THE AISLE SEAT - "L.A. CONFIDENTIAL"

by Mike McGranaghan

As a film critic, I get a lot of the same questions and comments from moviegoers. One of the most commented-upon matters is the state of the cinema today. Many people are getting tired of the same old thing: generic action pictures, "dumb" comedies, gory horror flicks. Sure, those kinds of movies can be fun, but discerning moviegoers can't survive on them alone. You need something of substance once in a while (or, if you're really discerning, more often than that). And thus, I am often asked to suggest a movie that offers intelligence and sophistication, as well as entertainment. If you are in the mood for such a film, look no further than L.A. Confidential, which I think is one of the year's best films.

Set in 1950's Hollywood, L.A. Confidential tells the story of three very different cops on the LAPD. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is a cool cop who also serves as technical advisor for a Dragnet-style TV show called Badge of Honor. The fame that comes from the show is as important to him as upholding the law. Bud White (Russell Crowe) is a more troubled cop. His inner demons lead him to take his aggressions out on wife-beaters, whom he pummels mercilessly whenever he comes across one. Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) is a young cop who believes everything should be by-the-book. He's incorruptible, a symbol of decency and integrity, a fact that dismays his boss, Dudley Smith (James Cromwell). Smith worries that Exley lacks the intensity it takes to deal with criminals in a pinch.

When a fellow cop is killed in a mass murder following an internal scandal, all three cops are drawn into the fold. They begin investigating the murders - dubbed the Night Owl killings after the coffee shop in which they occur - for different reasons. White was the dead cop's partner and wants revenge. Exley believes there is something not quite right about the murders, which leads him to seek the truth. Vincennes believes some of the answers might be found with Sid Hudgeons (Danny DeVito), a yellow journalist who runs "Hush-Hush," one of those 50's tabloids that reported the illicit doings of various celebrities.

Hudgeons is a man in the know, especially when it comes to sex and drugs; he knows which celebs are sleeping together and which ones are smoking marijuana and shooting heroin. He even arranges for Vincennes to bust these people in front of the Hush-Hush cameras. Hudgeons offers a few tips on the slayings, which lead all three cops to a millionaire named Pierce Patchett (David Strathairn) who has an unexpected business, and a mysterious woman named Lynn Brackett (Kim Basinger) who bears an unusual likeness to Veronica Lake.

I'm leaving out a lot of little plot threads and details, because L.A. Confidential is packed with neat twists and turns. The manner in which all these characters converge is both fun and dramatically compelling. You also have to pay close attention. Certain people have information that other people do not. As a result, different cops have different parts of the mystery solved at different times. The screenplay for the film - by Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson (who also directed) - does a skillful job keeping everyone and everything straight. More happens in the 135 minutes of this film than in just about any other movie I've seen this year, and yet it all makes perfect sense.

Adding to the engrossing story is a handful of outstanding performances from some top actors. Kevin Spacey is superb as the ego-driven Vincennes. The actor - who I've never seen give a bad performance - keeps you riveted with his character's unclear motives. You can never be quite sure where Vincennes is coming from, whether he's decent or crooked. The fact that you care is a testament to Spacey's immense talent. The other standout is Russell Crowe (Virtuosity) who does Oscar-calibre work as the troubled Bud White. Crowe shows you a man tearing himself apart from the inside in one of the most complex performances I've ever seen.

As if the story and performances weren't enough, L.A. Confidential is also an incredible looking film. I love the period atmosphere created by director Hanson (The River Wild, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle). The whole underworld of 1950's Los Angeles, including the sleazy "confidential" school of journalism, is beautifully evoked with lush cinematography and flawless production design. Few films do such a good job of establishing a time and place in the viewer's mind.

Based on a novel by James Ellroy, L.A. Confidential is one of my favorite films of the year. Every scene in the movie is good; there is not one bad scene. The story's climax is both exciting and thought-provoking as Exley is forced to make a decision that determines who he is as both a cop and as a man. There are no easy answers for the characters in this story, which is refreshing to see in a mainstream Hollywood release. I love this movie, and if there's any justice whatsoever in the Motion Picture Academy, L.A. Confidential will get a Best Picture nomination at next year's Oscars.

( out of four)