Film Noir Review

L.A Confidential is an action packed Curtis Hanson. It was created in 1997 as a neo-noir film, which is a version of film noir shot after 1970. “Hansons” L.A. Confidential tells the story of an up and coming detective named Ed Exley during the 1950s, Sergeant Edmund Exley, son of the legendary LAPD detective Preston Exley, is determined to live up to his father's reputation. He gets out to a rough start by agreeing to testify in the Bloody Christmas case in exchange for a promotion to Detective Lieutenant, because now he is hated by other officers. Exley's ambition is fueled by the murder of his father, killed by an unknown assailant, whom Exley nicknames "Rollo Tomasi". Officer Wendell "Bud" White is a strong minded officer obsessed with violently punishing woman-beaters, because his father was one. White comes to dislike Exley after White's partner, Dick Stensland, is fired due to Exley's testimony in the Bloody Christmas scandal. White is sought out by Captain Dudley Smith for a job in which they beat up criminals trying to fill the void left in L.A after the imprisonment of Mickey Cohen. The Nite Owl case becomes personal after Stensland is found to be one of the victims. Vincennes is providing Sid Hudgens, publisher of the Hush-Hush magazine, with tips about celebrity crimes that will attract more readers to Hudgens' magazine. He becomes determined to find Matts killer in Hudgens' scheme to set up actor Matt Reynolds with L.A. district attorney Ellis Loew. This is an example of when good cop bad cop tactics are used in a murder investigation.

Also, three African Americans are initially charged with the Nite Owl murders, and later killed in a shootout. The Nite Owl crime initially looks like a botched robbery, Exley and White investigate it to discover indications of corruption all around them. White recognizes Nite Owl victim Susan Lefferts as one of Meek's' girlfriends which leads him back to Pierce Patchett, operator of Fleur-de-Lis whatever you desire, a call girl service that runs prostitutes cut to look like movie stars. He begins a relationship with Lynn Bracken, a Veronica Lake look-alike prostitute. White searches a storage room under Lefferts' mother's house, and finds the body of Meeks. When Vincennes approaches Smith with the evidence he has found with Exley, Smith realizes his scheme to take over Mickey Cohen's heroin empire is threatened. Smith shoots Vincennes, who whispers "Rollo Tomasi" before dying. During an interrogation of Hudgens, Smith arranges for White to see photos of Bracken sleeping with Exley, which sends White into a rage. Thinking that White has gone after Exley to kill him, Smith kills Hudgens. Exley investigates and discovers Meeks and Stensland used to work closely with Smith. The two decide to team together to take down Smith. Exley and White realize that Smith himself has been taking over after Cohen, and the killings have been Smith tying up loose ends. Exley and White are set up with a trap against Smith and his hitmen. Smith shoots White in the face, but then is forced to surrender to Ed. Exley shoots Smith in the back, killing him. Throughout this film many key plot points and examples of film noir are used such as fog, falsely accused men and women, murder investigations, and flashbacks/ flashforwards.

Hansons