L.A. Confidential (UK)
Off the record, on the QT, and very hush-hush...
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 132 mins
Retail Price: £15.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
`L.A. Confidential` is "tough, gorgeous and vastly entertaining" (Janet Maslin, The New York Times), "a genuine masterpiece that will knock your socks off" (Rex Reed) and won 1997 Academy Awards for Best Supporting actress (Kim Basinger) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson).
Director Curtis Hanson and a terrific cast serve up a "ravishing, thrilling tale of police corruption and Hollywood glamour" (Marshall Fine, Gannett Newspapers) in this film version of James Ellroy`s novel.
Three cops (Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce), a call girl (Kim Basinger), a mysterious millionaire (David Strathairn), a tabloid journalist (Danny DeVito), and the Chief of Detectives (James Cromwell) fuel a labyrinthine plot rife with mystery, ambition, romance and humour.
Special Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Production Notes
Trailer
Bonus: Three Behind-the Scenes Documentary Features
Off The Record, Including Cast/Creator Interviews;
Director Curtis Hanson`s Photo Pitch;
The LA of `L.A. Confidential`
Interactive Map Tour
Plus Music-Only Track (5.1) Showcasing Jerry Goldsmith`s Score
Video Tracks:
Widescreen Anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio Tracks:
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Dolby Digital 5.1 French
Dolby Digital 5.1 Italian
Subtitle Tracks:
Icelandic
Polish
Czech
Turkish
English
CC: English
Greek
Hungarian
Arabic
Directed By:
Curtis Hanson
Written By:
Curtis Hanson
James Ellroy
Brian Helgeland
Starring:
Danny DeVito
James Cromwell
Russell Crowe
David Strathairn
Kim Basinger
Guy Pearce
Kevin Spacey
Casting By:
Mali Finn
Soundtrack By:
Jerry Goldsmith
Director of Photography:
Dante Spinotti
Editor:
Peter Honess
Costume Designer:
Ruth Myers
Production Designer:
Jeannine Claudia Oppewall
Producer:
Michael G. Nathanson
Curtis Hanson
Arnon Milchan
Brian Helgeland
Executive Producer:
Dan Kolsrud
David L. Wolper
Distributor:
Warner Bros
Your Opinions and Comments
Content:- A very heavy going film at first, or at least that is how I saw it. The plot seems really complicated and kinda disconnected but it isnt really. Everything comes into place by the end and it all fits together very well indeed. The cast were fantastic, Crowe was great as the bullish thug that contrasted Pearce`s more subtle character. The whole piece was wonderful to watch, with a great score and superb screenplay. I think I need to watch it a 2nd time though. Heh.
Video:- A nice cleanish colourful anamorphic bit here that works just fine. I have no complaints.
Audio:- A nice soundtrack although not really nice in terms of satellite action as there isnt really any, but it was very ambient and the music came across very well and the whole thing was quite good, just generally not very exciting in terms of surround effects. Bonus points for including the different languages all in 5.1 though.
Features:- Good stuff here, and plenty of it. I havent seen it all yet but its fine what is on offer. Good show.
Overall:- A chunky film that seems almost blinding at first, but stick with it and by the end of its 2 hour+ length it will all be clear to you and have been well worth the watch. A nice DVD aswell with dandy audio + video and some nice extras. A good show really.
The cast is awesome. This film made Russell Crowe a superstar. Guy Pearce also was pretty unknown to those who don`t watch Neighbours. Spacey is great as usuall and even the supporting actors like Danny De Vito and James Cromwell do well for themselves but Crowe steals the show.
The story revolves around 3 detectives, who want to solve the night owl murder case.
Bud White is a tough guy who will use any means to create his own justice. He bends the rules, even breaks them and believes he is giving criminals what they deserve. He has a soft spot for women in that he absolutely despises men who abuse women.
Ed Exley is your typical suit guy. He passes written tests to become a detective but has very little field experience. He does everything by the book. A law abiding officer.
Jack Vincennes is all about glamour. He wants to be as famous as possible and often sets things up with a magazine photographer so that he can be all over the magazines.
Together they become attached to the night owl murder case in a tale of corruption, sleaze and crime. Curtis Hanson is slowly becoming my favourite director. Cant wat to see 8 mile road.
The picture is a good anamorphic widescreen transfer but the dvd was done quite a few years ago and could be better if it was remastered again. The sound is a cool DD 5.1.
Quite a few extras including an interactive map of the settings. This feature has now become a standard thing on curtis hanson dvds. 8 mile road will probably have it too. There are some trailers, a documentary and a photo pitch. For such a fine movie, I would have loved to hear an audio commentary amongst other stuff but on the whole im satisfied with what is there.
A must own dvd especially since its going so cheap.