Review Detail
9.5 18 10Overall rating
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
9.0
Enjoyment
9.0
WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
(This review is not meant as a personal attack on the editor, it is simply this reviewer’s opinions on the edit).
Well I was lucky enough to see a workprint of L.A. Confidential Recut by Neglify. Unfortunately this didn’t allow me to follow my usual “routine” when it comes to watching fanedits: rewatch the original, then watch the fanedit. It’d been quite awhile since I had last seen L.A. Confidential. So as I watched the Recut there were certain parts where I said to myself “wait isn’t there another part/scene here” and other times where i didn’t notice/remember that anything was taken away.
So, L.A. Confidential Recut, after rewatching the original, i came to appreciate the changes Neglify has made to the movie. Now I was aware of the big change being a drastic reduction of the Bud/Lynn romance. And I can do without the romance bit. It does tend to weigh down the film a bit and slow the pace. And i think Neglify’s choices on how to condense it worked perfectly. It’s still clear that Bud and Lynn has a romantic relationship and that it was something special. But now there is no “wrapped in a bow” resolution. The relationship ends after Bud hits Lynn. Dare I say this makes it more realistic? And when you match this change with the other big change Neglify makes (which I will discuss shortly) it makes for a darker, grittier story IMO.
So the big change, that in my opinion was the best change in this fanedit, was the ending. I think the changes to the ending that Neglify made have a greater (positive) impact than the reduction of Lynn in the story. No happy ending, no medal ceremony, Bud doesn’t survive and live happily ever after with Lynn. I think the ending works so much better. And c’mon, be honest, how much of a buzzkill is Exley’s exposition of the who/what/where/when and why of the bad guys. So in case you haven’t figured it out, I really like the new ending that Neglify gave this edit.
DVD Presentation: There is a nice motion menu for the DVD. And there is a fun bonus feature which is a drinking game. I laughed quite a bit just reading the rules of the game.
VIDEO EDITING: 10/10 (This is based on the workprint as I have no had a chance to watch the finalized DVD). No extra frames, no jarring cuts.
AUDIO EDITING: 10/10 (Again this is based off the workprint). No audio drop outs, no harsh cuts.
So overall I really enjoyed this edit. The changes that were made were significant and really alter the mood and tone of the movie. I’m not sure I can say definitively that Recut is a replacement to my original DVD of L.A. Confidential but it is damn close.
I look forward to seeing Neglify’s future fanedits.
(This review is not meant as a personal attack on the editor, it is simply this reviewer’s opinions on the edit).
Well I was lucky enough to see a workprint of L.A. Confidential Recut by Neglify. Unfortunately this didn’t allow me to follow my usual “routine” when it comes to watching fanedits: rewatch the original, then watch the fanedit. It’d been quite awhile since I had last seen L.A. Confidential. So as I watched the Recut there were certain parts where I said to myself “wait isn’t there another part/scene here” and other times where i didn’t notice/remember that anything was taken away.
So, L.A. Confidential Recut, after rewatching the original, i came to appreciate the changes Neglify has made to the movie. Now I was aware of the big change being a drastic reduction of the Bud/Lynn romance. And I can do without the romance bit. It does tend to weigh down the film a bit and slow the pace. And i think Neglify’s choices on how to condense it worked perfectly. It’s still clear that Bud and Lynn has a romantic relationship and that it was something special. But now there is no “wrapped in a bow” resolution. The relationship ends after Bud hits Lynn. Dare I say this makes it more realistic? And when you match this change with the other big change Neglify makes (which I will discuss shortly) it makes for a darker, grittier story IMO.
So the big change, that in my opinion was the best change in this fanedit, was the ending. I think the changes to the ending that Neglify made have a greater (positive) impact than the reduction of Lynn in the story. No happy ending, no medal ceremony, Bud doesn’t survive and live happily ever after with Lynn. I think the ending works so much better. And c’mon, be honest, how much of a buzzkill is Exley’s exposition of the who/what/where/when and why of the bad guys. So in case you haven’t figured it out, I really like the new ending that Neglify gave this edit.
DVD Presentation: There is a nice motion menu for the DVD. And there is a fun bonus feature which is a drinking game. I laughed quite a bit just reading the rules of the game.
VIDEO EDITING: 10/10 (This is based on the workprint as I have no had a chance to watch the finalized DVD). No extra frames, no jarring cuts.
AUDIO EDITING: 10/10 (Again this is based off the workprint). No audio drop outs, no harsh cuts.
So overall I really enjoyed this edit. The changes that were made were significant and really alter the mood and tone of the movie. I’m not sure I can say definitively that Recut is a replacement to my original DVD of L.A. Confidential but it is damn close.
I look forward to seeing Neglify’s future fanedits.
G