Curtis Hanson made good movies before L.A. Confidential. The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and The River
Wild are both effective, creepy thrillers, but his career took right the hell
off when L.A. Confidential was
released. The movie was, and will forever remain, one of the finest pulp L.A.
throwbacks on film. It’s bursting with style and energy; a modern masterpiece,
certainly. With the untimely passing of Hanson last month, I thought it’d be
appropriate to explore the best film of his career. (As a reminder: I discuss the entire movie in these posts.
The whole film will be spoiled, so please don’t read if you haven’t seen the
film yet!)