|
''L.A. Confidential'' is a 1997 American neo-noir crime film directed, produced, and co-written by Curtis Hanson. The screenplay by Hanson and Brian Helgeland is loosely based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same name, the third book in his L.A. Quartet series. Like the book, the film tells the story of a group of Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) officers in 1953, and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity. The title refers to the 1950s scandal magazine ''Confidential'', portrayed in the film as ''Hush-Hush''. At the time, Australian actors Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe were relatively unknown in North America, and one of the film's backers, Peter Dennett, was worried about the lack of established stars in the lead roles. However, he supported Hanson's casting decisions and this gave the director the confidence to approach Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and Danny DeVito. Critically acclaimed, the film holds a 99% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, as well as an aggregated rating of 90 on Metacritic. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning two: Basinger for Best Supporting Actress and Hanson and Helgeland for Best Adapted Screenplay; it lost every other category to ''Titanic''. ==Plot== In early 1950s Los Angeles, Detective Sergeant Edmund "Ed" Exley (Guy Pearce), the son of a legendary LAPD detective, is determined to live up to his father's reputation. His intelligence, insistence on following regulations and cold demeanor contribute to his isolation from other officers. He exacerbates this resentment by volunteering to testify in a police brutality case, insisting on a promotion to Detective Lieutenant. This goes against the advice of Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) who states that a detective should be willing to shoot a guilty man in the back for the greater good. Exley's ambition is fueled by the murder of his father by an unknown assailant, to whom he refers as "Rollo Tomasi" to give him personality. Officer Wendell "Bud" White (Russell Crowe), whom Exley considers a "mindless thug", is a plainclothes officer obsessed with violently punishing woman-beaters. One such incident leads him to arrest a former cop named "Buzz Meeks" after White sees him with women who look like Veronica Lake and Rita Hayworth. White comes to dislike Exley after White's partner, Dick Stensland, is terminated due to Exley's testimony in the Bloody Christmas scandal. White is sought out by Smith for a job in which they harass and beat up out-of-town criminals trying to fill the void left in Los Angeles following the imprisonment of Mickey Cohen for tax evasion. The Nite Owl case, a multiple homicide at a coffee shop, becomes personal after Stensland is found to be one of the victims. Detective Sergeant Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) is a narcotics detective who moonlights as a technical advisor on ''Badge of Honor'', a popular TV police drama series. He is providing Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito), publisher of the ''Hush-Hush'' tabloid magazine, with tips about celebrity arrests that will attract more readers to Hudgens' magazine. When actor Matt Reynolds (Simon Baker) is killed during a scheme in which he is to be caught in a homosexual tryst with the L.A. district attorney, Vincennes is determined to find his killer. Although the Nite Owl crime initially looks like a botched robbery resulting in six homicides, the three men individually investigate it to discover indications of corruption all around them. Three African Americans are initially charged with the murders and later killed in a shootout. The only witness against them later recants this part of the accusation, saying she had to make sure they would never be free to rape her again. White recognizes Nite Owl victim Susan Lefferts as one of Meeks' escorts which leads him to Pierce Patchett (David Strathairn), operator of Fleur-de-Lis, a call girl service that runs prostitutes altered by plastic surgery to resemble film stars. He begins a relationship with Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger), a Veronica Lake look-alike prostitute. Although, White falls for Bracken, she later sleeps with Exley in order to allow Hudgens to take compromising photos of him. Having been transferred to vice, Vincennes connects him to a pornography racket in return. The body count rises when White searches a storage room under Lefferts' mother's house to find the corpse of Meeks with an empty suitcase. When Vincennes approaches Smith with the evidence he has found with Exley, Smith learns that his scheme to take over Mickey Cohen's heroin empire is threatened. Smith shoots Vincennes who utters "Rollo Tomasi". Exley's suspicions are aroused when Smith asks him who Tomasi is. Smith subsequently kills Patchett to tie up loose ends. During an interrogation with Hudgens, Smith arranges for White to see the photos of Bracken sleeping with Exley which sends him into a rage. Confident that White has gone after Exley, Smith proceeds to kill Hudgens. White punches Bracken and drives to the police station, but when he gets there, Exley is able to convince White that Smith is corrupt before their fight can reach a conclusion. They are able to obtain evidence against Smith by threatening the District Attorney. Captain Smith sends hitmen to murder Exley and White but arrives himself to see that they have gained the upper hand. Smith shoots White but then surrenders to Exley. As police arrive, Exley shoots Smith in the back, killing him. The LAPD cover up Smith's crimes and say he died a hero in the shootout while protecting Exley, but Exley demands that he and White be rewarded for their cooperation in the deception. Exley is praised as a hero and receives medals for his bravery, and the LAPD launches a top-to-bottom investigation of its men. Upon leaving City Hall, Exley sees Bracken, who tells him she has quit being a prostitute and is returning home to Arizona. In the back of her car sits White, who survived his gunshot wounds but is unable to talk. Exley and White shake hands and Bracken drives off into the sunset. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「L.A. Confidential (film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|