Talk:L.A. Confidential

I have made some corrections to this page, based on a recent complete viewing, and a half-dozen reviews of specific scenes. Jack's pistol may have been a Commander, but could not have been a Combat Commander, as the latter model was not introduced until 1972. It's likely that the other Colt .45 pistols shown in the movie were commercial Government Models, and not military-issue M1911A1s. The pistol with which Capt. Dudley shoots Jack must be a Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless, rather than a M1908 as previously posted, as in the squad room, Dudley informs the assembled officers that Jack was killed with a .32 (the '08 is a .380). The gun planted by White is much too small to be a K-frame (previously identified as a Model 10). It's probably a .32, built on a smaller J- or even I-frame. Smith & Wesson introduced model numbers long after the '53 time period in which the movie was set, so a "Model 10" would be correctly identified as a "Military & Police" model. Likewise, the "Model 14" which was previously posted as the type of revolver with which Dudley shot White at the Victory Motel, was actually a Combat Masterpiece, later numbered Model 15. The 15 is readily identified, compared to the 14, by its Baughman ramp front sight; the 14 had a patridge front sight, as shown in the illustration.

Jack's pistol may have been a Commander, but could not have been a Combat Commander, as the latter model was not introduced until 1972.

Right, but the MOVIE was made in 1996-97, so isn't that irrelevant? -MT2008 20:28, 31 March 2009 (UTC)

The Colt Lightweight Commander (lower reciever was made out of a lightweight metal alloy) was introduced in 1949.The all steel framed Colt Commander was introduced in 1972 so the film is consistent. Are you certain that they aren't using that version? I will have to check out the movie again to see if the front sight is a Baughman front sight on the revolver used by Dudley. If so then the movie folks screwed up becasue S&W did not start manufacturing the Model 15 with a six inch barrel into the eighties after the Model 14 was discontinued. Jcordell

I was basing my assessment of the Commander on what was available in the early '50s when the movie is set, rather than what was available to the movie producers; even if the gun used in the production was a Combat Commander, it would have to represent a Commander. I reviewed the movie again, looking specifically for details of Jack's gun, and I couldn't even be sure it was a Commander. There's no clear shot of the hammer, and I couldn't really tell if the slide was Commander- or Government-length. Dudley's gun is clearly a 4" Combat Masterpiece; it's seen in profile as he thumb-cocks it to shoot Exley in the Victory Motel. The gun "dropped" by White is appears to be a .32 Hand Ejector, which was made in a number of sub-models, and in very large numbers in the first half of the 20th Century. It's a six-shot .32, with round-butt frame.