L.A. Confidential (1997)

The city advertises sunshine and opportunity while policing and publicity help manufacture a convenient version of the truth. Bright streets and attractive homes make that sales pitch credible, so violence behind the respectable frontage feels more corrosive. Three very different policemen give you competing routes through the deception, with forceful performances keeping the intricate investigation readable. A good choice if you want noir's mistrust delivered with the momentum of a muscular modern thriller.