The Lost Highway For 11.24.05: LA Confidential
Posted by Mary Markham on 11.24.2005
Before SUV’s, cellphones and plastic surgery, there was chaos, bloodshed and above the law politics.
As you all know by now, that is if you read my column that I am one of the only female columnists on this site. Whether this lends to or detracts from my reviews is not an issue. What I do know is that for a woman I find I have a masculine penchant for the darker side of human behavior. I admit that in film I enjoy violence, bloodshed, gore, horror, disturbing imagery, in other words, corrupt cops.
Last night I decided to watch “L.A. Confidential”. It had been awhile and I had some time on my hands. Here’s what I know. This film is the best noir film to come out since “Chinatown”. Period. I find myself still mulling over the intricate yet comprehensible plot lines. This film is rich with substance. From the beauty of a promise filled Los Angeles at that time to the meaty ensemble acting from an impeccable cast. I was so engaged and driven by the plight of all these different characters that I didn’t want it to end.
In a nutshell this film is based on Elroy’s brilliant novel depicting a time when the L.A.P.D were glorified heroes and corporal punishment was applauded. L.A. was a different place in the 1950’s. It lured people from all over promising them the future when the reality was hard living, and luck or nepotism played a part in job security. Where the Hollywood dream quickly turned into desperation for those who didn’t make it. Where a corrupt police department shined its badges proudly to the public while selling each other out behind closed doors. Where the mob racket was making headlines over Hollywood starlets. A time when L.A. was interesting.
The plot to some may appear daunting but with some faith and a little bit of attention it is nothing short of amazing. To start Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell), a good old Irish boy, is looking to rid L.A. of the “racket”. Putting the biggest player behind bars allows Cromwell’s police force to become the welcome wagon for any outside newcomers trying to play the game. Forceful tactics in a secluded hotel send newbie mobsters running back to where they came from. To the public this is deserving of their praise and admiration catapulting the officers into stardom. Meanwhile back at the station its Christmas and a jolly good reason to have a party. Goody two shoes Officer Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) is in charge for the evening when 6 Hispanic suspects are brought in for assaulting two fellow policemen.
Once word gets out that they are in custody the inebriated cops decide to take out some of their anger on the Mexicans. A full on brawl starts and the news is there to capture photos of the fight yanking off the crowns of the kings of the department. (Okay let me back up a second. Back in those days the police were shadowed by reporters constantly eager to break the latest story. You’ll notice throughout the film there is always some schmuck reporter hanging around.)
The incident is obviously damning to the department and change is inevitable. The department needs a hangman and internal witnesses who will testify to the beatings. Ed Exley looking for a promotion and apparently having no concern for his social standing in the department volunteers. He suggests they pull Sgt. Jack Vicennes as a witness as well. Vicennes (played effortlessly by Kevin Spacey) is a narcissistic cop who lets Hollywood’s lust for fame obstructs his ethical choices leading him to tip off the local tabloid “Hush Hush” magazine run by the slimy Sid Hudgens (Danny Devito). Spacey’s Vicennes also moonlights as a “technical advisor” for a primetime Dragnet type show. Threat of losing his minimal fame prompts him to be the “rat”. Headed by Exley and Sgt. Jack Vicennes the two acts as witnesses for the Supreme Court which leads to the expulsion of one of their fellow officers. The man in question is Officer Bud White’s (Russell Crowe’s BEST performance) partner, Sgt. Stensland. Now White is the “bad” cop in a “good cop, bad cop” scenario. Big, brutish, not extremely bright with a temper that explodes with ferociousness that destroys everything in its path. However brutish White may be he is sensitive to the plight of abused women everywhere due to the demons that led him to becoming a cop.
The night Stensland is removed of his duty there is a brutal murder of six people at The Nite Owl café. One of the six is none other than Sgt. Stensland. The timing of his death creates a sense of suspicious urgency at the station. The heinous crime leads the department on a manhunt for the men responsible. To further delve deeper into an already thick plot we find out that Stensland was involved with a girl, also found dead at The Nite Owl, named Sue Lefferts. Lefferts happens to work for a millionaire named Pierce Patchett. Patchett runs a high class hooker business called Fleur de Lis where the girls are “cut” to look like famous movie stars. Bud White’s anger at his partner’s death leads him into a web of deception as he begins to find out exactly what his partner was up to. This also leads him to Lynn Bracken (beautifully played by Kim Basinger). Bracken also works for Patchett as his “Veronica Lake”. Basinger couldn’t have made a better decision playing this part. She is delicately feminine and smart as a whip. She lives her life as a whore laughing at the men she seduces for their own weaknesses. Upon meeting White she is the only one that he allows himself to open up to. Perhaps her businesslike cool about her profession and the power it gives her allows him to view her as an equal. A woman incapable of being abused. As their relationship unfolds his propensity towards violence begins to lessen.
As the plots begin to intertwine we find that all of these crimes are related. Stensland was a dirty cop who’s old partner, Buz Meeks was buried under the house of his girlfriend Sue Lefferts. The fight was over unloading a great big suitcase of Heroin. With mob boss Mickey Cohen behind bars and all his henchmen dead where did the H come from and why do the cops want it. Pearce’s Exley as goody two shoes Boy Scout begins to doubt his own beliefs and realizes that not everything is as it seems. The ghost of his own father’s murder, a former detective as well forces Exley to abandon his rigid morals and open his eyes to the reality of the situation. He enlists the help of Vicennes to find out what Bud White is up to and what really happened at The Nite Owl. In an exceptionally poignant moment Exley explains to Vicennes that Rolo Tomasi killed his father. Tomasi is nothing more than a name given to the man that got away. Exley’s inability to purge his father’s memory allows him to give up the ghost. When he asks Vicennes why he became a cop, the man’s eyes fill with tears as he quietly states, “I don’t remember.”
As Vicennes starts to uncover the seedy past of Officer Stensland and Buz Meeks he suddenly meets his untimely demise. After the death of Sgt. Vicennes, Exley and White put aside their differences and decide to work together to finally put to rest all the chaos that has haunted the City of Angels for years.
This movie is unforgettable and will join the ranks of film noir establishing itself as a classic for years to come. I urge everyone to see it and if you already have see it again. It is a masterpiece of filmmaking and acting. It will remind you why you love film. Perhaps Hollywood should watch it again and then maybe the studios will start making good pictures again. It’s been a long time coming.
Back to the topic at hand: Crime. Greed. Above the law police officers. Dirty reporters and dirty cops who will stop at nothing to get a headline or a handout. Starlets whose dream of fame leads them down the road less traveled for a dime. A city run by corrupt power. Welcome to Los Angeles.
