Of the film's three leading men, not one of them is someone that I'd be happy to be stuck in a room with: LAPD detective Bud White (Crowe) acts as if he's above the law, allying himself with men who feel that they very much are; Ed Exley (Pearce) is a young cop who's governed by a strict moral code that's as sanctimonious as it is noble; and Jack Vincennes (Spacey) is an ego-driven prick who embodies the L.A. spirit of 'celebrity' status being everything, even though he's the least interesting of the trio.
Set against a backdrop of vice, prostitution and drugs, the film takes a while to hit its stride, but once it does it stays strong to the hard-hitting end. The tightly-woven plot occasionally gets buried under the taut layering, but a fiery clash of personalities keeps the Noir drama thundering along nicely.
3½ press labels out of 5
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