Based on James Ellroy’s 1990 neo-noir novel, this Chandler-esque pulp film sneaks behind the scenes of Hollywood’s starlets, production bosses and the notoriously corrupt police department as all their paths violently cross in 1950s Los Angeles. Much like that era’s magazine Confidential—a pioneer in distributing the smut and scandal (both true and made-up) of Hollywood stars to the general public—the film revels in both the real and the mythic grit, grime and glamour. With stellar performances, nuanced characters and complex twists, L.A. Confidential remains a luminary in the noir landscape of the 90s.