Total 90s Recall L.A. Confidential: Crooked Cops, Twisty Plots & Noir Shocks
Apr 9, 2026
A lively deep dive into Curtis Hanson’s 1997 noir: crooked cops, corruption and moral ambiguity in 1950s Los Angeles. They unpack casting choices and standout performances. Visual style, cinematography and period detail get big praise. The conversation also confronts problematic stars, representation issues and whether the film still holds up today.
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How The Screenplay Distils A Massive Novel
- Adapting a dense 500-page novel demanded
Image And Optics Drive The Story
- The film frames its central theme as image and optics rather than straight crime drama.
- Exley, Smith and the tabloids all manipulate appearances, turning arrests and staged events into PR moments that drive the plot.
No True Heroes Among The Cops
- The film presents corrupt policing as morally ambiguous rather than heroic, questioning whether ends justify means.
- Final deals whitewash crimes and Exley compromises, suggesting the system absorbs idealism into corruption.
