L.A. Confidentialhas more than earned its place as one of the most influential movies ever made. Not only did it launch the careers ofGuy PearceandRussell Crowe, but it’s also one of the first films I think of when I think of the term “neo-noir.” Based onJames Ellroy’s novel of the same name,L.A. Confidentialcovers the corruption within the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1940s,leading to a clash between Pearce’s Ed Exley and Crowe’s Bud White, along with the lurid lives of Hollywood stars and the criminal element that ran underneath the city. Add in a star-studded cast that includes the likes ofKim Basinger, James Cromwell,andDanny DeVito, and it was clear thatL.A. Confidentialwas going to be special.
WhenCurtis HansonandBrian Helgelandwere adaptingL.A. Confidentialfor the screen, they chose to streamline the novel’s events by cutting whole plotlines to focus on Exley, White, and the fame-chasing “Hollywood Jack” Vincennes (Kevin Spacey). The end results speak for themselves, and show that a directorshould always go for what makes the right storyin an adaptation, since books and films are two different mediums.Ellroy even approved of the changes, telling theDallas Reporter,“They preserved the basic integrity of the book and its main theme.” But even though it isn’t 100% faithful to its source material,L.A. Confidentialstill has some real-life events woven into its narrative.
The “Bloody Christmas Riot” in ‘L.A. Confidential’ Is Real — But There’s a Catch
The incident that kickstarts most ofL.A. Confidentialhappens during Christmas Eve. A confrontation between drunken LAPD officers and seven inmates leads to the horrific beating of those inmates, which Exley uses the aftermath of to pursue crooked officers.This event actually happened, and was referred to asthe Bloody Christmas riot.It was especially notable for leading to a staggering number of LAPD officers either being suspended or transferred, including two officers named Trojanowski and Brownson. InL.A. Confidential,their names were changed but the brutal behavior they engaged in was very real, showcasing the darker side of the City of Angels.
Mickey Cohen Was a Real-Life Gangster
L.A. Confidentialopens with a major moment in real-life history:the arrest of notorious gangster Mickey Cohen (Paul Guifoyle). Cohen’s bodyguard Johnny Stompanato (Paolo Seganti) plays a major role in the narrative, as he has connections to a corrupt officer that is tied to a massive conspiracy involving the LAPD. Stompanato was involved at the time with actressLana Turner(played byBrenda BakkeinL.A. Confidential). What the film doesn’t get into is thatStompanato was abusive to Turner,to the point wherehe threatenedSean Connerywith a gunon the set ofAnother Time, Another Place.Eventually, Turner’s daughterCheryl Cranestabbed Stompanato to death. Cohen wound up paying for Stompanato’s funeral, thenleaked the love lettershe wrote to Turner to the press to discredit his abuse.
Cohen’s arrest inL.A. Confidentialleads to a power vacuum, and has LAPD police captain Dudley Smith (Cromwell) task White and other officers with making sure no other gangsters fill his spot — even if they have to go outside the law to do it.This group was known as the LAPD Gangster Squad,and they were a very real organization. One of its members,Jack O’Mara, was very frank about the skirting of the law the Gangster Squad did, saying thathe’d be indicted for his actionsin the present day. Ironically,Smith himself turns out to be using the LAPD to take over Cohen’s empire and cut off any loose ends, and Wexley eventually kills him.
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Another movie would chronicle the origins of the Gangster Squad, and that was the self-titledGangster Squad. LikeL.A. Confidential,Gangster Squadfeatured Mickey Cohen (played this time bySean Penn) and a group of cops determined to take him down. It also had a star-studded cast includingJosh Brolin, Ryan Gosling,andEmma Stone, but reviews weren’t kind,unfavorably comparing ittoL.A. Confidential.Also, whileL.A. Confidentialis able to weave actual historical events into its narrative,Gangster Squadtook more than a few libertieswith real life events.
‘L.A. Confidential’ Takes Its Title From an Actual Scandal Magazine
The element ofL.A. Confidentialthat is most rooted in real life is the title,which is based on a real life magazine.Confidentialwas founded in 1952 byRobert Harrison, who reported on everything from stars' relationships going south to their actual criminal behavior. He became extremely rich doing so, buteventually ran into legal issueswhen he was charged with criminal libel. Harrison won the case, promising to only publish positive stories. Eventually,Confidential’s numbers dropped,and the magazine was canceled in 1978, the same year Harrison died.L.A. Confidentialpresents a unique take on the magazine in its narrative; instead of being calledConfidential, it’s now calledHush-Hush. Journalist Sid Hudgens, played by DeVito, is more or less a stand in for Robert Harrison as he strikes deals with Vincennes to stage celebrity arrests for front page news (and a cut of the profits). Both men wind up victims of Smith’s conspiracy.
L.A. Confidentialmanages to weave several real-life events into its narrative, only slightly altering them to make its story more compelling. The end result isa film that’s stood the test of time,showcasing how corruption grows within certain institutions and the lengths that others will go to for power. Hegleand even revealed thathe and Ellroy had developed a sequeltoL.A. Confidential, with Pearce and Crowe reprising their roles alongside the lateChadwick Bosemanportraying a new protagonist. Sadly,the pitch failed to take offeven at Warner Bros., where the original film was produced! Regardless,L.A. Confidentialis worth a watch if you’re a film buff, a history buff, or both.
LA Confidential
Set against the backdrop of 1950s Los Angeles, a trio of detectives with vastly different styles and motivations investigates a series of crimes that reveal the depth of corruption in their own police force. Their quest for justice leads them through a labyrinth of deception and betrayal in the glittering world of Hollywood.
L.A. Confidentialis available to rent on Prime Video in the U.S.
