L.A. Confidential

L.A. Confidential is a 1997 feature film based on the 1990 crime fiction novel of the same title by James Ellroy. Three cops in 1950s Los Angeles, Bud White, Jack Vincennes and Edmund Exley, start working different angles of a case that spirals out of control, and ends up encompassing drugs, murder, prostitution, and corruption. Kim Basinger won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Lynn Bracken, a Veronica Lake look-a-like hooker in whose arms tough Bud White finds comfort. The plot zips along, throwing in 1950s references, and showcases the dirty secrets of Hollywood, television, and city government. It shows the origins of today's tabloid journalism in the form of Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito), editor of Hush Hush magazine, the movie's stand in for real life tabloid rag Confidential.

Fast Facts

1. Director: Curtis Hanson
2. Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kim Basinger
3. Release Date: September 19, 1997
4. Run Time: 138 minutes
5. Nominated for 9 Academy Awards
6. Won 2 Oscars: Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay
7. Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating: 99%

L.A. Confidential's Main Characters

• Officer Wendell "Bud" White: Played by Russell Crowe, the tough cop feels he isn't smart enough to figure out real cases, and is used as muscle by Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell). His family background has made his sensitive to violence against women, and this is one of the things that draws the beautiful prostitute Lynn Bracken to him.

• Detective Lt. Ed Exley. Though young, Exley is fiercely ambitious and wants to eclipse his dead father's legacy. Played by Guy Pearce, his desire to do the right thing is tempered by his desire to rise quickly in the ranks of the police force. After testifying against department men, he only finds acceptance on the force after he kills escaped suspects in the line of duty.

• Sargant Jack Vincennes: Played with world weary charm by Kevin Spacey, Vincennes isn't above a set up if it will get him publicity in Hush Hush magazine. As the "technical advisor" on the cop show Badge of Honor, he gets to hob nob with celebrities, but the murder of an actor he once sent to prison starts him on a path of self reflection.

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