Answers
What were some of the issues in California at this time (50s) that LA Confidential also deals with?
police corruption
LA Confidential Trailer
you mean besides that it ranks 7th as worst movie ever made?
Why or Why not?
Yes in the sense that it is stylized crime drama - but I would categorize it in a subcatargory of film noir - retro film noir.
Real film noir is 40 to 60 years old, and with LA Confidential being from the 90's - it lacks the part of the definition of film noir for being from the 40's and 50's.
But it definately fits it in every other way.
In the movie "LA Confidential," what's the name of the fake person that the dying character gives to James Cromwell (the villain) to let the hero know that Cromwell is not on the up and up? The dying character, whom Cromwell shot, gives the name as a suspect and Cromwell asks the hero about the name.
It's not Kyser Sose; that's from "the usual suspects."
Rolo Tamassi
Gossip columnists used it to imply they were giving readers "confidential" information not available to the general public.