L.A. CONFIDENTIAL: The Best Crime Noir of the 1990s

It is said that true film noir ended with Polanski’s Chinatown, and that the fleshed-out heroes departed along with Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Edward G. Robinson. The truth is that over the past years, it has been difficult to find a true representative of the genre. With even greater pleasure, I once again returned to L.A. Confidential by Curtis Hanson, which in the 90s was probably the only noteworthy example that film noir, thanks to the director’s creative ingenuity and a delicate plot, could still evoke emotions, and not just any emotions.

L.A. Confidential, as a sort of resurrection of the noir crime genre, not only presents a full gallery of archetypical heroes, but also conveys a certain nostalgia for the golden period of this type of cinema and for that period in American history as a whole. The story takes place in Los Angeles for a reason, where the names of the megastars of the time constantly appear: Lana Turner, Veronica Lake, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe. I would even call it a film within a film.

The world created by James Ellroy, on the basis of which the screenplay was written by Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson, opposes the superficial notions of the greatness of Hollywood – corruption, financial manipulation, drug trafficking, prostitution, the dark side of the city, one might say. However, it is hard not to feel a kind of sympathy for those times when everything seemed simpler – the good were good, and the bad were bad. In a truly paradoxical way, Hanson appeals to American sentiments – a time of irrevocably lost innocence.

This black-and-white reality, although illusory and untrue from the perspective of later scandals and criminal arrangements, seems like a lost paradise. The director, in deciding to tell a serious crime story, did not overdo the sentimental elements, which is why L.A. Confidential was not weighed down by unnecessary baggage that could hinder the perception, especially for viewers outside the United States. What is equally important, he also did not forgo the crucial element of humor. By introducing the character of the owner and editor-in-chief of the gossip tabloid Hush, Hush (Danny DeVito), he gave the viewer a breath of relief amid the rather heavy atmosphere of the film.

Los Angeles, the 1950s. Young, uncompromising police officer Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), after an incident at the police station on Christmas Eve, decides to testify against his colleagues. As a result, he secures a quick promotion but also the hostility of his coworkers. One evening, he receives a call about a multiple murder. Seeing this as an opportunity to prove his competence and quickly gain a position, he heads to the scene, where one of the dead turns out to be a former police officer who had been removed from the service after the Christmas Eve incident. Exley has yet to realize that this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Hanson stretches before the viewer the landscape of Los Angeles after a battle in which the most important players in the drug business have been eliminated. In the criminal world, lawlessness reigns, and whoever claims the throne will gain influence and money from all over Los Angeles. Against this picturesque backdrop, the film’s action unfolds. Ed Exley – the ambitious officer, son of a renowned, highly respected father, a young man with a dangerous politician’s instinct hidden beneath white gloves. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) – the experienced and intelligent cynic, gliding smoothly through waves of arrangements and cliques. Wendell “Bud” White (Russell Crowe) – seemingly hot-headed, a brute, but in reality, the most innocent, hiding his sensitivity beneath a mound of muscle. A drama will unfold within this triangle.

The paradox is that Exley – the one who seems the most upright and uncompromising, simultaneously evokes the most negative feelings. We trust his intentions as much as we trust politicians’ assurances – cautiously. Exley is an arrogant careerist, willing to sacrifice much to achieve his goal, and his behavior is too calculated to be sincere. It seems that the principles he holds dear are nothing but empty clichés tailored for an unseasoned recruit with inflated ambitions. Empty because they stem from a lack of understanding of the reality in which he must operate. On the other hand, Bud White is someone we trust without reservation, even though he doesn’t always act in accordance with the rules that we generally consider to be the norm. His straightforwardness ensures that we don’t doubt his sincerity. Somewhere in the middle is Jack Vincennes – a corrupt pragmatist, for whom only himself matters.

Through the course of events, each of the three will undergo a transformation. Exley will lose his naive innocence, learn that sometimes you must sacrifice your principles to achieve a higher goal, bend and become cynical. Bud White will surprise with his sensitivity and intelligence, and the cynic Vincennes will awaken to feelings of guilt. Someone will sacrifice themselves, someone will conquer the world, and yet another will win the beautiful woman. Just like in life, because in the world of tough men, there is, of course, also a real femme fatale (Kim Basinger, awarded an Oscar for the supporting role).

By combining the traits of the three main characters of L.A. Confidential, we get a figure that closely resembles those from classic detective fiction by Hammett or Chandler: Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, or the Harry Angel character modeled on them. He is a pragmatic, disillusioned cynic, not avoiding alcohol and women – a brutal man who, in critical moments, proves himself to have unyielding character, steely resolve, and principles of iron. He is a sensitive soul bathed in cigarette smoke, hidden beneath a tough-guy exterior. He is simply a detective in the most romanticized version we know. Hanson’s film, like no other in the last decade, refers to this archetypal image, slowly reviving the character forever associated with Humphrey Bogart’s face.