Directed by:
Curtis HansonCinematography:
Dante SpinottiComposer:
Jerry GoldsmithCast:
Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, Graham Beckel, Simon Baker, Matt McCoy, Jim Metzler (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
In 1950s Los Angeles, Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), Bud White (Russell Crowe) and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) are three very different cops: Ed is ambitious and incorruptible, Bud takes pleasure in beating up wrong-doers, and Jack works as technical advisor to the television show 'Badge of Honour'. Ed earns the enmity of Bud and Jack when he testifies that they were involved in the beating of a group of Mexicans in police custody, but all three men become involved after a mass-murder takes place at the Nite Owl cafe. Initially, it seems that a group of drug addicts are responsible, but further investigation leads to evidence of blackmail, prostitution and a police cover-up. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (14)
Yeah, I got it after a second screening. A brilliant crime drama with a sophisticated script and the wonderful atmosphere of 1950s L.A., the film's main strength. The same can be said of the perfect cast lead by Crowe’s macho protector of women, he’s flawless. Guy Pearce outdoes himself here, this role opened him the door to the acting elite for a while, before it embarrassingly slammed in his face again a few years later. I am not giving this 5* just because the fairly similar Polanski's Chinatown is a notch better.
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A stubborn gorilla with common sense, a crafty opportunist and a hypocritical, calculating careerist par excellence. All with a cop’s badge and doing things their own way. And all of them unknowingly working on the same case. A (non)noir multi-genre movie that in terms of plot and star-studded cast (and not just those in the main roles) was easily enough to make a trio of excellent movies, each of which could aspire to being a crime classic. Simply three in one in the form of a movie not to be missed, its only fault being that it didn’t finish one minute sooner - it could have avoided the undignified ending. And also a practical demonstration of “how to adapt a complex novel (Ellroy’s best - no less ingenious and ten times more complex) overflowing with characters, events and story for the big screen".
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One of the best crime movies I have ever seen, and also one of the best scripts. Complex, mysterious, unpredictable, yet not confusing, it can be understood with a little attention. Personally, (hough it is a very similar movie) better than The Usual Suspects, because whereas that one mainly benefited from its shocking ending, here everything is carefully dissected, making the whole a little better. Curtis Hanson made a great film, one of the best crime movies and one of the most accomplished scripts ever.
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A gangster film as it should be – bloody, sometimes even brutal, with tough heroes, inconspicuous traitors, a beautiful femme fatale, and a brilliant shootout at the end. Exactly the type of movie where you give it the highest rating without hesitation at the end and the only thing you can say about it is that it is simply divine...
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A fairly ordinary, but intricate and cohesive retro crime drama that boasts A-list names in their younger years and a decent technical aspect. I probably don't downright share this extreme enthusiasm like the rest of the community here, but I still can't say I was bored. I guess it's just such a happy medium.
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