L.A. Confidential

Based on the best-selling novel by James Ellroy, this award-winning crime drama explores both the dark side of the Los Angeles police force and Southern California's criminal underbelly in the early 1950s, when Hollywood was still seen as America's capital of sophistication, glitter, and glamour. Dudley Smith ( James Cromwell ) is the head of the L.A.P.D. and is loyal to his officers and eager to turn a blind eye to violence or corruption within his department, as long as it's the "bad guys" who are getting hurt. Bud White ( Russell Crowe ) is a police detective whose violent and cynical nature is often at war with his basic sense of decency and justice. Ed Exley ( Guy Pearce ) is a beat cop-turned-detective whose strict by-the-book philosophy and willingness to blow the whistle on other officers is balanced by a shrewd and opportunistic understanding of the internal politics of the department. And Jack Vincennes ( Kevin Spacey ) is a flashy "Hollywood" detective who serves as technical advisor for the TV series Badge of Honor . He is also in cahoots with Sid Hudgeons ( Danny De Vito ), publisher of the scandal sheet Hush Hush , who throws kickbacks to Vincennes in exchange for being brought along when showbiz figures get busted. White, Exley, and Vincennes find themselves drawn into a tangled and sticky web of violence and betrayal following a multiple murder at a coffee shop that is believed to be part of an effort by Mickey Cohen ( Paul Guilfoyle ) to consolidate his hold on organized crime in L.A. This lead appears to be connected to the discovery of a bizarre pornography and call-girl ring operated by Pierce Patchett ( David Strathairn ), whose women are given plastic surgery so that they more closely resemble well-known movie stars. White's role in the investigation is complicated when he falls for Lynn Bracken ( Kim Basinger ), one of Patchett's prostitutes who is the spitting image of Veronica Lake . L.A. Confidential was nominated for nine Academy awards and won two, with Curtis Hanson (who directed) and Brian Helgeland honored for Best Adapted Screenplay and Kim Basinger taking home a statuette as Best Supporting Actress. — Mark Deming