L.A. Confidential (1997) and Systemic Pressures

Rollo Tomasi. You're the one who gets away with it.

Where honourable intention inevitably tapers off into ugly, tainted action;

L.A. Confidential is a densely layered and extremely nuanced study of man that pits the purity of human intent against corruptible circumstance.

The narrative offers us three perspectives existing within an unsavoury system;

Exley, motivated by straight-laced noble intent but harbouring a selfish purpose

White, the morally grey muscle borne of abuse

and Vincennes, who lost his way, now driven by image more than anything else.

Each of these characters hold drastically different viewpoints and carry with them strong motivations and personal creeds. Over the course of the narrative, however, these creeds and beliefs are stretched to their limit and sullied as a result of the environment they exist within:

Exley uncovers more and more of his own fallible human qualities, falling victim to behaviours he would otherwise usually condemn.

White's disfiguration from abused to abuser culminates in a terrifying full-circle moment.

and Vincennes' vainglorious pursuits are shaken upon a shattering realisation.

It is quite apparent that Exley and White seem to be binary opposite foils to one another, and this is further supported through how the unravelling of their respective ideologies seem to run parallel to each other: Exley, as the sterile by-the-book superior officer with grand aspirations, against White's grunt muscle detective with a morally vague adherence to violence as a means to an end coupled with a personal hatred against domestic violence.

The comparison of Captain Smith against Vincennes, on the other hand, explores the weary cynicism of the veterans that exist within the established system set in place. Both characters are acutely aware of and curate their public presence for their own personal intentions; Smith's outward public persona posits him as a benevolent and respected practitioner of justice, creating a cover for himself, while Vincennes' TV fame persona seeks to serve his own vanity.

When positioning the Exley-White and Smith-Vincennes relationships against one another, we start to see the bigger picture: L.A. Confidential is a case study on the effects of systemic pressures on Man's definitions of honourable behaviour. Exley and White are the entry-level naivete to Smith and Vincennes' jaded and clouded purposes. How long can your conscience and solicitude for the greater good survive in the face of a corrupt system? Is Exley going to follow in the footsteps of those who created the foundations and hold up the flawed principles borne of systemic corruption? Are his selfish intentions going to resurface and manifest to replace his honourable mission for reform? Will the cycles of corruption continue to ensnare those that enter it's grasp?

"It's supposed to be about justice. Then somewhere along the way, I lost sight of that... Why'd you become a cop?"

"Huh... I don't remember." 

Originally posted on Letterboxd on 30th May, 2024