L.A. Confidential (1997)

Directed by Curtis Hanson; produced by Curtis Hanson, Arnon Milchan and Michael Nathanson

In early 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - ruthlessly ambitious Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce), celebrity Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) and muscleman Bud White (Russell Crowe) - become involved in separate investigations that aren’t what they seem. As the men delve further, they realise that their cases may all be tied to the city’s drug-trade, left up for grabs by an underworld power-vacuum. The trio reluctantly work together - overseen by the enigmatic Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) - as they discover secrets in their city, and within themselves.

An excellent neo-noir film, L.A. Confidential puts a complex plot and detailed characters into a convincing setting, with superb results. The first element one notices is the casting and the acting. The three leads are thoroughly convincing. (I’d read that Pearce initially showed up for his audition wearing longish hair and casual clothes; he returned after a mediocre reading with his hair cut short, wearing glasses and a suit. Everyone then knew he was Exley.)

The performances cannot be improved upon, especially Spacey’s and Pearce’s, while it was vital that Cromwell’s, though less front and centre, be spot-on, as he needs to show certain sides to his character that only eventually come to light. Crowe’s acting is quieter, as befits his character, which makes his bursts of violence more startling. Kim Basinger has a significant rôle, and does well with it.

Mention must also be made of the supporting actors, even the bit players. They seem to have been chosen as much for their physiques as anything else. Many of the detectives are middle-aged and paunchy, giving the impression of men who, having secured their coveted positions, now have tenure, and nothing short of a publicly committed crime will evict them. The police force is made to look a closed shop, a caste, with all that implies.

The writing is very good. The screenplay was co-written by the director and Brian Helgeland, from James Ellroy’s novel. The dialogue is not so necessary for its words, as for what the words convey. There are numerous fine scenes, especially those when each of the three lead characters discuss the reasons they became policemen, and realise how far they have strayed from their original intents; Spacey’s moment in this regard is particularly memorable.

There is a large dollop of irony spread through the story, as the characters confront the consequences of their actions, or inactions, each having done something they intensely regret, and then try to make good. How Bud White’s violent nature betrays him, and how Exley determines that justice is better than his career are good examples. Also, notable is the way the trio start to work together, despite disliking each other, gaining respect for each other and themselves as they go. And for irony - coming with particularly bad timing for one character - one can’t beat the way Exley finally answers the questions Smith asks him at the film’s start.

There is verisimilitude in the writing, as well. All the cops appear either to know each other, at least in passing, or of each other. This reinforces the feeling, mentioned above, that the police department is a relatively small club.

The direction is the least conspicuous aspect of the movie, I think, though, like all good direction, is indispensable. This is probably Hanson’s best work, though Wonder Boys, his follow-up film, comes close. He creates wonderfully tense scenes, some involving confrontation with and without violence, and the climax is exciting, and gives no clue as to how it will end. (Hanson’s writing work includes the excellent The Silent Partner, reviewed on this blog in September, 2019; Never Cry Wolf, and the widely-misinterpreted White Dog.)

For its story, its writing, its acting, its direction, and its themes of corruption, comradeship and redemption, L.A. Confidential is one of my favourite movies.

Desperate (1947)

Directed by Anthony Mann; produced by Michel Kraike

Steve Randall (Steve Brodie) has a life on the upswing: a new and pretty wife (Audrey Long), his own truck for hauling cargo and, though he doesn’t know it yet, a baby on the way. But a call from old acquaintance Walt Radak (Raymond Burr) changes that. Radak coerces Randall into moving stolen goods and though Randall manages to warn the police, a cop is killed by Radak’s brother, who soon faces the death penalty. In revenge, Radak chases Randall and his wife across the country, and their only hope is in staying one step ahead of the murderous hunter.

A neat little film noir that relies on the tension generated by the direction and acting more than anything else, Desperate benefits from the talents of director Mann early in his career. Another early Mann movie was Two O’Clock Courage, reviewed on this blog recently. As in that picture, Mann is given a script with nothing spectacular and manages to create a number of good scenes. One may notice a use of close-ups here that was not common in 1947, at least in B-movies. Light and shadow are effectively utilised, as well.

With regard to acting, leading man Brodie is capable but rather bland. That this was recognised at the time may be evinced by the fact that Desperate is his only starring role, all others relegating him to supporting parts, though substantial, in many cases.

The honours for creating an impression here go to Burr as the villain. He specialised in bad guys, probably cast so because of his deep voice, height and girth - though he convincingly played a hero in Please Murder Me (1956). In Desperate, he makes another menacing crook realistic. (Interestingly, he and Brodie re-united thrice in episodes of Burr’s tv series, Perry Mason.)

Jason Robards Sr (credited, of course, without the qualifier) has a good part as the police detective who knows Randall is innocent of deliberate involvement in crimes, but uses him, to an extent, to run down the real culprits. In a number of similar low-budget B-movies, it is the secondary characters that add interest, and keep the film going. Desperate is no exception.

The script and story are fairly ordinary, and there is no feeling of time or distance in a story that covers months and thousands of miles. This is a problem more to do with the writing than the direction, and removes a dimension to the tale.

All in all, Desperate is a good if not very good crime story, its quality improved by some good service provided by the supporting actors and the director.