15 Movies You Won’t Believe Are 20 Years Old

Loosely adapted from James Ellroy’s sprawling crime novel of the same name, L.A. Confidential was a critic favourite of 1997 and went on to earn director and co-writer Curtis Hanson and screenwriting partner Brian Helgeland the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars the following year.

Hailed as one of the best neo-noirs in recent cinema history, the movie delved into the seedy underbelly of 1950s Los Angeles and starred Kevin Spacy alongside a then relatively unknown Guy Pearce and Russel Crowe as a trio of very different detectives who find themselves embroiled in a web of deceit, corruption, murder and a movie star lookalike prostitution ring.

Visually stunning with impeccable attention to period detail in its wardrobe and set design and a typically labyrinthine plot to boot, it’s a perfect portrayal of the end of Hollywood’s Golden Age in all its sleazy and seductive glory.