L.A. Confidential (1997). directed by curtis hanson.

i love micheal mann for what he did with heat (1995) and the insider (1999) but i could not forgive the man for fucking with public enemies (2009) by shooting the film using a dv (digital video). i hate the fact that the 1930's doesn't look like the 1930's in the movie where it could have been a potential tale of a great film noir. 

but this - this movie - L.A. Confidential - has got to be one of the best film done in the film noir genre in the late 1990's. people just don't tell their stories this way anymore. characters become simpler these days - unlike lynn bracken (kim basinger) the girl from a small town who came to los angeles to be an actress but ends up a hooker cut to look like veronica lake, or bud white (a young russell crowe) the cop whom everyone took as one nickel short of a dollar and rely on beating the hell out of everybody to get his twisted brand of justice, or the ever smooth kevin spacey (i love him, amen!) as jack vincennnes the celebrity cop who sold his soul for fame and money and the rookie cop ed exley (guy pearce) who wants to up the ladder the fast way at all costs. a murder at a diner sets of the investigative mood of the story in true film noir fashion - detectives doing the ground work trying to figure out who is the bad guy who thinks he can get away with it. 

perfect writing, perfect cast (supported by david strathairn, danny de vito, the majestic james cromwell), perfect direction, i love the 1950's mood - alas, this movie lost the oscar to none other than the infernally annoying ship - titanic (1997).