L.A. confidential [DVD]

Based on a James Ellroy novel, ‘L.A. Confidential’ perfectly recreates the mythology of film noir embedded within the city of Los Angeles circa 1950. Stylishly melding real and imagined Hollywood and crime folklore, the complex plot involves hookers that are made up to look like movie stars, corrupt cops on the take, sleazy tabloid journalists and of course, murder. Russell Crowe is excellent as the brutish but honest cop who teams up with an opportunistic rookie (Guy Pearce), and a smooth, star struck police officer (Kevin Spacey), to solve the gang style murder of a group of innocent bystanders in a late night diner. The investigation uncovers a sinister web of blackmail, sex and greed, implicating some of the upper echelons of L.A. society. No noir film would be complete without the obligatory femme fatale, played with sultry poise by Kim Basinger who won an Oscar for her performance. Rather than it being mere pastiche, director Curtis Hanson treats the material in a direct, earnest fashion and in doing so delivers one of the best examples of the genre for some time. Cast also includes Danny DeVito, David Strathairn and James Cromwell.