and reality? The filming of the television shows like Dragnet? The actor and his style? Vincennes and his being on-set, giving advice? Vincennes’ prestige? The celebrations? The finale – and the continuation of the police image via television?
12.Russell Crowe as Bud White, big and tough, the story of his father? The basher and Santa Claus? His encounter with Leffeitz, and Lyn, the contact with Stensland? His growing suspicions? His visiting Leffeitz’ mother, Leffeitz’ death, in the morgue, the connection with Stensland? Finding Meeks’s body? The discussion with the girl’s mother? His being in on the arrest of the African American gang, the interrogations, the bashing? The party and the Mexican girl? Her testimony? His interactions with Smith? His personal life, his relationship with Lyn, going to see her, trying to save her? Being himself? Her seeing the good in him? His dismay at the photos of Exley with Lyn? The violence towards him? Smith trying to control him? Exley and White sharing information? The confrontation of the DA, the final set-up, the shoot-out? White’s being injured, resigning, being looked after by Lyn, going to Arizona? A portrait of a rough and bluff policeman, challenged, finding some integrity, breaking through his violence?
13.Kevin Spacey as Jack Vincennes, suave, public image, on the drug squad? The adviser on the television program? Giving stories to Sid Hudgens, Hudgens paying him? His investigations, his despising of Exley? The relationship with White? His investigations, the lies about Matt Reynolds, his death? His guilt having set him up? His teaming with Exley, the investigations, Exley’s story about the people who got away with murder, the death of his father? His uncovering the truth? Not realising that Smith was to blame? Confiding in him – and Smith shooting him? His giving him Exley’s name, Smith not knowing the reality, it trapping him? Vincennes’ smile as he died?
14.Edmon Exley, his father, living up to his standards, his father killed in action, the name of the man who got away with murder? Uptight, rigid, spectacles? His wanting to be a detective? Smith’s control over him? As a father figure to him? Exley and his getting the chance with the raid on the African Americans? Leading it? Taking responsibility? The shoot-out, his being wounded? His being honoured? The clashes with Bud White? The clashes with Vincennes? His growing suspicions, learning more about Patchett? Learning about the prostitutes, going to interview Lyn, the sexual encounter? His falling victim to Bud White’s anger? Working with Vincennes, sharing information, going to see Johnny Stompanato, the joke about the real Lana Turner? His laughing afterwards? His collaborating with Bud White, suspicions of Smith, Smith and his giving him the name to investigate? The set-up, White and Exley at the motel, their realising what had happened, the siege, the shoot-out? The final confrontation with Smith, Exley shooting him in the back? The hearings, his deciding to accept the honour, the cover-up with Smith as a hero? His using people?
15.Pierce Patchett, the man about town, his luxury mansion, driving with Susan Leffeitz and Lyn Bracken? His running the prostitutes? His drugs and drug-taking? The pornography industry? His investing in the new freeways? Bud White visiting him? His being murdered?
16.The women, the prostitutes, dressed as movie stars? The joke about Lana Turner and the real Lana Turner? Lana Turner with Johnny Stampanato, the irony of her daughter killing him later? Bud White and his pressure on Stampanato for information about Meeks and Stensland? Lyn, her background, her being Veronica Lake? The encounter with Bud White? His going to see her, the relationship, her loving him, seeing the good in him? Explaining that to Exley? The sexual encounter with Exley – Bud White hitting her, her saying that she thought this would help him? Her finally giving information? At the ceremony? Going off with Bud to Arizona?
17.Stensland and Meeks, their past history, Dudley Smith, his hold over them? The Cohen empire, the drugs, the set-up for Stensland to be killed in the Night Owl? Meeks and his being murdered and the body hidden?
18.The set-up for the blacks, the arrest, the accusation of rape? The police raping, setting up the blacks, the murders including Stensland? The interrogations after the raid on the blacks, the fears, the threats about prison, about being used in prison? Ed Exley and the interrogations, the good cop, bad cop routines, letting the interrogations be heard by the listening squad? The false confessions?
19.Bud White and the suspicions, going to Johnny Stampanato, going to Patchett, finding him dead? The interaction with Lynn? Anger? The confrontation with Exley, combining with him?
20.Ed Exley, the relationship with Lyn? The photos? Smith setting up Exley with Lyn, getting Sid Hudgens to take the photos? The role-play for Bud White’s benefit and setting him against Exley?
21.The character of Smith, the final set-up, his explanation of himself, the loyalties of his men? The siege?
22.The somewhat cynical ending, Ed and his decoration, using people? Bud White and his injuries, going to Arizona?
23.The film showing people transformed, improving – with the touches of redemption for integrity: Vincennes becoming less cynical and honest, Exley less rigid and becoming involved, Bud White and the goodness that Lyn saw in him coming out?
