L.A. Confidential

1997 · directed by Curtis Hanson · 138 min

25,733 feet · Prominence

291st of 24,106 films scored

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

How this film scores

Draw63

Lifetime worldwide gross $126m, re-releases included; about $260m in 2026 money.

Rank1,334 of 11,051In 199732 of 213

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

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics95 baseAwards91 signal → +2 lift

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

Golden Globes1 won Supporting Actress2 nominated Best Picture, Screenplay

BAFTAs1 won Craft and other5 nominated Best Picture, Directing, Lead acting, Screenplay, Craft and other

How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. 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 · 455 of 4,039 films judged

62Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)

62Casino Royale (2006)

62The English Patient (1996)

62The Odd Couple (1968)

62Sideways (2004)

62Lost in Translation (2003)

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, placing it at25,733 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.

Whose apex this is

▲ James Cromwell

In these careers — elevation for this film

Guy Pearce19,805 ft Kim Basinger19,635 ft Russell Crowe19,545 ft Kevin Spacey19,530 ft James Cromwell18,840 ft Danny DeVito18,607 ft David Strathairn18,177 ft Simon Baker17,657 ft