10 Films BETTER Than The Book They Were Based On

James Ellroy’s novel is a tightly plotted neo-noir thriller; it’s a story of corruption within the 1960s Los Angeles police force and the few honest police who try to uncover the conspiracy.

The film wisely chooses to omit several of the novel’s plotlines from the narrative, which is already complicated - as is typical in the noir genre. Instead the focus switches to the love-triangle between Lynn (Kim Basinger), Bud (Russell Crowe), and Ed (Guy Pearce) and the growing animosity between the two men, which eventually turns into a grudging respect.

James Ellroy praised the film: “I understood in forty-minutes or so that it was a work of art on its own level. It was amazing to see the physical incarnation of the characters.”

In October 2020 it was revealed a sequel to the movie was in development prior to Chadwick Boseman’s death, who would have starred alongside Guy Pearce and Russell Crowe who were set to reprise their roles.