L.A. Confidential

1997 · directed by Curtis Hanson · 138 min

25,830 feet · Prominence

278th of 15,261 films scored

The Rewatchables‘L.A. Confidential’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, and Andy Greenwald

How this film scores

Draw63

$126m worldwide in 1997 — $260m in today's money.

As released$126mIn 2026 money$260mRank1,288 of 8,589In 199731 of 182

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise97

Critics 95, awards 79. Half each, so Praise lands at 97.

Critics95 → 48Awards79 → 40

Oscars2 won Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay7 nominated Picture, Director, Cinematography, Production Design, Film Editing, Original Dramatic Score, Sound

Golden Globes1 won Supporting Actress

How Praise works

Half critics, half a tiered award record where Picture and Directing carry most of the weight. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy62

Judged directly: Acclaimed noir, quieter lasting footprint.

Verdict62 of 100IMDb8.2 from 656kWikipedia59k views a monthAge29 years

On the listsNational Film Registryevidence, not an input to the score

Scored beside it · 410 of 3,430 films judged

62Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019)

62Superman II (1980)

62The Odd Couple (1968)

62Doctor Strange (2016)

62Knives Out (2019)

62Crocodile Dundee (1986)

62L.A. Confidential (1997)

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 63 praise 97 legacy 62averages 74, which places it at25,830 ft

How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Russell Crowe22,265 ft