Kim Basinger as Lynn Bracken in L.A. Confidential
Best Supporting Actress at the 70th Annual Oscars (1997)
Notable Quote:
“You're the first man in five years who didn't tell me I look like Veronica Lake inside of a minute.”
Synopsis:
Frenemy cops Bud White (Russell Crowe), Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) and Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey) investigate a number of potentially related crimes, all while running roughshod over every possible ethical boundary. All of the crimes seem connected to the mysterious Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger), a classic noir femme fatale.
The character:
Lynn Bracken first appears in the film when she shows up to a liquor store on Christmas Eve in an oversized hood, and makes coy small talk with our cop protagonist. She’s intriguing and mysterious, and those will go on to be Lynn’s defining characteristics. It sucks that the film’s only substantial female character is a cypher of a person, but in the movie’s defense, that’s kind of the point. Lynn showed up in L.A. from some shitty Arizona town, and ends up part of this group of sex workers that literally get plastic surgeried into old Hollywood legends. Lynn becomes actress Veronica Lake, and for her clients, she’s not a real woman, just a fantasy.
But even for her love interest Bud, she’s just a blank screen for him to project his issues on. Bud wants to “protect women” (if anyone says this, see it as the major red flag it is and RUN), so he hates that she’s a sex worker – because that type of guy cannot process the concept of a woman having agency, he thinks she must be oppressed and forced into it by some abusive asshole that he now has an excuse to beat up! This is a great movie, but one my main critiques is that despite playing with the idea that Lynn is a fantasy for men, that’s ultimately what she ends up being as a character. It’s disappointing.
The performance:
Kim Basinger is another example of perfect casting for the role. Most importantly, she brings the alluring mystique that the role requires. I’m drawn to her, and want to know more, and Basinger gives very little away. Lynn could be a villain, or a damsel-in-distress, or a schemer, and that uncertainty makes her character so much more interesting. Basinger speaks in a gentle, hushed voice, but even though she says everything softly, there’s a power behind her words. She feels ghostly, but also incredibly present.
Given that Lynn doesn’t show much of her inner world, Basinger still brings a lot of dimensions to the character. She’s got a little bit of a Southern accent, just enough that we can tell that she’s an L.A. transplant, and start using our schemas to sketch out an image of a woman who came to the city pursuing her dreams and got caught up in something unsavory. And she also carries herself with a sadness, the kind that’s especially intoxicating for a man who wants to save women. Even as I write all of this, I acknowledge that I might be projecting my own desires onto this character, but given that’s what Lynn is about, it’s even more evidence that Basinger does an amazing job starring as a memorable enigma.
The movie:
L.A. Confidential is one my favorite movies that I’ve watched for the column so far! It’s a great thriller: the perfect level of complicated, with enough parts to make piecing the puzzle together fun, and not overwhelming. It’s full of morally ambiguous characters: everyone’s kind of a bad guy, but people are bad in many different ways. And there’s a running theme about how much the media and the police are intertwined, which only feels more relevant today. My major caveat is that if police brutality is too much for you, avoid this movie. I actually think the movie is fairly critical of police using violent tactics, but we ultimately end up siding with violent cops, so that criticism doesn’t hold strong enough. But if you’re looking for a complex neo-noir, check this out!
Was the Oscar deserved?
Absolutely, despite my issues with the character, this is a great performance.
I loved how you were able to capture this classic noir femme fatale! I especially appreciated your insights into a "type of guy who cannot process the concept of a woman having agency" and who wants to save women.
We've never met before, but I'm a huge fan of your work. I can only hope to be this insightful, smart, funny, and engaging in my own writing one day.
- meow
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s a perfect homage to the 1950s noir films, replicating all the elements to a T. Basinger is electric in the role, an obvious target for the affection cast upon her by the characters. There’s no one to admire in this movie, all flawed like you said, but that’s part of the greatness of the film. You hope you’ll see justice for those wronged. But it’s not the justice you want, but the kind that fits the story.