Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
In 1940s Los Angeles, two former boxers-turned-cops must grapple with corruption, narcissism, stag films and family madness as they pursue the killer of an aspiring young actress.
Brian De Palma's adaptation of James Ellroy's novel is visually sumptuous — Gordon Willis-esque shadows, immaculate period production design, and De Palma's trademark operatic framing elevate the cinematography well above average. But the film is hamstrung by a convoluted, overstuffed plot that loses narrative coherence in its final act, wooden or miscast performances from several leads (Hartnett notably stiff, Swank's villain reveal strains credibility), and a climax that collapses under its own melodramatic excess. Novelty earns a middling score — De Palma brings a distinctive neo-noir sensibility and genuine stylistic bravado, but the Ellroy adaptation template was already established by L.A. Confidential, making this feel derivative in conception even if not in execution.