I've been watching movies for almost 60 years, and "L.A. Confidential" is one of the most wildly entertaining films I've ever seen. It was so much fun, I didn't want it to end. (It's anything but a comedy -- but it's fun.)
The story borrows elements commonly found in "hard-boiled" detective fiction: loose dames, prostitution and pornography, homosexuality, police corruption, murdered partners, etc, etc, etc. It is, at least superficially, a broad re-imagining of "The Big Sleep", with an idealistic (but ambitious and hard-nosed) police officer (roughly) standing in for Sam Spade. Of course, given the nature of such novels, these similarities are to be expected. (There is no murdered chauffeur, however.)
The director wanted to stay away from "noir" tone and cliché, and he succeeds. Though set in 1953, "L.A. Confidential" seems modern. The performances -- from actors largely unknown at the time -- are perfect. One could not even imagine better.
The Blu-ray is a beautiful transfer, well-capturing the varied visual moods of LA and surroundings (as discussed in one of the excellent supplements). Some moments, though, appear to have been badly underexposed (as suggested by gray, rather than black backgrounds). Whether this was intentional is not clear, and it doesn't really detract.
Unless you're offended by the violence or subject matter, unreservedly recommended.
There is one rather surprising error -- "When Worlds Collide" was released in 1951, not 1953.Get more detail about L.A. Confidential.
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