Nordling here.
Now that it's been almost 15 years, I think it's safe to say that L.A. CONFIDENTIAL is a classic. Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland took James Ellroy's sprawling epic novel, streamlined it, and made a genuinely great film, and much of that is also due to Russell Crowe's masterful performance as "Bud" White. Crowe was coming off ROMPER STOMPER at the time and I'd argue that his performance in CONFIDENTIAL may still be his best work.
Now, it looks like Crowe wants to return to James Ellroy, even going so far as to make his directorial debut with 77, according to Deadline. 77 covers two seemingly unrelated events in 1974 - the murder of a police officer and a shootout between the Symbionese Liberation Army and the LAPD. Crowe would play one of the officers in the film as well as directing.
The script is by David Matthews from a rewrite of Ellroy's script, and if the rewrite is good, Crowe will make the leap. I'd like to see Crowe do gritty again, and this sounds like it would be a good project for him. I'd also love to see a good 1970s cop film again. I miss those films, like THE FRENCH CONNECTION or SERPICO, and this one sounds like something right up that alley.
Nordling, out.
