L.A. Confidential

Two Stars
Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell

We watched what must have been an edited version of this movie on a cable network late one night this week. I'm glad it was as the accounts of the movie from others who have seen it were grimm at best. Thanks to the editing, I was left with a rather good movie.

At first L.A. Confidential had a similar feel to "The Untouchables", even a bit of "Dragnet". But soon the disturbing sub plots overshadowed the quaint feel of late 40's Hollywood. Luckily the murder mystery balances out the bizzare storyline.

Russle Crowe, one of my favorite actors to watch, makes his US film debut in L.A. Confidential. His performace however is lackluster in comparisson to his late works. I don't know wheather to attribute that to personal acting habits or directorial coaxing. This film is peppered with other great performances by Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, and the outstandingly subdued detective played by Kevin Spacey.