L.A. Confidential Recut

November 29, 2011

I’ve had the honor of previewing this before it was released and I must say from the start that I hadn’t seen the original movie.

Everything flowed well – I’d be hard pressed to point out what had been taken out. So I can only review based on my appreciation of this version, and not on the positive changes that were made from the original.

Fans of hard boiled type stories will enjoy this. The movies Payback and Sin City immediately sprang to mind while watching this. Arguably it could have been made even better if filmed in black and white but the editor chose to stay in color. Probably a wise choice considering this would not convert well if artificially done.

Good acting, powerful dialog had me hooked; I was explained what the differences were with the original and although I’ve never seen it (even if I own it) I agree with the editor’s choices. As a fan of hard boiled stories, I agree with the changes.

All in all, if you’re looking for a solid story with good actors, excellent dialog and an edge that you won’t necessarely find in what’s being offered today, then this fanedit’s for you. Not science-fiction or horror as there are so many on this site but a solid entry into the great world of fanediting and its potential.

8/10

small trims, better film. I won't have much need (ever) to whip out the ol' theatrical release, 'cause neg's version is tighter.

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.