The key conventions of film noir in LA ConfidentialL.A Confidential (Curtis Hanson, 1997) is a neo-noir film about a shootout at an all-night diner and the three police officers Las Angeles who investigate in their own way. It is based on the book by James Ellroy and, after a very well adapted screenplay, won nine Oscars. It starred big name actors like Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Danny Devito, making it a very profitable film. The narrative or storyline is pretty much the same as any other film noir. There is a “tough” cop (Russell Crowe) who we become attached to. The narrative of any film must have certain “key conventions” that are obvious for the audience to understand the genre of the film. Narrative can be used to explain why the film contains certain things or why a character does something. The genre of the film is how we know what type of film it is. Genre is a French word that literally means type; it shows which category a film belongs to. There are certain factors in a genre that will identify it. Elements such as settings, characters, and themes can all be similar within a specific genre. "LA Confidential belongs to the genre of film noir. Other films of this genre are "The Big Sleep", "The Maltese Falcon" and "Double Indemnity". Lighting is very important in film noir. It uses techniques such as chiaroscuro to give the film a darker, more obscure feel Characters are often similar in film noir The main protagonist is always a badass cop or investigator who doesn't always follow the rules to get. Desired Outcomes There is often a femme fatale; a very attractive woman with whom the main protagonist has a romantic interest. Danny Devito narrates. A narrator is quite common in film noir. The purpose of a narrator is to explain to the audience parts of the film that cannot be explained through on-screen conversation or visually. is not diagetic, meaning that it can be heard but apparently does not come from anywhere on the screen. Danny Devito is perfect in this role because he has a rather seedy voice, it's good for illustrating the sordidness of film noir, it shows L's true voice.