This film is the exact opposite to Bullet Proof Vest, yet it is just as good - if not, better. Where Bullet Proof Vest was brilliant in its simplicity, this is brilliant in its complexity. L. A. Noir takes a very simple idea and turns it into something extremely powerful through artistic and detailed filming and editing.
I can understand how some critics may jump the gun with this film and state that it is cliched; the swirling cigarette smoke, the struggling writer at his typewriter in his grotty apartment, and the mysterious, seductive woman have all been used time and time again.
But take another look at the title: "L. A. Noir." The very title sets this film up to be modelled on the conventions of 1940s film noir, and without these things it would not be noir at all.
However, L. A. Noir is more than just a simple demonstration of film noir effects. It used them to create something modern and beautiful. The whole point of this film - at least in my interpretation of it - is to take an idea of a film genre that people are familiar with, and turn it into something new. Conrad Jackson has taken film noir as a stylistic entity and turned it into an art form.
Even the soundtrack is perfect. It is so subtle you hardly notice it is there - just sitting there in the background, pulsing out mood.
This film is absolutely stunning - beautifully lit, beautifully shot, beautifully cast, and beautifully edited, it is a perfectly rounded nugget of viewing pleasure, and it punches something powerful right into the stomach.
View L. A. Noir here.
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