My Review: LA Confidential (9/10)

"Rollo Tamasi is the reason I became a cop. I wanted to catch the guys who thought they could get away with it. It's supposed to be about justice."

L.A. Confidential was a very pleasant surprise. I had been waiting a long time for a crime drama like this one and somehow I had never been able to see this classic film from 1997. They don't make crime dramas like they used to in the 90's anymore. L.A. Confidential belongs in the same rank as Se7en, The Usual Suspects, and Heat in my opinion. Unfortunately, in the last decade this genre has faded away. This is director Curtis Hanson's best film and despite directing many more movies in the last decade they have been decent or misses. None of his films compare to the set and mood he's established here with LA Confidential. The film is full of suspense, thrills, and has several twists along the way. This is just the kind of film I love to see. The performances were also all really strong thanks to a spectacular cast and a fabulous adapted screenplay written by Hanson and Brian Helgeland (42, Man on Fire, Mystic River). The script was adapted from James Ellroy's crime novel and it incorporates several true events from the 1950's crime world in L.A. Fans of film noir and crime thrillers will be in for a treat here because this is a really special movie and it deserves all the awards it has received because this is a very satisfying film. The last hour of this thriller is really intense and will leave you at the edge of your seat. The build up is also very satisfying because the characters and events are all well developed.

The film takes place in LA during the early 50's right after the arrest of the well known gangster, Mickey Cohen. The LA police department is as popular as ever thanks to this arrest and a TV drama glorifying them. They are prepared now to face the war over the control of the drug trade that Cohen's arrest has provoked. Among the best men in the department we have the hot headed cop, Bud White (Russell Crowe) who is willing to do what it takes as long as the guilty pay for their crimes. He`s extremely sensitive towards abused females and is ready to punish the criminals. Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) on the other hand is always looking for fame considering he`s a consultant for the cop TV show. Jack has close ties with Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito) a magazine editor who makes deals with him to cover some high profile arrests after setting up their victims. Then there is the promising young officer Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce) who does things by the books and has impressed the DA and high officials for his smarts. Exley is ambitious and is looking for a big arrest in order to climb the ranks. These three men despite being very different from each other will have to join forces if they want to solve the brutal crime that has just taken place near a local cafe. Their main suspect is the millionaire, Pierce Patchett (David Strathairn), who runs a sort of high profile prostitution net involving Hollywood star look a like hookers. One of these hookers, Lynn Bracken, is played by Kim Bassinger and begins to be romantically involved with Bud. James Cromwell plays a supporting role as one of the Sergeant's in the police department.

This film received 9 Academy Award nominations including best picture and director, but only won two (Kim Bassinger for best supporting actress and Hanson for best adapted screenplay). There is something unique about this film despite the fact that the subject matter has been dealt with before a million times (corrupt cops and gangsters) and I think it has to do with the fact that there is no main character here. All three officers have the same amount of screen time and they all kind of play out like anti heroes. They are not your usual heroic cops, instead they are all flawed but easy for the viewer to identify with and root for. I was interested in what was going to happen to each one of the characters in this film. There are good enough twists for the audience to enjoy this film based on the action alone, but the performances from Spacey, Pierce, and Crowe are all so good that they just elevate this film and take it to an entire other level. Basinger is really good here as well, but I don't think she was better than the male actors in this film. L.A. Confidential is one of the best crime dramas I've seen thanks to a great script, some incredible performances, memorable characters, and a lot of thrills. This film is a must see.

Rating: 9.3/10

My Review: 42 (8/10)

"Maybe tomorrow, we'll all wear 42, so nobody could tell us apart."

42 is a wonderful and inspiring sports movie based on the life of Jackie Robinson, the first colored baseball player to make it to the Major Leagues. It is really an inspirational film and a great story despite the fact that it follows pretty much the same cliches and formulas that most sport movies follow. It plays itself pretty safe but thanks to some great lead performances and an emotional story the film managed to draw me in, and I was emotionally involved from the very beginning. 42 kind of follows the same formula that Invictus and Remember the Titans did mixing sports with racism, and they are all based on true stories which remind us of the importance that sports have in society and how they can help break barriers. 42 was directed by Academy Award winner Brian Helgeland who adapted the screenplay for LA Confidential and Mystic River. Helgeland has proved to be a better screenwriter than a director, but I think he did a great job with this movie and has seemed to mature as a director. He also wrote the screenplay for this inspiring film. Despite not being a baseball fan, I do tend to love sports and really appreciated learning more about the life of this great baseball player. It is not as great as Moneyball, but it is still a wonderful movie.

42 takes place shortly after the Second World War as the troops are heading back home and things begin settling down. The athletes are back and all eyes are on the new baseball season that's about to start. Despite criticizing the German foreign government, racism is still very much a part of American life as colored people are forced to be segregated. There are only white players in the Major Leagues and the African Americans are forced to play on a separate Negro League. The Brooklyn Dodgers team executive, Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), decides its time to shake things up a little and decides to contract Jackie Robinson (Chadwick Boseman), the first African American to sign for the Major Leagues. It won't be easy for Jackie or Rickey as they both have to face opposition and threats from the racist society. Rickey warns Jackie about having to endure the abuse without complaining since the commissioners will be looking for any minor fault as an excuse to expel him from the majors. Jackie finds the fortitude in his wife Rachel (Nicole Beharie) and the rest of the African American community who have their eyes on him. 

Harrison Ford gives the best performance of the film, and probably his best performance in the last decade or two. He is great in this movie and fit the role perfectly. Boseman also played Jackie Robinson very well showing the internal conflict he was going through as he tried to keep calm despite all the abuse he was receiving. It was a quiet performance and he was probably out shined by Harrison Ford, but he was still great. Robinson's story is such an extraordinary one that it turns this ordinary film into a much greater one. Despite following pretty much all the general sport genre conventions and cliches it still manages to draw the viewer in because of the great story. Robinson's life was worth telling and that is what makes this film special. There is much more in stake here than simply a game, and once again we see how sports influenced the cultural views of the time. This was a very emotional and inspirational sports drama with some thrilling moments. It's worth your time and money.