Curtis Hanson has updated the film noir genre to the new millenium while remaining faithful to the period. In one scene, detective Nick Nolte beats a suspect into confession, as this was an era when "criminals had no rights" yet. The story involves a police investigation into a mass murder in a restaurant, investigated by Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe and resented newcomer Guy Pearce, among others, who also uncovers a deep plot with lots of characters. Kim Basinger won an Oscar for supp. actress as a "Hollywood Hooker", without apparently a lot of acting involved, but she did look like 40’s screen siren Veronica Lake. This may be a bit complex or slow for some, but the look and feel are straight from classic film noir but with rich, dark colors. Nine nominations, 2 Oscars (Supp. Actress, Screenplay)