As corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.
Pacific Electric Lofts, 610, South Main Street, Gallery Row, Historic Core, Downtown, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, 90014, United States of America
Curtis Hanson’s noir revival conjures 1950s Los Angeles – all glamour and corruption – out of the parts of the real city that still look the part. From the Formosa Cafe to Sunset Boulevard to City Hall, it’s a film that restored old LA on screen by shooting in the places that survived.
Where was L.A. Confidential filmed?
L.A. Confidential was shot across Los Angeles – Hollywood, Los Feliz, West Hollywood, Venice and downtown – using surviving mid-century locations to recreate the 1950s city.
Every L.A. Confidential location, explained
1
The Formosa Cafe – “a hooker cut to look like Lana Turner”
The bar where Bud White confronts a mobster (and Kim Basinger’s Lynn is mistaken for Lana Turner – except she is Lana Turner) is the real Formosa Cafe on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, a genuine old-Hollywood haunt.
2
Sunset Boulevard – the Hush-Hush world
The film uses Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood (around the Crossroads of the World) for its tabloid-and-vice atmosphere.
3
Los Angeles City Hall – the Nite Owl and the finale
Los Angeles City Hall stands in for civic scenes and the film’s closing, one of the most-filmed buildings in the world doing what it does best.
4
Los Feliz, Venice and Mid-Wilshire
Patchett’s house is in Los Feliz, the police station front desk is in Venice, and Nick’s Liquor Store sits in Mid-Wilshire – a spread of real LA neighbourhoods.
Planning a visit
The Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood is a real, restored bar you can drink in, thick with old-Hollywood history. Combine it with a Sunset Boulevard wander and a look at Los Angeles City Hall downtown for a proper noir circuit.
L.A. Confidential Fun Facts
1
The Formosa Cafe is the real deal The Lana Turner scene was filmed at the genuine Formosa Cafe, a 1930s Hollywood bar later saved from demolition.
2
'She is Lana Turner' The film’s best gag – a cop insisting a woman is a hooker cut to look like Lana Turner, when she really is Lana Turner – plays out in that real bar.
3
LA City Hall, again The endlessly-filmed Los Angeles City Hall appears here too, as it does in countless noirs.
4
It launched two careers The film introduced Australians Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce to Hollywood as its LAPD leads.
5
Nine Oscar nominations It earned nine Academy Award nominations, winning for Kim Basinger and the screenplay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Formosa Cafe real?
Yes – it’s a genuine 1930s Hollywood bar on Santa Monica Boulevard, later restored, where the Lana Turner scene was filmed.
Can you visit the L.A. Confidential locations?
Yes – the Formosa Cafe is open, and Sunset Boulevard and LA City Hall are easy to visit.
Is L.A. Confidential based on a book?
Yes – James Ellroy’s 1990 novel of the same name.
Who stars in L.A. Confidential?
Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey and Kim Basinger, among others.
