One example of a contemporary film noir or neo-noir as they are also known is L.A. Confidential 1997. The film was directed by Curtis Hanson and was centred on the crime fiction novel by James Ellroy of the same name from 1990 which makes it similar to classic noirs such as the ‘The Killers’ and ‘The Big Sleep’ also based on novels. It is also important to note that the movie was based in Los Angeles 1950s as this is also around the time many of the classic film noirs were made and was the peak time for noirs. The name of the film arose from the 1950s scandal magazine Confidential. After release the film received great reviews from critics and became a success.
The storyline is based on three LAPD cops, Ed Exley (Guy Pearce), Bud White (Russell Crowe) and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey), who end up investigating the same case of a multiple murder at a coffee shop called Nite Owl. This leads to a vast amount of corruption being uncovered as the officers try to find out who is being the murders with drug, organised crime and prostitution all being linked to the case. As the story deepens it becomes apparent that there is conflict between the political leaders within L.A. and the LAPD which eventually results in a showdown.
L.A. Confidential because of how it is set as well as the technology available to it when compared to classic noirs; is a great example of a contemporary noir. A thing which is evident in the movie is the setting of it, not just in the 1950s but also in the more rural areas of L.A. and the more threatening parts of life in the city behind the glamour, this was an aspect which made noirs well known as they were very real for the audiences of their time as they showed harsher reality of living in the big cities which many people faced from day to day.
The corrupt police officers are very much reminiscent of classic noirs and this is accompanied by the high amounts of murders which were also a typical feature of the most famous noirs. The twists and turns of the story further complemented the classic noirs with this a crucial elements to surprising audiences in the classics. All of these elements contribute to making the film seem as though it is itself a noir rather than a neo-noir.
One scene in the film which is perhaps typical to noirs is the good cop – bad cop scene, where a guy is threatened firstly with his head being plunged in and out of the toilet and then by being dangled out of a window in order to gain information, this was the kind of scene which could be linked to classics. With the corrupt cop acting against his duty and level of violence is the scene is a possible to draw links to noirs of the classic era. A further thing notable in that scene was the comparisons with mise-en-scene of film noirs to the film. The three men which were in the scene were smartly dressed in suits and the office like environment draws further comparison with the view of tall buildings which were continual features in film noirs. Another thing to state of the scene was the friction between the two men being the attack, the was a edgy mood to the scene and then the sudden attack which is used to surprise the viewer, the frantic music starts around five or so seconds into the attack and lasts until the end of it. The music in itself can be seen as a direct link to the type of music frequent in the classics.
Along with in some ways drawing off elements of classic noirs, L.A. Confidential can also been as modernizing the genre and is a neo-noir for this as well as the release date of it, the movie is in colour throughout which is the first thing of note. Another thing is some of issues in the movie are not evident so much in film noirs such as pornography, institutional racism, prostitution and heroin. This may well be due the perspective of the writers etc. who made the film living in the 1990s looking back at the 1950s. Moreover this can be seen in parts of the film which reflect more what the 1950s are seen as forty or so years later and references are made in the film to life in the future. These in turn are perhaps more the messages and values which are created in the film to the audience.
You would expect that the audience of the movie due to its success and rave reviews would be more large scale than aimed at a specific sub section of society. However it could be argued that if you enjoyed the classic noirs or just crime thrillers in general then you would be more drawn to L.A. Confidential than if you did not. Many people may well say that if L.A. Confidential due to its striking resemblance to classics was not made in the 1990s but in the 1940s or 1950s and in black and white then it may well have been considered and classic noir itself. As it is though it is a neo-noir due to the time of its release but is a compliment to the director and creators of the film for much in many ways outdated values to be shown in film forty years in the future.
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