L.A. Confidential • The Next Reel

1997 was a big year for movies, and perhaps that’s because one of the biggest box office sensations — James Cameron’s “Titanic” — was released that year. And while it went on to make a gajillion dollars (okay, just $2.2 billion worldwide), many argue that it’s not actually the best movie of the year, but instead give that title to Curtis Hanson’s crime thriller “L.A. Confidential.” Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Guess the Connection series with this fantastic film. We talk about the nature of the story as a crime thriller and as, possibly, a neo-noir, and look into what the genre implications mean for what the film should have been working to achieve in its look. We discuss the look, as well as the editing, the score, the production design, and of course the writing and directing, and what all the individuals bring to the table. We dig into the actors — primarily Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell and Kim Basinger — and chat about their individual performances. And we go back to the original source material by James Ellroy and compare it with Brian Helgeland’s wonderful script, looking at how he (and Hanson) honed it down to focus it and make the screenplay and movie their own take on the take, equal in power to the novel. It’s a wonderful film that stands high in our estimation. Tune in! Hey! You know what would be awesome? If you would drop us a positive rating on iTunes! If you like what we’re doing here on TNR, it really is the best way to make sure that this show appears when others search for it, plus, it’s just a nice thing to do. Thanks!! The Next Reel on iTunesThe Next Reel on FacebookThe Next Reel on TwitterThe Next Reel on FlickchartThe Next Reel on LetterboxdGuess the Movie with The Next Reel on InstagramCheck out the Posters with The Next Reel on Pinterest And for anyone interested in our fine bouquet of show hosts: Follow Andy Nelson on TwitterFollow Pete Wright on TwitterFollow Steve Sarmento on TwitterCheck out Tom Metz on IMDBFollow Mike Evans on TwitterFollow Chadd Stoops on TwitterFollow Steven Smart on LetterboxdSupport The Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Become a member for just $5/month or $55/yearJoin our Discord community of movie loversThe Next Reel Family of Film Podcasts:Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and MovementsThe Film BoardMovies We LikeThe Next Reel Film PodcastSitting in the DarkConnect With Us:Main Site: WebMovie Platforms: Letterboxd | FlickchartSocial Media: Facebook | Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | YouTube | PinterestYour Hosts: Andy | PeteShop & Stream:Merch Store: Apparel, stickers, mugs & moreWatch Page: Buy/rent films we've discussedOriginals: Source material from our episodesSpecial offers: Letterboxd Pro/Patron discount | Audible