I’m aware that with many of these films I’m starting to seriously push the boundaries of what can be considered a ‘Christmas film’, but I’m also broadening my horizons and catching a lot of films I’ve heard a lot about but never had the chance to see, so sue me. My next tenuously festive thriller is a great one, 1997’s L.A. Confidential. Curtis Hanson’s fantastic slice of hardboiled detective noir really launched the careers of Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce while giving a shot in the arm to the career of Kim Basinger who won an Oscar for her work here.
The thing that makes this 1950s set Hollywood crime tale stand out is the way Hanson fills the screen with lush, period detail while infusing the narrative with fully-loaded explosive modern-style action, thrills and violence. For me, this only just qualifies as a Christmas film based on its Christmas-set opening that plants the seeds for everything else that happens throughout. It’s based on the true story of the “Bloody Christmas” - the name given to the 1951 Christmas Eve beating of seven civilians by members of the L.A.P.D. that caused a ruckus at the time.
Pearce is captivating as detective Exley, the determined, career-minded cop who testifies against his fellow officers in exchange for a sweet promotion. His colleagues hate him but he couldn’t give a monkeys - he only wants to do what’s right, which in itself is pretty Christmassy, so it’s interesting that he still comes across as a crawling asshole.
Crowe oozes menace as Bud White, a plain clothes copper who solves most problems with his fists, caught in a conspiracy after his ex-partner, who was involved in the yuletide scandal is murdered. Soon, Bud becomes involved with Basinger’s sizzling, high class sex worker Lynn Bracken and must form an uneasy alliance with Exley, the same guy who got his partner fired.
Kevin Spacey is in there too, playing it cool as Vincennes, a fame-hungry narcotics cop who moonlights as an advisor on a TV cop show and gets high profile celebrity tip-offs from Danny DeVito’s sleazy tabloid reporter. The lives of all these characters collide and ricochet forcing them to work together to smash a crooked plot that goes all the way to the very top.
It’s a ‘talky’ movie that crams in some seriously pulse-raising action beats, with various noisy raids and busts before an ultra-violent climactic shootout. The short, sharp shocks of gunfire are all the more effective because we allow ourselves to become so engrossed in the labyrinthine plot and smart dialogue.
Yeah, I know, L.A. Confidential is more ‘Christmas-adjacent’ than a fully fledged yuletide action yarn but it’s doubtful this story would turn out the same way were it not for the “Bloody Christmas” debacle. Plus, there’s some sweet Bing Crosby holiday music in there and Basinger looks festively foxy in a white-fur trimmed winter coat. This hard-boiled classic has popped up on enough online critics lists of ‘best Christmas thrillers’ that I’m happy enough to let it into the party. You should too.
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