L.A. Confidential (1997)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
In 1953 Los Angeles, a group of LAPD officers must navigate a web of internal corruption and Hollywood scandal.
The story
In 1953, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) aims to improve its public image following decades of corruption. The story follows three distinct officers: the career-focused Sergeant Edmund Exley, the fame-seeking narcotics Sergeant Jack Vincennes, and the volatile Officer Wendell White. Their paths converge as they investigate a series of crimes and a high-profile prostitution ring involving women surgically altered to resemble film stars. As they navigate the murky intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity, the officers must confront the internal rot within their own department while attempting to solve a string of murders and a massive heroin theft.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1953, LAPD officers Exley, Vincennes, and White are tasked with cleaning up the department's image. While White becomes involved with a prostitution ring run by businessman Pierce Patchett, Exley investigates a massacre at the Nite Owl coffee house. The investigation reveals a conspiracy involving the theft of heroin and the manipulation of the police by Captain Dudley Smith. As the officers uncover the truth, they realize Smith is orchestrating a takeover of the local drug trade. The plot culminates in a violent confrontation where Exley and White discover that Smith orchestrated the Nite Owl massacre to frame others. After a final confrontation, Exley executes Smith to prevent him from being hailed as a hero, and the officers ultimately choose to cooperate with the department's public image despite the internal corruption they uncovered.
- First release year
- 1997
- Runtime (minutes)
- 138
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Curtis Hanson
- Writers
- Curtis Hanson · co-writer; Brian Helgeland · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kevin Spacey · Jack Vincennes; Russell Crowe · Bud White; Guy Pearce · Ed Exley; James Cromwell; David Strathairn; Kim Basinger; Danny DeVito
- Genres
- neo-noir; crime thriller
- Themes
- police corruption; Hollywood glamour; identity
- Tone and mood
- noir; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- crime; detective; historical
- Source material / true-story basis
- James Ellroy's 1990 novel, the third book in his L.A. Quartet series.
- Content notes
- violence
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving critical acclaim for acting, writing, directing, editing, and the musical score.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 99% · scale: approval rating · review count: 163; Metacritic · score: 90 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2015.; The title refers to the 1950s scandal magazine Confidential.; The film was one of four films in history to sweep the 'Big Four' critics' awards.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…