These are my first drafts:
A Film review for L.A. Confidential:
L.A. Confidential is a beautiful, guns-blazing blockbuster! It is set in the gorgeous ‘paradise city’ of L.A. which contrasts magnificently with the brutal and dark crimes occurring throughout the movie.
Director Curtis Hanson’s movie, L.A. Confidential, stars Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe as the three unique LA policemen who end up investigating a deadly mass shooting at an all-night diner, down town. The three men don’t get along very well so will they be able to put their differences aside and work together to find the murderous criminals?
Wendell ‘Bud’ White (Russell Crowe), a character with a soft spot for women and a hatred of abuse, falls in love with beautiful Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger), a mysterious lady of the night. Later, when Edmund J. Exley (Guy Pearce), the most law-abiding policeman around, meets Lynn and a love-triangle evolves, it becomes increasingly hard for the three policemen to stick together.
Curtis Hanson creates a stunning Neo Noir film with his use of deep shots, single-source lighting and voiceovers. He tells a tale of binary oppositions and love. With a stunning performance by James Cromwell playing the Big Bad Boss Dudley Smith and a witty show by Danny DeVito playing the eccentric journalist, Sid Hudgens, the movie can easily be awarded a solid 4 stars!
L.A. Confidential explores the paths of right and wrong in a way that few directors dare to reveal. The crimes and characters are realistic, heightening the thrill you’ll get from watching it. This movie will really leave you thinking, so don’t delay and watch it now!
Lucy Cunnington
A Film review for The Big Sleep:
The Big Sleep is a classic Film Noir and it is based on a pulp crime novel written by American-born author, Raymond Chandler. It is the first novel to feature Chandler's famous detective, Philip Marlowe. The movie is directed by Howard Hawks and it stars the famous pair; Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlow and Lauren Bacall as Vivian!
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family, the Sternwoods. He is summoned by the dying General Sternwood and asked to deal with several problems that are troubling his family. Marlowe finds that each problem centres on the disappearance of Sternwood's favoured employee and husband of Vivian, Rusty Regan. Rusty appears to have run away with Mona Mars (Peggy Knudsen) who is the big mobsters’, Eddie Mars’ (John Ridgely), wife! The plot thickens as Marlowe probes and an array of deaths, pornographic pictures and complex characters are unearthed.
In classic Film Noir style, the sound of the movie is often in major key, adding tension. There is diegetic rain and sudden silences! It even includes the classic female scream, performed beautifully by Lauren Bacall. Overall, the movie is a perfect example of the beautiful 1950’s Film Noir genre and it is a reasonably good adaptation of the book itself, perhaps concentrating more on the romance between Bogard and Bacall than the novel. They make a great romantic pair, but will Marlowe be able to love Vivian after the big reveal?
Lucy Cunnington
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