L.A. Confidential exposed

CineVerse peeled back the layers on the stellar crime thriller "L.A. Confidential" yesterday and came away with some pretty fascinating conclusions. Here's a recap:

HOW IS THIS FILM SIMILAR TO AND YET DIFFERENT FROM CLASSIC FILM NOIR MOVIES OF THE 1940S AND 1950S?

·       It employs classic noir conventions, including a femme fatale who leads men into danger, a dark, gritty, corrupt urban underworld, voiceover narration, flashback scenes, and a documentary style realism (the home movie opening scenes, photographic images and references to actual events that occurred in L.A., such as Robert Mitchum’s pot bust)

·       However, it is not filmed in black and white nor does it use chiaroscuro (high contrast) lighting with heavy shadows; instead, it showcases lush, deep colors and realistic looking photography

·       It doesn’t utilize a subjective camera that provides a particular character’s point of view to the audience, as many noir films do

·       Unlike many films noir, which end bleakly and in a pessimistic tone, this one has a happy ending: Bud gets the girl, Exley gets recognized for his heroism, and the villain, Capt. Smith, is vanquished.

·       Many noir films and crime movies avoid delving into psychological character aspects; this one is chock full of psychological subtexts (the love triangle, the rivalry between White and Exley, their choice to collaborate, the redeeming of their characters, etc.).

·       It’s considered a “neo noir” (new breed of film noir) shot with modern sensibilities and subtle references to modern events (white cops harassing minority suspects) and color photography yet firmly anchored in the tropes, conventions and styles of classic 1940s/1950s noir

·       It’s been called a postmodern film; according to Frederick Jameson, postmodernism is characterized in films in a variety of ways, as demonstrated in L.A. Confidential:

o   having a sense of nostalgia as embodied through pastiche, which is a form of satire that is non-humorous; its intent is to imitate; the film imitates styles from 1940s noir films and classic 1950s TV programs (the Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd movie, the Dragnet TV show);

o   lacking individualism; the viewer can find it challenging to identify with or root for any one particular character, as there are 3 main protagonists; and it is not clear and evident who the hero is in this film;

o   and a breakdown of the relationship between signifiers; according to writer Autumn Miller, “L.A. Confidential’s imitation for imitation’s sake makes it not a movie about 1953 Los Angeles, but a movie about other movies.”

WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT THE FILM’S 3 POLICE OFFICER LEADS? HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT AND SIMILAR, AND WHAT DOES EACH REPRESENT?

·       Exley is the upright letter-of-the-law cop; he’s self-righteous, priggish, brown-nosing opportunist. He thinks he’s doing the right thing, but he’s capable of making mistakes—including killing the wrong men. He thinks with his head, which can get him into trouble. He’s the intellectually superior of the 3.

·       Bud White believes in the law’s true meaning, but his steely resolve and tunnel vision intensity can lead to cruel and unfair justice; he thinks with his emotions and his heart, which can blind him to the truth. He’s the physically superior of the 3.

·       Vincennes doesn’t have a problem with bending the law and taking advantage of his power and authority to profit and get ahead. He abuses his power for personal benefit. He’s the most street smart and opportunistic of the 3, and yet the most vulnerable, as evidenced by the fact that he’s rubbed out.

·       Before the film concludes, all three change their imperfect ways: as Autumn Miller puts it: “Ed matches his strictness with leniency, Bud similarly tempers his violence with lawful conduct, and Jack reverses his desire for personal gain as he loses his life in an effort to save an innocent.” All three characters, who start out as anti-heroes, turn out to be heroes with virtuous qualities.

WHAT OTHER FILMS COME TO MIND AFTER VIEWING L.A. CONFIDENTIAL?

·       Chinatown, another neo noir about corruption in old-time Los Angeles

·       Mulholland Falls

·       The Black Dahlia (Brian DePalma remake, also written by James Ellroy)

·       The Departed (police corruption)