"LA Confidential" A masterpiece film noir that achieved a high level of entertainment and art.

*This article touches on the ending of the story, so we recommend watching the movie before reading it.

"LA Confidential" synopsis

Los Angeles in the 50's. Six men and women, including a former detective, were brutally murdered at a downtown cafe. Under the direction of Los Angeles Police Department Inspector Dudley Smith, detectives begin an investigation. Bud, the former partner of the murdered detective, approaches Lynn, a mysterious high-class prostitute who was with the murdered woman. Jack, a brilliant star detective, and Ed, an ambitious young detective, also join the fight, and although the case seems to have been solved, the three become embroiled in a huge conspiracy that they never expected...

The noir film ``LA Confidential'' is a 1997 masterpiece that received high praise from the time it was released. Despite being considered the frontrunner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, it won only two awards: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress (Kim Basinger), falling behind Titanic (1997), but critics It received overwhelming reviews and won numerous awards, including the National Film Critics Circle Award. This result was heavily promoted and became a hot topic when it was released in Japan.

What was the reason for its charm, which is still talked about by movie fans, and the reason for its extremely high ratings? I would like to take some time to look back and explain the contents.

Index

• A carefully crafted LA noir world
• Complex script and aesthetic style
• American pathology that still applies today
• Deeper depth with the actors' realistic performances
• A miraculous work in which every element exceeds the standard.

A carefully crafted LA noir world

The original work is a crime novel set in the underworld of Los Angeles written by James Ellroy, nicknamed the ``mad dog of American literature.'' The film was directed by Curtis Hanson, who received acclaim for this film and is also known for later directing Eminem's `` 8 Mile '' (2002), which also directed ` `Mystic River '' (2003) and ` `The Green Zone '' (2010). Screenwriter Brian Helgeland is co-writing the adaptation with Hanson.

The story is set in Los Angeles in the 1950s, where corruption in public authorities and murders by gangsters are rampant. The story is about the ``Night Owl Incident,'' in which several brutally murdered bodies, including a former police officer, are discovered at a downtown cafe, and three detectives approach the unexpected truth behind the incident. At first, Danny DeVito plays the role of the storyteller and also appears as one of the characters, but in a surprising twist, he quits the narration partway through.

"LA Confidential" preview

The reason this film became a masterpiece is because the various elements that make up the film were accomplished in a way that exceeded standards. For example, film composer Jerry Goldsmith , a regular Academy Award winner, enlivens his works with music. The hard-boiled, melancholy tones of the brass section and the suspenseful score, which brings out intense piano melodies in tense scenes, enrich the atmosphere of this work and elevate it.

What's more, the beautiful art that recreates Los Angeles in the 1950s is a must-see. The atmosphere of high-class residential areas and areas where the poor live, the world of show business and the glamor of parties are depicted along with gruesome incidents in dull tones. It can be said that the overall high degree of perfection created through this kind of attention to detail is the foundation that makes this work unique.

Complex script and aesthetic style