NsW"iZ9Cin:i(iSi‘isysVi • • -'t\ ‘kkWakk ' SCeyeL d DEL woad !!lee a ca4.4 eeeee L.A. CONFIDENTIAL from page 166 at rite comoteater# Vete/ erizi aey EMI - IEEE MIMI , , ' , Good thru Oct. '97 ' " " leatvauank‘ 3426 E. W. Maple just west of Haggerty • Commerce, MI (248) 926-9555 On a high of lows, Hanson digs withgrabby hands into the L.A./Ellroy mother lode, the septic mud and brassy gold. Since Raymond Chandler tended to stretch and pad his stories, over-ripely, you could say Hanson and Ellroy are caboosing onto Chandler's train. But Chandler's loyal- ty to the knight of midnight, the detective bound to a crisp code of honordespite drastic odds, only foot- notes this story, like a codicil to a will. L.A. Confidential shows how an old, mannered genre can go for broke by going baroque (yet still entertain us; I can see why noir buffs are keen on the film). Its toss-off romantic end- ing rings false, because we've been dragged through so many back alleys of treachery, soiled hope and brutal Hudgens and is paid "adviser" to a "Dragnet"-style TV show. The show is a lie, yet a lie loved by the pompous -- _—\ politicos who head the LAPD and who are keen to spruce up its image (with officers still dirty but with clean nails, trim guts and less exposed cor- ruption). A sharp cop, a total cynic, Vincennes feels superior to Bud White (Crowe), the hardest strong-arm spe- cialist on the force. Crowe brings exposed depth to White's sadism, haunted by his mother's being beaten to death by his father. He is enraged by anyone who victimizes women and falls on them like a gorilla (he's the ultimate feminist male pig). Both of those cocky veterans are offended by the new golden boy, Ed HAKATA JAPANESE RESTAURANT tgt go* Wishing Our Customers & Friends A Healthy & Happy NEW YEAR OPEN 7 DAYS • LUNCH & DINNER featuring AUTHENTIC JAPANESE CUISINE AS YOU LIKE IT! • Elegant Atmosphere • Gracious Warmth • Reasonable Prices * Sushi Bar * Private Japanese Rooms * Cocktails Including 30 Different Kinds of Sake Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30-2 p.m. • Dinner: Mon.-Sat. 5:30-10:30 p.m. Sunday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. 32443 NORTHWESTERN HWY. Between Middlebelt & 14 Mile Visit us on the web www.hakatashushi.com 737-7220 Fax: 737-7223 WE WILL HAVE SUNDAY BUFFET (Lunch & Dinner) STARTING OCT. 5 SUNDAY LUNCH BUFET NOON TO 3:30 $ 675 Adults $459 9 & Under HAPPY NEW YEAR SUNDAY DINNER BUFFET 5 TO 8:30 $ 1 0 95 Adults 595 9 & Under $ PRIVATE DINING ROOM FOR YOUR NEXT AFFAIR • ALL CATERING • LUNCHES • EXOTIC DRINKS • COCKTAILS TNE GPEAT WALE 35135 Grand River (Drakeshire Shopping Center) 476-9181 HAVE A GREAT EVENING WITH FOOD AND FUN! STEAKS • SEAFOOD • UNIQUE PASTAS • GOURMET PIZZA • SALADS • ETC. • FINE WINES & COCKTAILS • RESTAURANT & BAR r. 9/26 1997 168 Happy New Year! (Equal or Greater Value up to '8.95 Sunday thru Thursday) 313 E. Walton Bet. Baldwin & Joslyn I Pontiac • Closed Mondays • With coupon • Not good with any other offer • Expires 8/31/97 248-332.9100 Buy One Menu Item Get The Second. Free Kim Basinger plays a Veronica Lake look-alike in L.A. Confidential. revenge. Even the sincerity of the most human performances (by Russell Crowe and Kim Basinger) cannot rally the movie from its wallow in nihilism. Back in the '70s, The Long Goodbye (from Chandler, via Robert Altman) and Chinatown (Chandleresque, from Robert Towne and Roman Polanski) kissed off the classic L.A. detective story with graceful sadness. Hanson's film revels in the fabled '50s corrup- tion of the city's police force, salivat- ing over the beefy intrigues and nasty dealings. It even has a mascot of rot: Danny DeVito as Sid Hudgens, a jaunty slimeball who runs an "expose" magazine and loves sneaking photos that can ruin people (his arrival is per- fectly timed for the current love of paparazzi). Kevin Spacey brings his purring oiliness to the role of Sgt. Vincennes, who shovels dirt to Exley (Guy Pearce), a straight-arrow model for the new image, whose spec- _ tacles make him seem like a ninny to all the beefy pros. But Exley is smarter, tougher than most, and a master politician. He can suck up to a boss or make a suspect in a hot seat go liquid from fear, and the thrust of the story is how he proves himself a natur- al, a worthy ally of White and Vincennes. Around them, Hanson whirls a flood of characters, crunching lines like, "I'd love to give you the lowdown on Mitchum" or "You know what they do to kiddie-rapers in Quentin." The lingo, cars, suits and swanky or cheesy locales are all in place, like cherished collectibles. And there is flip use of music ("Accentuate the Positive") and old movies (even a clip from that anthem of innocence Roman Holiday).