Synopsis: 1950's Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir-ish tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley, the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead except sell out; Bud White, ready to break the rules to seek justice but barely able to keep his raging violence under control; and Jack Vincennes, always looking for celebrity and a quick buck. A series of events lead Vincennes, Exley, and White down the one-way path to find the truth behind the dark world of L.A. crime.

Cast:
Kevin Spacey .... Sgt. Jack Vincennes
Russell Crowe .... Officer Wendell "Bud" White
Guy Pearce .... Det. Lt. Edmund Jennings Exley
James Cromwell .... Capt. Dudley Liam Smith
Kim Basinger .... Lynn Bracken
Danny DeVito .... Sid Hudgens
David Strathairn .... Pierce Morehouse Patchett
Ron Rifkin .... Dist. Atty. Ellis Loew
Matt McCoy .... Brett Chase
Paul Guilfoyle .... Meyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen
Paolo Seganti .... Johnny Stompanato

Favorite Quotes:
• "Oh, lookee here, the great jerk off case of 1953." - Jack Vincennes

• Pierce Patchett: "I use girls that look like movie stars. Sometimes I employ a plastic surgeon. When the work had been done, that's when you saw us."
Bud White: "That's why her mother couldn't i.d. her. Jesus fucking Christ."
Pierce Patchett: "No, Mr. White. Pierce Morehouse Patchett."

• "Whatever you desire." - Pierce Morehouse Patchett

• Lt. Exley: "We want some answers, Patchett."
Pierce Patchett: "We all want something..."

Notes:
• David's character, Pierce Morehouse Patchett, has the initials PMP, short for "pimp". No coincidence there.
• David also narrated the audio book for the famous novel.
• Pierce Patchett's business is based on the long-time rumor that there really was a house of prostitution in Hollywood that supplied ladies meticulously dressed and made up to resemble famous movie stars. In his memoir Hollywood: Stars and Starlets, Tycoons and Flesh-Peddlers, Moviemakers and Moneymakers, Frauds and Geniuses, Hopefuls and Has-Beens, Great Lovers and Sex Symbols, screenwriter Garson Kanin describes a visit to a place called Mae's where the madam dressed as Mae West and presided over a cast of replicas of Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Carole Lombard, Marlene Dietrich and Ginger Rodgers, among others.
• David and his fellow castmates earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Unfortunately, they did not win.
• David previously worked with director Curtis Hanson in The River Wild. Hanson actually had David in mind early on for his part and sought him out. David also had a free golf lesson for one of his scenes in the film.
• L.A. Confidential received nine Academy Award nominations and won two: Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Kim Basinger) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (Brian Helgeland and Curtis Hanson.)

Critical Praise & Commentary:
• "James Cromwell (as Capt. Dudley Smith), Ron Rifkin (as District Attorney Ellis Lowe), and David Strathairn (as wealthy, shady Pierce Pratchett) also make lasting impressions." -Mr. Brown, All-Reviews.Com

• "Danny DeVito, James Cromwell, and David Strathairn also put in perfect performances. In fact, this is one of those rare movies that its impossible to find a bad performance in--every actor was simply perfect for their role." -Jackie Cronkhite, WTVO.Com

• "As her millionaire pimp, an operator called Pierce Patchett, David Strathairn does a classic detective-movie turn: sleek, unruffled, every motion cagily deliberate. The man has purged himself of all surface emotion." -David Edelstein, Washington Post

• "...the always luscious David Strathairn is imperturable as the gentleman pimp." -Film Scouts

• "In Dominick and Eugene he was a wife beater and in L.A. Confidential he ran a shady escort service. Either Strathairn is one of the most believable and amazingly authentic actors of late or he carries secrets we have yet to reveal." -Pamela Harland, iF Magazine

• "Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito live up to their reputations as well, and David Strathairn provides a typically fine supporting job." -Colin Jacobson, DVD Mg

• "Danny DeVito and David Strathairn also turn in good performances." -Boyd Petrie, News and Entertainment

• "Danny DeVito, David Strathairn and Ron Rifkin round out the remaining major players in this film, and all do grand jobs. I can't say enough about how impressive this cast is. They all got a real feel for their characters, and they helped create that much better a film." -Words From Here

(David On His Role:)
• "Everyone asks about what it was like working with Russell Crowe. But really, it was a one-day scene." -David Strathairn, 2001

• [about getting the part of Patchett] "It came at the last minute. Director Curtis Hanson had sent me the script. I said, 'I can't do this, I've never done this kind of thing.' He said 'I think you can--I see you in it. You'll wear nice clothes, we'll give you a golf lesson, you should see these cars.' It only took a couple of days--I'm sure it took longer to make the clothes. It was a beautifully appointed production--a throwback to an older style, but wedded to a modern sensibility." -David Strathairn, 2000