| Winner of two Academy Awards, and nominated for | | | | by-the-book officer, following in the footsteps of his |
| seven others, LA Confidential was the surprise thriller | | | | dead father - a former cop himself who was |
| of 1997. Prior to American Beauty and Gladiator, Kevin | | | | mysteriously murdered. Officer Wendell 'Bud' White |
| Spacey and Russell Crowe starred in this seedy crime | | | | (Russell Crowe) is a vigilante agent of law |
| and suspense film - one of the best of the decade. | | | | enforcement who believes in personally exacting |
| Set against the backdrop of 1950's Hollywood and the | | | | justice and punishing those who fail to subscribe to his |
| celebrity culture of that era (quite indistinguishable from | | | | own perceived morality. As the son of a wife-beater, |
| the celebrity culture of this era), LA Confidential | | | | White has zero tolerance for abusers of any type. |
| projects a LA police department filled with corruption | | | | And rounding out the three is Sgt. Jack Vincennes |
| and a town obsessed with acquiring fame, money, and | | | | (Kevin Spacey), a self-absorbed cop in search of |
| celebrity at any cost.When members of imprisoned | | | | Hollywood celebrity (he consults for TV shows on the |
| mob boss Mickey Cohen's gang start showing up | | | | side) and money. In the end, these three men of |
| dead, it's up to three cops on the LA police force to | | | | differing realities must come together if they hope to |
| get to the bottom of the mystery. Their superior, Capt. | | | | uncover the truth surrounding these mysterious killings.In |
| Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) convinces wiseguys | | | | the meantime, the conflict between the three men and |
| from other parts of the country to go home. It seems | | | | Capt. Smith heats up. Each must wage a personal |
| that someone is moving in on Cohen's underworld | | | | battle against the fraternity culture of the police force, |
| territory, but who? The police are led to the home of | | | | the bureaucratic machine, and the rampant corruption |
| wealthy developer Pierce Patchett (David Strathairn), | | | | that infests every corridor of city hall. Along the way, |
| who runs a prostitution ring of Hollywood | | | | Bud White strikes up a relationship (as does Exley) |
| look-alikes.The investigative task falls to three cops, | | | | with one of the prostitutes from the investigation, Lynn |
| each of whom goes about his business in a different | | | | Bracken (Kim Basinger), which complicates the |
| way. Deputy Lt. Edmund Exley (Guy Pearce) is a | | | | investigation and compromises his judgment. |