Poor ending. Way too much smoking scenes, gets old quick.

Whoever did the cinematography on this thought they were way smarter than they actually are, breaking the line every 30 seconds and shoving in as many jump cuts as realistically possible. It's ridiculous. I thought this was supposed to be a cop thriller about the rampart scandal but instead it feels like someone trying to imitate Godard. I guess at some point I accepted that it was just a personal drama about a guy named Dave Brown and I started to enjoy it a bit more, but come on man.

In relation to the only other comment on this film, I was quite relieved that there wasn't some huge exposition at the end, as it would have killed the tensions that had been brooding throughout - you are left to come to your own conclusions as to whether Dave has to pay his dues or not. To my mind, it was fairly clear cut, but there is no need to expand on what I feel the natural outcome beyond the fade to black would have been.

Magnificent performance by Woody, and a great cast all round. No one does this source material like Ellroy, and while this isn't as conventional as his other work and lacks a satisfying Hollywood ending to satisfy the masses, it's a very high quality companion piece to sit alongside his broader (yet still kind of narrow) canon.

Haunting, bleak, depressing and as flawed in many ways as its lead character, yet still essential viewing. Not for everyone, but if you can stomach it then you will find a way to enjoy the experience if not perhaps the film itself. Don't take that as a criticism - our enjoyment was clearly not high on the filmakers' list of priorities on this occasion.