L.A. Confidential (1997)

dustyscout53 said:Are you serious?!
That's great. 👍
I bet they have those in my small town, too.

I wonder if we even get that movie here in the States. I kind of doubt it. 😢
Blue Origin? A sequel to Deep Blue? 😁 😁

We have it. It’s actually not bad at all.

Henry Anderson47 said:Yeah, it's actually pretty decent.

Sorry if this sounds a bit condescending, but honestly, the answer is pretty simple.

It exists—and it isn't bad at all. It was released on Betamax and DVD, and the American translation goes like: ???

😛 🙂

Such a killer movie, and honestly, it’s the first one where I don't find Kim Basinger totally grating

dustyscout53 said:Sorry if this sounds condescending, but the answer should be pretty obvious.

It’s actually not bad. It came out on Betamax and DVD, and the American translation goes: ???

😛 🙂

dustyscout53, thanks so much for the patronizing tone. *sob*.

But yeah, the answer is exactly what it needs to be. As you can tell from my typing style—lowercase everything—I’m sticking strictly to unedited text... basically, I'm just letting my brain rest.

?? I can't fill that in because I can't remember. I know I saw it at the local video rental shop and it definitely caught my eye (pretty sure it was a Betamax), but I don't recall actually renting it or watching it.

So, I guess I owe you the second half of the answer once I figure it out.

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Stompato was definitely a thing, and he was totally seeing Ian Turner.

Yeah, and Lanina's kid actually ended up killing him.

Anyway, I read The Quartet in order, and honestly, after finishing Big Nowhere, a bunch of the characters and setups in L.A. Confidential felt... well, kind of stale. Like leftovers. For instance, Jack Vincennes is basically just a watered-down version of Danny Upshaw from BN—that closeted deputy who is hands down my favorite Ellroy character ever. Remember what he said before heading out on that undercover op? "A blunt instrument to smash my nightmares." And that's exactly how he got taken out 😢

on point, 👍 credit to the screenwriters for pulling a genuine masterpiece out of all that chaos for the movie.

It might not be everyone's absolute favorite, but it’s definitely mine. Hands down my all-time favorite movie. 🤗🤗

To’s a masterpiece and easily one of the best films from the 90s.

Jesse Lopez3 said:It might not be everyone's absolute favorite, but it’s definitely mine. Hands down my all-time favorite movie. 🤗🤗

Great job reviving a thread that’s been dead for 13 years. 👍

Such a solid movie 👍

My favorite people are always the ones who lose their minds just because an old thread was resurrected. 🤣

If it only made it to page two thirteen years ago, then yeah, it needs a serious boost... I honestly thought at first it was just because of pathetic Kevin 😁

I actually saw it in theaters; man, thinking back to when Russell and Guy were both on the rise—they just had this incredible energy and charisma on the big screen. Now? Looking at what Russell has become, I’d probably shoot him and myself just to end the misery 🤣

An excellent film.

The book is clearly in a different league, but it’s still not my absolute favorite in the Los Angeles quartet. That title belongs to The Big Nowhere.

L.A. Confidential is a bit of a tangled mess, honestly. It’s a lot to track, especially since the story spans about nine years. The movie only touches on one tiny slice of the plot, and frankly, it doesn't do it justice. Still, it's worth a watch, even if—aside from maybe Cromwell—none of the actors really managed to capture the soul of the characters from the book.

I caught it for the fourth time last night, and honestly, it just hits different every single time—it’s such a timeless masterpiece...

Rollo Tomassi 🙏🙏🙏

This movie is just more of the same—nothing but pretentious, "nomadic" garbage, scattered everywhere like microscopic plankton.

silvercobra4 said:This movie is just more of the same—nothing but pretentious, "nomadic" garbage, scattered everywhere like microscopic plankton.

Maybe I’m a little bit out of touch because I have such a deep love for film noir, but trying to compare that kind of cinematic experience to those "heroic" blockbusters (my favorite example being Aquaman 🤣) feels to me exactly like comparing... say, a gourmet five-course steak dinner to a bowl of plain oatmeal...

brightheron64 said:Maybe I’m a little bit out of touch because I have such a deep love for film noir, but trying to compare that kind of cinematic experience to those "heroic" blockbusters (my favorite example being Aquaman 🤣) feels to me exactly like comparing... say, a gourmet five-course steak dinner to a bowl of plain oatmeal...

Nomadland isn't even in the same universe as superhero movies. What I was doing was comparing this masterpiece to what people call "masterpieces" today—you know, those Oscar-nominated, award-winning prestige films.

This film is just one iconic scene away from being an absolute masterpiece. It truly possesses all the essential elements of greatness: the narrative structure, the performances, the depth of the characters, and that unmistakable atmosphere. Personally, if I had to pick my favorite film set in Los Angeles, it would be this one—though, if I’m being honest, Chinatown still holds a very slight edge in my heart.

silvercobra4 said:Nomadland isn't even in the same universe as superhero movies. What I was doing was comparing this masterpiece to what people call "masterpieces" today—you know, those Oscar-nominated, award-winning prestige films.

Well, I think I see where you're coming from.

I was really just trying to point out to the superhero crowd how much trouble we get into when we follow the "just film what people want" mantra, which basically shows just how far the Hollywood industry has drifted over the last thirty years or so...

Arthur Moore97 said:This film is just one iconic scene away from being an absolute masterpiece. It truly possesses all the essential elements of greatness: the narrative structure, the performances, the depth of the characters, and that unmistakable atmosphere. Personally, if I had to pick my favorite film set in Los Angeles, it would be this one—though, if I’m being honest, Chinatown still holds a very slight edge in my heart.

I’d definitely toss To Live and Die in L.A. onto that list too.