As the emotional nexus, a Veronica Lake lookalike trapped in a web of male desires, Basinger is arguably the pick of a perfect cast. Subtle, shocking, compelling and immensely assured.
Comment
06/24/06
L.A. Confidential (1997)
99
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:80
Fresh:79
Rotten:1
Average Rating:8.6/10
Consensus: Taut pacing, brilliantly dense writing and Oscar-worthy acting combine to produce a smart, popcorn-friendly thrill ride.
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director Curtis Hanson captures the duality of 1950s Los Angeles in this striking film noir adaptation of James Ellroy's novel. The City of Angels might be sunny, inviting, and glamorous to the... [More]
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger
Director: Curtis Hanson
Reviews for L.A. Confidential
Top CriticTaut, atmospheric, acted with confident ease -- this is one of the greatest American movies of the 1990s.
04/09/08
Top CriticDirector Curtis Hanson's elegant film is faithful to Ellroy's multi-layered and labyrinthine book, requiring some concentration to keep up with the subtle plot twists and coded dialogue.
04/17/01
Top CriticActed to perfection with more twists than you can shake a stick at.
04/21/03
Top CriticIt's the story of good white actors stranded, in the name of noir, in a movie that refuses to kick into gear until it's far too late.
01/01/00
L.A. Confidential is a rarity, a major Hollywood film with smart acting, dialogue and production values that actually works from beginning to end.
01/01/00
This police corruption thriller, based on a James Ellroy novel, drags in places and ultimately fails in its film noir genre, but it's tops in art direction and photography.
06/22/04
L.A. Confidential is a tour de (police) force. With characters as intricate as any you'll find on film this year, and performances that rise to the occasion.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe script has the type of deft plotting that made films like The Crying Game and The Usual Suspects so popular.
01/01/00
Top CriticClick to read the article
03/24/02
Top CriticA parlor game has already begun as to whether the supreme acting revelation in L.A. Confidential is provided by Mr. Crowe, Mr. Spacey or Mr. Pearce.
04/27/07
Curtis Hanson has captured the flinty, sweaty days of post-World War II Los Angeles in his slick policier, L.A. Confidential.
01/01/00
It may be set almost 45 years ago but it's as urgently up-to-date as tomorrow.
01/01/00
If the critics overrate this one, it's only because it looks so damned good in contrast to the rest of what's out there.
01/01/00
Director Hanson's convoluted plot -- tracing the rise, fall, and redemption of L.A. cops played by Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, and James Cromwell -- is all over the map until its handy, bloody ending (body count > 25).
01/01/00
You have to pay close attention to follow the double-crossing intricacies of the plot, but the reward for your work is dark and dirty fun.
04/09/08
Stop reading. Put this review on hold until after you've seen L.A. Confidential.
04/09/08
This is the rare film that displays a perfect sense of star power, and how it plays to an audience.
01/01/00
A solid, confident thriller.
01/01/00
The feel of the movie is of nostalgia for the Hollywood glamorous life of [the 1950s]...
01/01/00
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