bryan says...![]() I love reading up on all of the past award winners to date. I especially love tracking back the accolade-receiving performers, seeing as many of the Oscar and Golden Globe winning performances as I can from every year.
Obviously, once you get to the 90's, L.A. Confidential comes up quite a bit. Not only did Kim Bassinger win for Best Actress in a Featured Role, but the movie was also nominated for eight other awards, and was actually -believe it or not- the critics' favorite over the king of the cinema, Titanic. Any movie that could rival the second highest grossing film of all time would catch my interest. And it's a period piece film noir? With a bunch of decent actors in it?? Sign me up! I received the DVD from a fantastic DVD/game swapping website called Goozex. It's a great way to get rid of many of your old movies that you don't want anymore, and has a much bigger selection than rivals like Swaptree, SwapPlanet, etc. The problem is that, though I finally got to spend the points I earned from trading in that old Master of Disguise DVD...I now have this one. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with L.A. Confidential. It's a well-made film with decent performances and fabulous style. The biggest issue is that there is so much going on, it's impossible to follow, and therefore, very easy to grow disinterested....and bored...and remember you have to feed the fish...and mow the lawn...and.... I've seen this issue before. Gosford Park suffers from a similar fate. Even if there's a lot going on - and it's all decently entertaining - it all just comes together as a mess. I can't even begin to understand why this movie was so unbelievably popular back in '97. I usually side with the critics. Looks like L.A. Confidential joins the likes of the Nicole Kidman/Will Ferrell Bewitched as a movie where the critics and I just don't see eye to eye. I give L.A. Confidential 2.5 buckets. Rewatch Value: Um...non-existent. | emily says...![]() I saw L.A. Confidential 3 years ago, but I didn't remember until the movie began. Why? Because that’s the only problem with the film: it’s unmemorable.
By all accounts, it doesn’t make sense why this two hour Oscar drama had me squirming in my seat. A crime drama set in the 1950s, the film’s a fun and original action flick that mixes strong acting, a good score, and a storyline with tons of twists. But something just wasn’t right. That something, though, certainly wasn’t James Cromwell—the actor I mentally refer to as “that old guy from Babe.” He ditched the cute little piggy in this flick and was a powerful presence as the head of the L.A.P.D. Kevin Spacey also shined in his role as a cop/television show adviser. He added just the right amount of charm to his character, making him lovable instead a one dimensional sleaze ball--which is what the role easily could have been. The rest of the acting was equally solid too, though I am quite shocked that Kim Basinger managed to squeeze a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar out of her dull and forgettable role.... So, all in all, the acting wasn't where the film went wrong. Nor was the fabulous score and soundtrack, which added a noir element to the film that paid even more homage to the 1950s. No, the thing that this film lacked was suspense. Though the plot held lots of surprises, none of them were ever built up sufficiently. As Hitchcock once said, "There is a distinct difference between 'suspense' and 'surprise.' L.A. Confidential just seemed to get confused between the two, crafting a story that was well-written, but too difficult to follow, too long, and just...not suspenseful. Don't expect to be on the edge of your seat, but patience is still a virtue to those who enjoy detective films. I give L.A. Confidential three buckets of butta. Rewatch Value: No thank you. |