L.A. Confidential: 20th Anniversary Edition - DVD Review

[Michael Scott]

L.A. Confidential: 20th Anniversary Edition

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Most of the time when cinema buffs refer to the king of neo noir detective classics we think of Jack Nicholson in Chinatown. Very few films can even come close to that cinematic masterpiece, but 1997’s L.A. Confidential is the one movie that can actually come so close as to smell the Whiskey on Jack Nicholson’s breath. Sadly, it was also horrible snubbed at the academy awards when a certain movie about a silly boat sinking took the title (grumble grumble Titanic grumble grumble) while the OBVIOUS superior movie lurked in the shadows. A critically acclaimed slam dunk, L.A. Confidential was all primed to sweep up best picture when Leonardo DiCaprio moped onto the screen with a Celine Dion singing in the background. Whether it got the award or not is actually inconsequential in the long run, as the neo noir detective film has been given its just rewards over the years with a cult following that rivals many other great films.

“Welcome to Los Angeles”, the city of angels. The only thing is, those angels might actually be fallen angels, as Los Angeles is probably known for being one of the biggest hives of corruption known to the U.S. justice system. Dirty cops, drug dealers, pimps, hookers, junkies, organized west coast mafia, Movie stars, and everything in between. Back in the early 1950s the famed gangster Mickey Cohen was taken down by the L.A. police, and in that moment a power vacuum was formed. Based on the novel by James Ellroy, L.A. Confidential tells the story of THREE cops and their search for justice in their own ways. Bud White (Russell Crowe), a smooth talking beefcake with a penchant for angry violence and a loyalty to his superiors that rivals no one. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), a slick as snot celebrity cop who is working as a consultant for the film business, and one Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce). The goody two shoes of the bunch who is trying to make a name for himself as an honest cop in a world of crooked ones. While everyone is off punching thugs and beating confessions out of them, Exley wants to do things by the book, but when his fellow officers are involve in a bit of a gang beating of some criminals he rats them out to the higher ups and gets labeled as a snitch.

All three cops start to smell something out of the ordinary when they all converge on a shooting at the Nite Owl coffee shop that leads to racketeering, smut, gambling, prostitution, and multiple murders. And that’s just the TIP of the iceberg. As the three cops start chasing the rabbit down the rabbit hole, they peel back layers of the L.A. police force and uncover a pack of lies, deceit and betrayal that is only rivaled by the gangster that they strive to take down. Rich pimps (one played by David Strathairn) who dole out girls surgically altered to look like high class movie stars (one of whom ends up being the lovely Kim Basinger), and dirty ex-cops all start to reveal the bigger picture. That picture being corruption and greed that never ever really went away, despite Mickey Cohen being put behind bars.

L.A. Confidential is master at balancing multiple story arcs and doing so with panache. The film deals with three different cops, a main theme of murder, and each cop has multiple sub plots that are each fleshed out completely and thoroughly in the 2 hour sand 18 minute film. Crowe, Spacey and Pearce (an actor who sadly never rose to the heights that he really should have) each play their differing cop personas EXTREMELY well. Each character showing their own flaws and good points in a race to the finish that ends with one of the most iconic cop shootouts in cinema history (it really is an epic shootout). But and Exley’s encounters never feel forced or contrived, and each time they meet you can feel the disgust and hate for each other dripping off their tongues. Spacey is perfect as the slick and stylish Vincennes, and you almost hate to love his conniving self.

What makes the film work is that even though there’s some good cops, and some good endings, its all bathed in differing shades of grey and black with spots of white. Bud is a violent man who will beat a confession out of you like you wouldn’t believe, and even the goody two shoes, Exley, is not above rating out his brothers for a promotion that he wants. Lawyers, politicians, and higher up police officers have their vices (whether that be women, drugs, or men), and while the good guys prevail, it’s all with the knowledge that everything was done the wrong way. Director Curtis Hanson makes no bones about the flaws and vices of his protagonists, and makes it very obvious that this film doesn’t have any “good guys”, just protagonists and winners. It’s simply a masterpiece that deserves more recognition than it already has gotten, and a better special edition than we have.




Rating:

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sexuality




Video:

This new disc from 20th Century Fox appears to be the same transfer as the 2008 special edition, which was solid in the day, but looks a bit dated compared to modern remasters. The 2.40:1 Mpeg2 encoded disc looks very faithful to Hanson and Spinotti’s film making intentions, but here are some funky issues baked in like some aliasing and haloing around faces. The background images can look a bit soft, but that is fairly indicative of the Blu-ray and the filming techniques used for the movie. However, there are a few speckles and print damage issues that crop up now and again. Otherwise the film look incredibly well done, with a nice layer of film gain and the use of bronze over tones to give the film a weathered and period piece look to it. Blacks are inky and deep, while shadow detail amid the shadows is very nice.






Audio:

The original DVD from back in the day favored a rather anemic Dolby Digital 5.1 track that was sub par even back then. Thankfully the 2008 special edition (which this appears to be a clone of) featured a much improved mix that added some weight and fullness to the epic film’s audio annals. Dialog is crisp and well placed, showcasing Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe’s banter as well as the smooth 50s inspired club score that flows throughout the channels. The movie can be a bit front heavy as the detectives investigate murder after murder, but the film is speckled with all sorts of action, ranging from heavy gunshots from the sound of pump action shotguns, to the squealing of tires as they race downtown. The third act gunfight that is so famous is incredibly immersive, with gunshots and cracking of wood mixed in with the tense score, creating a simply marvelous listening experience. It’s not as bass heavy as modern films, and there’s a few instances where I noticed some harshness in the voices (where Exley and Bud White declare a truce after fisticuffs being one of the most obvious), but overall its an excellent track for a DVD.







Extras:

• Commentary by Critic/Historian Andrew Sarris, James Ellroy, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Ruth Myers, David Strathairn, Kim Basinger, Brian Helgeland, Jeannine Oppewall, Dante Spinotti and Danny DeVito
• Whatever You Desire: Making L.A. Confidential
• Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of L.A. Confidential
• A True Ensemble: The Cast of L.A. Confidential
• L.A. Confidential: From Book to Screen
• L.A. Confidential TV Series Pilot
• Off the Record: Vintage Cast/Creator Interviews
• Director Curtis Hanson's Photo Pitch
• The L.A. of L.A. Confidential Interactive Map Tour
• Music-Only Track (5.1) Showcasing Jerry Goldsmith's Score
• Trailers and T.V. Spots

Final Score: ​

I can’t stress enough how much I adore L.A. Confidential. It’s the quintessential neo noir cop film (along with Chinatown) and I was ecstatic to see it get a special edition from Fox after coming out on DVD and Blu-ray almost a decade ago. Sadly it looks like both this DVD (And the Blu-ray) is nothing but a repackage of the 2 disc special edition (on one disc this time, including all the extras that was included in the 2 Disc 2008 edition) minus the music CD that used to be included. I would have loved to have seen a new 4K transfer, or a 4K UHD, or even just a re-encode with new features as the old transfer is a BIT dated. This one uses the exact same master as the 2008 edition and includes the same features, so while the MOVIE is a must watch, this special edition will be for those who have never picked up the film before.




Technical Specifications:

Starring: Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Written by: James Elroy (Book), Brian Helgeland (Screenplay)
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 MPEG2
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, French, Spanish DD 1.0
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: R
Runtime: 138 Minutes
DVD Release Date: September 26th, 2017

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Great Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review and memories. Have to re-watch this one..