America 1987

Chapter 97 Film Noir

The only noir film from the 90s to be pre-released and preserved by the National Film Preservation Board of the United States, it has been praised by many film fans and critics as "the best crime thriller in Hollywood history," which may be a slight exaggeration, but adding "one of" is certainly not wrong.

In the original timeline, it received nine Oscar nominations. If it hadn't collided with the giant ship, it wouldn't have only won two awards: Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. The fact that it's listed as a cultural heritage by the Library of Congress speaks volumes about its quality.

"What type?"

"Yes, a film noir," David whispered in her ear.

"Film noir?"

Well, this isn't an independent film genre, but rather a special film style that originated in Hollywood in the 1940s, centered around crime and detective themes. It tends to refer to a style rather than a genre.

The original film noir was characterized by "understated, hard-sleeved trench coats and hats, and femme fatales plotting betrayal."

"So I'm playing a femme fatale?"

"Of course not. Audiences are already tired of that template from the Golden Age," David said. "Besides, those kinds of characters are easy to emulate, so you don't have much room to improvise when you're acting them."

"So he's a good person?" Catherine asked, somewhat pleased. "A rather positive and proactive character, right?"

"Do you really enjoy playing righteous characters?"

"Of course, nobody wants to play a villain."

Although David thought this statement was too absolute, and that there are plenty of actors who have made a name for themselves through villainous roles, he ultimately chose to remain silent after considering the proportion of such actors.

The vast majority of movies focus on creating positive characters, while villains often play a functional role, with far fewer lines and less screen time than the protagonists. Therefore, the protagonists are often also positive characters.

This is because mainstream commercial films need to convey universal positive values. Using a positive visual narrative can more naturally express the theme of "good triumphs over evil," which meets the general audience's viewing expectations and is also easier to pass content review and gain widespread market recognition.

Woody Allen's "Match Point," starring Scarlett Johansson, is actually a very good film.

However, because Woody Allen used the villain as the protagonist, the audience would take the protagonist's perspective during the viewing process, and would even unconsciously worry about his exoneration, blurring the boundaries between good and evil, dissolving basic moral standards, and challenging the public's general perception of justice. As a result, it was criticized by many viewers for its distorted values ​​when it was released.

Actually, the creative environment in Hollywood was already very free at that time. If it had been released in mainland China, the ending would definitely have had to be changed drastically.

Even if it's not changed, there should be a subtitle at the end explaining that "thanks to the efforts of the police, the protagonist was eventually brought to justice and punished by law," like in Fight Club.

"Why don't you ask about the female lead's specific character design?"

"I won't ask anymore," Naomi said, shifting the mouse and looking at the computer screen. "I know you'll inevitably blurt it out yourself, so why should I ask, right?"

How can you be so sure I'll blurt it out?

"Just a guess."

Catherine turned her head and smiled slightly. "I think you have a strong desire to express yourself, and you probably won't be able to resist saying it yourself."

“Okay, you guessed right,” David said, raising an eyebrow. “Lynn is a call girl who looks remarkably like Veronica Lake, a star from Hollywood’s Golden Age, and she comes from a small town in Arizona.”

Why would they hire a call girl who looks like a Hollywood actress?

"Mainly because there were indeed such people in Los Angeles at that time."

Brenda Allen, a well-known brothel owner in Los Angeles during the 40s and 50s, ran a prostitution service for high-end clients, and most of her prostitutes were groomed for their appearance.

Many of them deliberately imitated the appearance and temperament of popular Hollywood actresses at the time to cater to the needs of their clients and closely match the characters in the movies.

"And what about Jack? Did the Los Angeles Police Department have people like that back then?"

"I'm not too sure about that. He's a fictional character created by combining common characteristics of detectives in the 50s Los Angeles Police Department's narcotics unit who colluded with gossip media and profited from catching celebrity scandals."

David answered the man's question, "I think this character should resonate with you, Kevin Spacey."

The man, dressed in a light gray plaid suit with a white shirt and a burgundy patterned tie, quickly gave his answer: "Of course, he is very well-rounded and three-dimensional. I really like this character. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity, Mr. David Ovitz."

This man, with a long face and a slightly receding hairline, is only 30 years old this year, but he looks as mature as 40.

David had seen many of the other person's works before, and after so many years, his face still looked the same, almost unchanged, comparable to Uncle Benshan from the East China Sea.

He had been worried that the current partner might not be able to handle the role of Jack in "L.A. Confidential" eight years later, but now it seems that his worries were unfounded.

"Tell me your understanding of this character, I'd love to hear it."

In the movie, Jack is the "face" of the Los Angeles Police Department. In addition to being a detective, he is also a technical consultant for popular police dramas, specializing in teaching actors how to act realistically.

He was closely associated with reporters from the gossip magazine "Hush-Hush," specializing in tracking the whereabouts of Hollywood stars, catching them in the act of drug use or infidelity, and earning a hefty side income by breaking the news. He was the detective with the highest media exposure in the police department.

"Um, excuse me for interrupting, do you think this is illegal?"

"Theoretically, it's illegal, but given the context at the time, it could only be considered a gray area operation, right?"

Hmm, it seems the other party did their homework.

Using their official positions as police officers to obtain information about celebrities' private lives, and then collaborating with gossip media to expose their scandals in exchange for payment, was indeed considered a small-scale operation at the time.

In the 50s, the Los Angeles Police Department tacitly defined "serious violations" as large-scale acts of lawbreaking such as collaborating with gangs to traffic drugs, organizing prostitution, and murder to cover up wrongdoing. It was therefore understandable that Jack's extra money-making schemes were considered "harmless little money-making."

Do you know why I wrote it this way?

"Why?" Kevin Spacey asked, obligingly.

Of course, it's to make the character more vivid and three-dimensional. Most viewers find it difficult to fully empathize with a perfect and righteous character, so adding a few minor flaws to make the character more relatable is the simplest way.

However, the director needs to carefully consider what kind of minor flaw this is. The flaw cannot be too big, otherwise it will be difficult to explain later, and the audience will not like it.

Using his position to earn some shady extra money only shows that Jack had long since lost his original aspirations in the corrupt system, was indifferent to the truth of the case, and only cared about his own reputation and income, becoming a seasoned veteran in the police station.

That makes his later act of redemption, achieved with his life, all the more gripping.

"I just don't know, Kevin, will you be able to recreate Jack's redemption before he died?" David asked with a questioning look.

"Of course, I'm confident I can do a good job in that scene."

David was referring to the very classic line "Roro Thomas" from "L.A. Confidential".

This line was the last thing Jack uttered in a weak voice as he was shot and dying. It was the name of the mastermind behind the scenes that he spat out with his last breath. It was both a clever way of recapturing the foreshadowing from earlier and a final delivery of the truth with his life.

Kevin Spacey's performance in this scene is absolutely Oscar-worthy—with his gradually unfocused eyes and trembling, almost inaudible breathy voice, he perfectly portrays the character's sense of relief as he transforms from a slick detective to someone willing to die for justice.

Without any deliberate attempt to evoke emotion, the character's sacrifice instantly gained immense weight, becoming one of the most impactful deathbed lines in crime films.