Hasitha Fernando dives into the story behind L.A. Confidential on the 25th anniversary of its release…
20th century cinema has gifted audiences with timeless classics of film noir over the years. Gaining traction during the Golden era of Hollywood, with efforts such as 1941’s The Maltese Falcon and 1944’s Double Indemnity, staples of this unique genre have gone onto have a profound impact on the cinematic landscape with their distinctive creative flourishes.
They were firmly and unabashedly products of their time, stunning to behold aesthetically yet infused with a deep sense of cynicism and brooding darkness. In spite of this, film noir still struck a chord with viewers the world over, paving way to an enduring popularity that is still appreciated today. It’s in this light that we take a look at Curtis Hanson’s criminally underrated noir thriller L.A. Confidential, released 25 years ago.
Hanson started off his filmmaking career with the 1973 B-movie Sweet Kill, produced by Roger Corman. His work in the 80s were predominantly mid-budget chillers, which he also co-wrote, but the following decade saw a swift change in his fortunes with the back-to-back box office successes of 1992’s The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and 1994’s The River Wild. By that point Hanson had read half a dozen of James Ellroy’s books before stumbling upon the source material that he’d eventually adapt into his award-wining film.
“L.A. Confidential, the movie, started when I read Ellroy’s book. I found myself hooked on these characters and developing a very interesting emotional reaction to them. As you meet each of these guys- Bud, Ed and Jack- you don’t like them at first and yet, as I kept on going, I was getting emotionally involved with each and every one of them. I knew, if I could replicate that experience for the movie going audience, I’d have something special. It would also be tackling one of my favorite themes as a filmmaker- the difference between image and reality. And the opportunity, to inject that theme into a story set in Los Angeles, the city of manufactured illusion, was something I always wanted to do,” Hanson revealed during one of his behind-the-scenes interviews.
Driven to make this happen as fast as possible, Hanson learned that producer David L. Wolper had optioned the rights to the book a few years back. Wolper had attempted to sell the product television networks as a potential mini-series, but to no avail. When he had all but given up hope, Wolper was approached by none other than Hanson, and the producer was so taken up by the young filmmaker’s passion that they soon came to an agreement to set things in motion with their fledgling project over at Warner Bros.
Brian Helgeland was an up-and-coming writer back in the early 90s before landing the gig of a lifetime. Like Hanson, he too had got his start with cheesy horror flicks before getting his big break with the career defining L.A. Confidential. The duo were also huge fans of Ellroy’s fiction and it was quite by chance that their paths crossed, when Helgeland’s meeting with the studio got canned and his agent instead suggested a meet-and-greet with Hanson, just to try his luck.
Unsurprisingly both of them clicked immediately over their shared loved for the books, which convinced Hanson to bring Helgeland on board immediately. From the get go, the pair had a clear idea on how best to adapt the source material to the big screen. According to Hanson, “extraordinary liberties would have to be taken with that convoluted, dense plot of Ellroy,” and that meant shaving off every single scene which didn’t have the three main characters in it whilst preserving the overarching narrative.
The process wasn’t easy and the couple spent over two years spit-balling ideas and churning out drafts. They even sought the approval of Ellroy when they completed their final draft, and the outspoken writer later had this to say regarding the duo’s efforts, “Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland, the co-scenarists, brilliantly adapted my book. They took my three-man structure, everything seen through the eyes of Bud White, Ed Exley and Jack Vincennes, and brilliantly condensed it down to manageable proportions.”
Warner Bros. executive Bill Gerber handed Hanson and Helgeland’s script to Michael Nathanson, CEO of New Regency Productions, for a look see. Suffice to say Nathanson was floored by what the duo had conceived, but wanted the opinion of New Regency’s owner Arnon Milchan. Ever the unorthodox player, Hanson requested the chance to do a small presentation for Milchan, instead of submitting their script, “I didn’t want him to imagine the movie that I wanted to make. So, I put together a group of 18 photographs which represented the movie of my dreams.”
By featuring such images as the infamous drug bust shot of Robert Mitchum and the cover of scandal magazine Confidential, Hanson wanted to showcase the darker side of Ellroy’s novel and the story he was about to tell. Milchan was impressed by the auteur’s singular vision and fiery passion, and agreed to finance the endeavor.
When it came to casting the leads, Hanson once again opted to take the road less travelled, “My hope was to cast actors that the audience didn’t already know. Actors that the audience could discover, the way I’d discovered them in the book,” he revealed. The filmmaker had seen a young Russell Crowe in the Australian indie-drama Romper Stomper, where he played a neo-Nazi skinhead, and thought he’d be the perfect actor to embody the role of the tortured Bud White. Crowe too, was drawn to his character’s ‘self-righteous moral crusade’ in the script and decided to do a couple of screen tests. He was cast immediately.
For the role of straightshooter Ed Exley, Hanson once again found his man from Australia. This worried the producers somewhat, since they were making a period film set in 50s Los Angeles with two relatively unknown Aussie leads. Nevertheless, Milchan had confidence in Hanson’s choices and that gave him the confidence to approach A-listers Kim Basinger, Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito for the other crucial roles in the movie.
Basinger and Spacey, in particular, were two performers the director had specifically eyed, to play the gorgeous Lynn Bracken and the suave Jack Vincennes respectively. Hanson wanted Spacey to be part Dean Martin, part broken soul – have the Hollywood flash yet feel very human and relatable. Basinger was convinced to play her character, due to the incredible amount of faith Hanson had of her, “When someone believes you that’s half the battle, you want to work with people who believe in you and he was convinced that I was born to play the role,” said the talented actress during an interview.
From the very outset Hanson was very specific about one thing – this wasn’t going to be a style over substance extravaganza. L.A. Confidential was going to be a character driven piece. Period. During a backstage tête-à-tête Hanson elaborated, “My number one directive to my collaborators was to put the set dressing and so forth into the background, so that the character’s emotions are in the foreground.”
To this end, Hanson hired Italian born cinematographer Dante Spinotti, who’ve lensed Michael Mann’s critically lauded crime drama Heat, to be his DOP for L.A. Confidential. Instead of simply aping the highly-stylized look of bygone film-noirs, replete with dramatic lighting and sharp shadows, Spinotti went for a more naturalistic veneer. The cinematographer took further visual inspiration from Robert Frank’s photographic book The Americans, which features a distinct slice of post-war Americana.
Production design played an integral role in bringing to life the glitzy and seedy side of the 50s LA scene and because of this Jeannine Oppewall had a mammoth task ahead of her during the pre-production phase. Over 45 locations were chosen for the film, including several famous Hollywood landmarks appropriate to that specific era, like the Formosa Café in West Hollywood and the Frolic Room in Hollywood Boulevard. Acclaimed composer Jerry Goldsmith crafted the moody, period-centric score which brought to mind his work on Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, two decades prior.
The film was first screened at the Cannes Film Festival, although Warner Bros. was against the idea, Hanson and company bypassed the studio and sent a print directly to the film’s selection committee. A gutsy move that paid dividends in the form of a Palme d’Or nomination for the director. Debuting on September 19, 1997 the flick raked in $126.2 million at the worldwide box-office, becoming a bona fide hit with critics and audiences alike. Praised for its sumptuous visuals, compelling performances and engrossing narrative L.A. Confidential went on to become one of the best reviewed movies of that year.
However, despite being nominated in nine categories the movie went on to win only Oscars at the 70th Academy Awards – in the Best Supporting Actress category for Kim Basinger and Best Adapted Screenplay for Helgeland and Hanson – as this was the year James Cameron’s watery juggernaut Titanic was released, and that movie singlehandedly swept away all its competition in its destructive wake. Quite sad really. In a year, we got the likes of Good Will Hunting, As Good as It Gets and L.A. Confidential, and none got quiet the attention they derserved.
Still, there is no denying L.A. Confidential remains a masterclass of cinema, even after 25 years, the stunning film-noir remains one of the quintessential movies of the 90s era and an unforgettable viewing experience at that.
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
