Curtis Hanson

*****
5/5

Curtis Hanson's superlative filming of James Ellroy's complex 1950's detective story fuses period authenticity, fluid direction and searing, full-bodied performances. From the apparently open-and-shut case if a diner bloodbath, the sleazy scenario takes a trio of cops - ambitious rookie Guy Pearce, smooth TV adviser Kevin Spacey and hard man Russell Crowe - down a corpse-strewn path of crime, corruption and celebrity lookalikes. The roles fit the actors like tightly stitched gloves, and the film's brutality is amplified by the absence of clear-cut heroes, with the police characters as morally dubious as the film's villians. The excellent script won an Oscar, as did Kim Basinger for her hard-edged vamp, but the picture really deserved a hatful.
 

(1997)
US   Colour   132 mins