Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2432 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-06-01
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 132 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
In a time when it seems that every other movie makes some claim to being a film noir, LA Confidential is the real thing--a gritty, sordid tale of sex, scandal, betrayal and corruption of all sorts (police, political, press--and, of course, very personal) in 1940s Hollywood. The Oscar-winning screenplay is actually based on several titles in James Ellroy's series of chronological thriller novels (including the title volume, The Big Nowhere and White Jazz)--a compelling blend of LA history and pulp fiction that has earned it comparisons to the greatest of all Technicolour noir films, Chinatown.

Kim Basinger richly deserved her Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of a conflicted femme fatale; unfortunately, her male costars are so uniformly fine that they may have canceled each other out with the Academy voters: Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and James Cromwell play LAPD officers of varying stripes. Pearce's character is a particularly intriguing study in Hollywood amorality and ambition, a strait-laced "hero" (and son of a departmental legend) whose career goals outweigh all other moral, ethical and legal considerations. If he's a good guy, it's only because he sees it as the quickest route to a promotion. --Jim Emerson

Special Features
2.35 Wide Screen
French\Italian
English\Italian
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English French Italian
Dolby Digital 5.1
Interactive Menus
Production Notes
Scene Access
Music Only Soundtrack
TV Spots
Three Featurettes
Arabic\Dutch\English\French\Italian\Portuguese\Spanish

Synopsis
Director Curtis Hanson captures the duality of 1950s Los Angeles in this striking film noir adaptation of James Ellroy's novel. The City of Angels might be sunny, inviting, and glamorous to the rest of the world, but it's also filled with corrupt cops, elegant hookers, murder cover-ups, and manipulative paparazzi, all of which are just the tip of the iceberg. It's impossible to know exactly who's trustworthy and who's not as three detectives (Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce) each use their own tactics to investigate a coffee-shop massacre.
Hanson and Brian Helgeland's script maintains the fragile framework of human relationships developed in the novel. The 45 locations used in shooting maintain the solid tone and integrity of the film, immersing the viewer in 1950s Los Angeles. The entire cast is first-rate, with compelling performances from Spacey, Crowe, Pearce, James Cromwell, Danny DeVito, Kim Basinger, and David Strathairn.

Customer Reviews

"It'll look like justice. That's what the man got."
Curtis Hanson has managed to direct a film which captures the late 1940's in both style and spirit. Often films depicting the glamourous side of this era immerse themselves too much in the styles and fashions of the time, rendering the actual characters superfluous to the movie. Not here though - the characters drive the film, blending in perfectly with the directing style swaying effortlessly to capture the gritty and the classic-Hollywoodesque, the guy has done his homework.

Risks were taken by casting relatively unknown non-Americans in the two major roles, a rare thing by a Hollywood studio. It's hard to imagine anyone else but Russell Crowe as the fiery `Bud' and at times Guy Pierce seems a bit awkward as `Exley' - but this isn't a flaw in his acting, this is him bringing the character to life.

It goes without saying that Spacey steals the screen whenever he's on. Those eerie, soul-less, dead eyes can say more in a moment than a full acting troupe speed-reading a page of Shakespeare. I'm less convinced by Kim Bassinger - she's certainly not poor in the role, but she is possibly the only aspect of the film chosen for the aesthetic over everything else.

Instead of introducing characters with a definite persona, we are allowed to grow to like them as we see past their faults, through the ugliness. This is a film about facades and selling an image, the Hollywood backdrop is the perfect real life allegory for this. The characters have a past, they have depth, and each is important to the film.

In a nutshell: If the US Studios produced more films like this then they probably wouldn't be looked down upon by high-browed film lovers. Unfortunately we shouldn't expect them too often as they don't rake in the dollars like an idiotic teen-flick.

Brilliant
Fantastic storyline and an amazing cast all played to perfection.

I can't believe I've only just seen this film!

Well worth the money as its gripping and incredibly entertaining.

Anyone who says this is a bad film shouldn't be allowed to watch them.

RUBISH
BORING AND RUBISH , DON'T BOTHER. I DIDN'T EVEN INTERESTED TO FINISH THE FILM. NOT SEXY, OR GOOD STORY. WASTE YOUR TIME