L.A. Confidential: how the characters drive the story

[@kylelobb7736]

Nobody mentions how Captain Dudley Smith kind of acts like an evil father figure to all three men.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Great insight!

[@mphrdldn]

Agree great insight. Evil father similar to Frank Costello in The Departed.

[@gelchert]

He also consistently calls Bud and Exley by their full first names. We know Bud hates being called “Wendell,” and no one else calls Exley “Edmund,” so it’s a subtle power move on Dudley’s part. (He doesn’t try that with Vincennes, but since Vincennes is older and more cynical than the other two, maybe Dudley figures that wouldn’t work on him.)

[@alertgasper]

@@gelchert i suspect he knew Vincennes didn't need Dudley, having his own scam going on that got him actual celebrity, plus the side hustle with Hush Hush.

[@Stratmanable]

You just did. Do you honestly believe you're the first person to ever notice this?

[@johnjim6793]

I really like the shot in 14:04. One of those little gems that almost slip by unnoticed. Ed Exley is sitting in front row. The chair next to him is empty, even though the room is absolutely packed. Everybody prefers standing through the whole meeting to sitting next to the teachers pet Exley. It's absolutely beautiful, also because it says so much about the working atmosphere in that precinct. It is a stuffy environment with cheap furniture and unmotivated police officers who behave like school boys - light years away from that glitzy "Badge of Honor" image.

[@JB-bq2qj]

And when the world needed him most… he came back!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Hahaha. I really don't think I'm that important

[@idioume1]

​@@ScriptSleuth you underestimate your value 😅

[@ChrisLeonard-np7lh]

One of my all time favorite movies! All the actors were superb.

[@SurinderismCinema]

Nice work - I think another point to make would be they way the antagonist’s main trick is to skilfully keep the three men apart and/or in conflict with each other - the good guys can only win once they start working together

[@ScriptSleuth]

Great point. It's interesting that you never see the three main characters get to work together.

[@SurinderismCinema]

@@ScriptSleuthnot as a trio however Edmund and Jack do start out together until Jack is taken out and then he teams up with Bud to break the rest of the case - it’s more of a combined effort - I would say this and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly are my favourite three man structures - I hoped The Dark Knight would be the same with Bats, Harvey and the Joker - sadly the balance of that triad didn’t come together in act three as effectively as I hoped 😮

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@SurinderismCinema Agreed! It had a lot more potential that could have been delivered on.

[@yak6896]

I slept on this movie for too long, just watched it this evening. F'n brilliant writing, acting, screenplay etc etc. I need to watch again. It's one of those you really need to pay attention to but has you glued to the screen.

[@ScriptSleuth]

It really is so well done! Glad you enjoyed the experience.

[@666lupine666]

I am going to have to rewatch "L.A. Confidential", the depth of it obviously did not strike me the first time around.

[@mortalclown3812]

Tbh, when it came out, I was just in it to be entertained. In its way, I like it better than 'Chinatown'... and I appreciate it a lot more after seeing this 16 minute video. Go figure. ☺️

[@ScriptSleuth]

I agree, I remember liking it when I saw it in the theater, but didn't understand the depth of it until really getting into it.

[@amiygupta1880]

I know this amount doesn't hold significant value in USA. But the city where I live(i.e., Varanasi), it is enough money to buy ration for 1 day meal. Your channel has played a very significant role in changing my perspective towards stories and the homeland where I live.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Wow, I am really grateful for your support. It really means a lot to me! You've made my day.

[@rajyavardhansingh4491]

Sahi h bhai❤

[@chineduobuekwe]

I love this!

[@johnjim6793]

Regarding Exley's physical motif, the eye glasses, there is also a neat little shot when we see his photo in the newspapers and his eye glasses have obviously been doctored out off the photo.

[@gelchert]

Great video, as usual! I'd just add one thing to the Bloody Christmas section: Bud doesn't go down to the holding cells with the intention of beating anybody up. He's just there to stop Stensland from doing too much damage, and he doesn't throw a punch until the suspect Stensland was just beating up insults Bud's mother. Given Bud's family history, his response is disproportionate, but understandable. And since the fight descends into a full-blown melee after that, any other violence Bud inflicts could very well be self defense.

[@roc7880]

I do not get the haters of this movie. It is a record of a golden era of LA while exposing the whole corruption of the city. It is about people who do great things while having personal agendas. You know like all the people we see today too.

[@mphrdldn]

Are their haters? I remember soon as it was released critics were disappointed the box office wasn’t better.

[@mussman717word]

I don't know of many haters. There are those who view it as overrated to some extent, but that seems to be merely a backlash to the overwhelming critical praise it's received. I think it's a great movie, but I wouldn't necessarily put it in my top 100, although I can easily see how others would.

[@mussman717word]

@randywhite3947 In no particular order... The Godfather The Godfather Part II Apocalypse Now The Conversation Reservoir Dogs Pulp Fiction Mean Streets Taxi Driver Raging Bull The King of Comedy Goodfellas Malcolm X Do the Right Thing Notorious Rear Window Psycho North by Northwest Vertigo Citizen Kane Touch of Evil The Third Man Sunset Boulevard The Apartment Double Indemnity Casablanca It's a Wonderful Life Dr. Strangelove 2001: A Space Odyssey A Clockwork Orange The Shining Full Metal Jacket 12 Angry Men Network Dog Day Afternoon Chinatown Rosemary's Baby Fight Club The Big Lebowski No Country for Old Men Parasite Buffalo '66 There Will Be Blood Whiplash The Deer Hunter 8 1/2 Bicycle Thieves Rio Bravo The Searchers The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Dirty Harry Paper Moon One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Being There Harold and Maude Monty Python and the Holy Grail The Jerk Annie Hall Love and Death Hannah and Her Sisters Mikey and Nicky Stroszek Rome, Open City Nashville Rashomon Ikiru Seven Samurai Yojimbo High and Low Fat City Blue Collar Bad Lieutenant Halloween Night of the Living Dead The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Exorcist The French Connection Deliverance Bonnie and Clyde The Graduate Friends of Eddie Coyle White Heat All the President's Men Breathless The 400 Blows In the Heat of the Night Cool Hand Luke The Hustler The Seventh Seal Opening Night A Woman Under the Influence Minnie and Moskowitz The Night of the Hunter Down by Law Glengarry GlenRoss The Manchurian Candidate Happiness Donnie Darko Eraserhead Enter the Dragon Badlands Trainspotting (I think that's 100)

[@mussman717word]

@randywhite3947 In no particular order... The Godfather The Godfather Part II Apocalypse Now The Conversation Reservoir Dogs Pulp Fiction Mean Streets Taxi Driver Raging Bull The King of Comedy Goodfellas Malcolm X Do the Right Thing Notorious Rear Window Psycho North by Northwest Vertigo Citizen Kane Touch of Evil The Third Man Sunset Boulevard The Apartment Double Indemnity Casablanca It's a Wonderful Life Dr. Strangelove 2001: A Space Odyssey A Clockwork Orange The Shining Full Metal Jacket 12 Angry Men Network Dog Day Afternoon Chinatown Rosemary's Baby Fight Club The Big Lebowski No Country for Old Men Parasite Buffalo '66 There Will Be Blood Whiplash The Deer Hunter 8 1/2 Bicycle Thieves Rio Bravo The Searchers The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Dirty Harry Paper Moon One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Being There Harold and Maude Monty Python and the Holy Grail The Jerk Annie Hall Love and Death Hannah and Her Sisters Mikey and Nicky Stroszek Rome, Open City Nashville Rashomon Ikiru Seven Samurai Yojimbo High and Low Fat City Blue Collar Bad Lieutenant Halloween Night of the Living Dead The Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Exorcist The French Connection Deliverance Bonnie and Clyde The Graduate Friends of Eddie Coyle White Heat All the President's Men Breathless The 400 Blows In the Heat of the Night Cool Hand Luke The Hustler The Seventh Seal Opening Night A Woman Under the Influence Minnie and Moskowitz The Night of the Hunter Down by Law Glengarry GlenRoss The Manchurian Candidate Happiness Donnie Darko Eraserhead Enter the Dragon Badlands Trainspotting (I think that's 100)

[@Elerad]

My favorite movie of all time. I watch it every year without fail.

[@madmartigan21]

Drives me crazy when I see great analysis channels like this struggling to get views. I don't know if the algorithm is just luck sometimes or it's your thumbnail game, but your content is outstanding.

[@ScriptSleuth]

I honestly don't know! I feel like my thumbnails are good. Ah, who the hell knows... But thank you for the kind words!!

[@madmartigan21]

@@ScriptSleuth there are people that do just thumb nail design for a living. So there is an art and sort of science to draw on people in.

[@cadengreco]

I liked the thumbnail and video, great work!

[@scribblerjohn1]

A telling bit of character explication through visuals occurs early in the film. Ed Exley takes the night watch and is alone in the detective bureau, with his textbooks. He glances at his watch and then across the room to a clock and notices a few minutes' difference. He gets up and crosses the room to adjust the clock. At that moment he catches the squeal on the Nite Owl massacre. It says reams about who Ed Exley is and what makes him tick. First, that it bothers him that his watch and the clock don't agree. Second, he doesn't bother to call time & temperature because he knows that it is his watch that is right.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Great point!

[@gelchert]

His watch is a vintage Rolex - it had better be right!

[@alertgasper]

It's possible that Exley was just using the barrel of the shotgun to keep the elevator doors from closing, and so the shotgun went off accidentally. If so, then it could be a shock to him that it led to his acceptance as "shotgun ed" amongst a group who thought he was too weak to help them. Later, Dudley's advice to hold out his badge to be recognized as a policeman made Exley think that for all his political moves, he doesn't want to be a part of this group. Then Exley shoots Dudley in the back, a reference to the beginning when Dudley thinks Exley is too weak to shoot a suspect in the back or otherwise act without evidence. Exley learns from his father's mistake, using the PD as they use him to rise about them all and do better than his father's job. Exley's glasses? Probably a reference to being able to see what is really going on. He has the glasses for the motel shoot out because things are no longer blurry. But it's a great suggestion to anyone writing a good story--don't just make the hero have a flaw, let that flaw be a re-occuring part in the story.

[@stealthven2352]

It’s good to see you back

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thank you!

[@peter_kk]

Great analysis. Would have been nice to have a section on character flaws/internal conflict.

[@VeganChefRon]

Another way to look at it, all three cops have their own flaws: Exley is too ambitious, Bud is too violent and Vincenes is too vain seeking fame. They must overcome their flaw to be good policemen and whole again.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@VeganChefRon Yes! Thanks for sharing.

[@atomsofstardust]

It’s really great that you’re back! Excellent essay! And a fantastic movie, just rewatched it recently and it still holds really well!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@MalaysianChopsticks]

Not sure if this movie made me play LA Noire or LA Noire made me watch this movie. Love them both

[@wxwaxone]

Respectfully, you missed Jack Vincennes’ character ghos: he’s the actor/gigolo, Matt Reynolds. The fact is that Jack’s character ghost dies halfway through the film - but there’s no rule against that being the case

[@sharkk2016]

Fiiiiiinalyyyy mah man's back!!!!!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Feels great to be back!

[@therohitbabuofnotre-dame7182]

DUDE THANK YOU I’VE BEEN AWAITING YOUR RETURN FOR AGES!!!!!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thank you for your patience!

[@ScriptSleuth]

More videos are available exclusively for Patreon members: Breaking Bad City of God Cries and Whispers Do the Right Thing Forrest Gump It's a Wonderful Life - Part 1 It's a Wonderful Life - Part 2 Memories of Murder The Lives of Others For access to these videos, go to: www.patreon.com/scriptsleuth

[@fugedaboudit]

Could you analyze Scarface?

[@-GowthamSiddartha]

You are the best in breaking down in movies of all remaining channels

[@ScriptSleuth]

Wow, thank you for the great comment 🥰

[@sebastianvettel4443]

Great video

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for watching!

[@LiliumCandidumHardline]

Omg god he's back!

[@ScriptSleuth]

I know, it's been way too long 😃

[@trealville23]

Great video. Surprised the channel isn’t more popular. I subscribed

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks so much! That really makes my day ❤️

[@tedpaulus]

Good analysis bro

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks!

[@UMNightlife]

He's back

[@ScriptSleuth]

😎

[@mortalclown3812]

Terrific to see you posting ~ and with such a great film. Listening to this twice. Thanks for...food for thought. Peace, everyone.

[@ScriptSleuth]

You're welcome. Thanks for the warm comment ❤️

[@mortalclown3812]

​@@ScriptSleuth This was excellent. Good teachers are as rare as good writers. Hope you keep kicking ass in both.

[@gamedotfilm3929]

Nailed it with this video. I really feel its a perfect 10/10 film

[@ScriptSleuth]

It's a great film!

[@andrew07jeff]

Superb work mate. Learnt so much from the video

[@ScriptSleuth]

That's great to hear! Thanks for watching.

[@patrickdodds7162]

Dear Mr. Sanderson, First I want to say I am really enjoying this YT channel. Writing is an interest of mine and I this gives me so much food for thought. (Also: SUBSCRIBED!) I would like to proffer up a suggestion for a screenplay that is truly Oscar worthy, but since it's part of a science fiction franchise is not valued as such. I'm speaking of the screenplay for 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was written by Jack B. Sowards (with unofficial credit by Nicholas Meyer). It is a truly virtuoso work of screenwriting that expertly weaves multiple story threads with jaw-dropping elegance. ST II: TWOK is still part of the cultural zeitgeist and is what cemented Star Trek as a bona fide entertainment franchise and not just a cult science fiction TV series. There's a reason that it's considered THE Star Trek film that has never been matched in over 40 years. Please consider giving it a watch sometime and you might see what I mean. Thank you for your time.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@patrickdodds7162Thanks for the great suggestion! FYI Mark Sanderson was a guest interviewee I had on the channel.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

HE HATH RETURNED

[@ScriptSleuth]

Heehee

[@kifacorea]

Very insightful review.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks for watching!

[@codename617]

I'm working on something almost similar (in that it takes place in the past and about 3 cops) and this is just the inspiration I needed!

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@codename617 Awesome! Good luck.

[@codename617]

@@ScriptSleuth Thank you :D It's a book set in the middle of the Carol and Charles Stewart investigation.

[@daredevil6145]

Hope you get more views and continue doing what you do best

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thank you so much for the nice comment ❤️

[@bhotaling1]

Jack: TV Cop to Real Cop; Ed: Brains to Brawn; and Bud: Brawn to Brains.

[@Jeredos]

What are my eyes seeing? It's back!

[@ScriptSleuth]

As the philosopher Eminem once said, "Guess who's back, back again..."

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

Bro, you’re back ! ❤🎉

[@ScriptSleuth]

😎

[@peerhenry]

Only now do I realize why officer White started to partake in the violence after his mother was insulted.

[@ScriptSleuth]

I mean, it might have been a reach, who knows 🙂

[@derricknagul2128]

Great review thanks.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@derricknagul2128 Thanks for watching, Derrick!

[@dmitryivanov9026]

A great movie and a great analysis!

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@dmitryivanov9026 Thanks for watching and leaving a nice comment!

[@bilal89ahmed]

Very interesting content.

[@sallyjobs2030]

Very nice 😊😊😊

[@guybrushmonkey97]

Great video!

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks, Bruno!

[@viktorazisten]

Great video

[@HistorywithHannibal]

Hi Daniel, why are your videos on The Lives of Others, and Memories of Murder now only on patreon?

[@-GowthamSiddartha]

Will you please do a vedio on only one book that is necessary for screenwriting

[@ScriptSleuth]

I've actually been thinking of doing all the books, and highlighting what's most useful out of each one!

[@NUCLEARDASH]

I was going to watch (again) your videos about the godfather when i saw that you just had posted a new video, thank you very much sir Cheers from Brazil

[@ScriptSleuth]

Valeu!

[@usery4yui34ihrihr]

Please do more videos

[@ScriptSleuth]

Will do!

[@usery4yui34ihrihr]

A reply from you is like a gem for aspiring writers like us ❤️

[@ScriptSleuth]

That's great to hear you're a writer! I really hope this channel helps the writing community.

[@BauthorFowler]

Glasses are not a fashion statement, they're a tool for coping with a disability. It's all well and good for other people to tell Ed to "ditch the glasses," but without them, he would be lucky not to shoot Bud by mistake.

[@leonmayne797]

What’s the song at the end of your videos?

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@leonmayne797 I can't remember the name... I got it a long time ago and just kept using it 😅

[@angeloflores7357]

holy shit hes back

[@ScriptSleuth]

😃

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

Just discovered you had another channel, the script lab right ?

[@ScriptSleuth]

Not my channel. We did a collaboration once for Parasites. But I'm glad you saw it!

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

@@ScriptSleuth Yeah, I knew the voice was familiar. You have a special ability of noticing details. I noticed some of those details after rewatching the film, but others (some of the ones you mentioned) , they went over my head. How do you analyse movies ? do you rewatch them over and over again ? how do you pick up on these details ?

[@MrGreen-ci2mm]

@@ScriptSleuth And again, keep uploading, you deserve much much more subscribers and you could really make it in the top film essay youtuber. Better than anyone on this platform.

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@MrGreen-ci2mm Let's just say it takes a tremendous amount of work. Lately I've been taking that time to write instead. 😎 And THANK YOU for the kind words! ❤️

[@dinahgranafei2381]

Since you asked. The Clock/Watch scene, Edmund can't see clock on wall. He approached the clock and changes its time to match his watch Message: he knows more than the police deot,,

[@militarypsychologist7255]

The Officers had changed the time to leave early. He notes the correct time on his watch and corrects the clock.

[@chenzenzo]

The last great noire film of the 1900s. It starts with Jack, who sees the world as a crooked joke. He sees the world as Grey and couldn't give a shit about it. Then we come to Edmund, who sees the world a point blank, black and white, but walks between worlds. Come to Bud, who walks straight and only sees red, but he's literally Bud White, the hero of story. Every story needs a hero. Find a tall man looking down at a tall man. Edmund doesn't fire blindly. He finally sees the world he's in.

[@jonsnow911]

3:50 A-Z

[@CaminoAir]

Would Jack Vincenne's 'ghost' be his younger self? He can't make that change (after helping to set up Matt Reynolds) unless he hadn't been so self-serving and compromised earlier in his life and career.

[@ScriptSleuth]

Good question. Perhaps it's not so important that the audience knows exactly what the ghost is, but simply that one exists that drives the characters to make certain decisions.

[@CaminoAir]

@@ScriptSleuth Yes. And your point about Jack's personal armour being impenetrable is very valid. Spacey's acting (including his body language) is top class throughout the film and gives us all we really need to know: regret and being lost.

[@davidhughmiller]

I've got the movie on bluray, had it for years before finding out there's a Pilot episode for the failed TV show on there and I've still not got around to watching it 😂😂

[@jaxmanx]

This film was robbed with the best film Oscar.. By titanic.. Which in my eyes was shit. L. A. Confidential is the best

[@bhotaling1]

Justice v. Injustice; Sine v Redemption

[@Adnan-s8s]

good vid

[@ScriptSleuth]

Thanks!

[@damiendsoul360]

I love ensemble movies, especially ones that involve deep characters instead of superficial ones that only rely on star power. Which is why I’m never a fan of Sodernberg’s ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ movies. ‘L.A. Confidential’ is one of the last great ensemble movies that came out since the turn of the century with deep characters, evolving plot lines & character arcs, with unsuspecting plot twists. Its depth can never be summed up in one sentence.

[@ScriptSleuth]

You have great taste!

[@dinahgranafei2381]

since

[@RobertMcGlynn-g7h]

I'm over halfway through your vid and you have yet to mention this screenplay was based on James Ellroy's novel. What's up with that? You present it as an original work. That's dishonest...

[@ScriptSleuth]

@@RobertMcGlynn-g7h Sorry, definitely didn't mean that!

[@bilal89ahmed]

Very interesting content.