L.A. Noire

Video Game
2011
M

IMDb RATING

8.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

Erika Heynatz and Aaron Staton in L.A. Noire (2011)

Watch the latest trailer for the upcoming video game L.A. Noire.

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Contemporary Western Period Drama True Crime Action Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

Cole Phelps, a war hero and rookie cop, moves up the ranks and solves dark cases in 1940s Los Angeles.Cole Phelps, a war hero and rookie cop, moves up the ranks and solves dark cases in 1940s Los Angeles.Cole Phelps, a war hero and rookie cop, moves up the ranks and solves dark cases in 1940s Los Angeles.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 wins & 23 nominations total

Trivia
Many of the cases of the game are representations of real-life crimes which occurred during 1940s Los Angeles, these include:
"The Driver's Seat" case which is loosely based on the real-life 1947 disappearance of Eugene White.
"A Marriage Made in Heaven" case was inspired by the true story surrounding the death of Jay Dee Chitwood in 1944. It may also be inspired by the movie Double Indemnity (1944) where the two protagonists intend to kill off the female lead's spouse to claim the insurance money.
"The Red Lipstick Murder" case is highly influenced by the murder of Jeanne French. Jeanne French was a 45-year-old army nurse who was discovered stripped and stomped to death early in the morning in February 1947. The case was never officially solved, but was supposedly linked to the infamous "Black Dahlia" murder because the initials "B.D." were written with lipstick on French's dead body and the murder took place just weeks after the murder of Elizabeth Short (Black Dahlia), which also took place in 1947 Los Angeles.
"The Golden Butterfly" case is heavily based on the real life murder of Dorothy Montgomery on May 3, 1947 in Los Angeles. Dorothy was mutilated which is why authorities first thought there was a connection to Elizabeth Short's murder. A Golden Butterfly Brooch was found near her body which was hers and had been torn from her blouse.
"The Silk Stocking Murder" is loosely based on the real 1947 murder of Rosenda Mondragon.
"The White Shoe Slaying" case is loosely based on the real-life 1947 murder of Laura Trelstad.
"The Studio Secretary Murder" case is loosely based on the real-life 1947 murder of Evelyn Winters.

Goofs
In the flashbacks, Jack Kelso is seen addressing his fellow Marines as "soldiers," which is something a US Marine would never ever do.

Quotes
Cole Phelps: What have you got?
Patrolman James Mitchell: Looks like a drug overdose.
Roy Earle: Get away from him, Phelps. This is my case.
Cole Phelps: Shut your fucking mouth. Since when does a bag man work a case?
Roy Earle: I knew this creep was in on the morphine heist. A victim of his own product.
[Phelps removes his gun and points it at Earle]
Patrolman James Mitchell: Hey, Detective? Can we back it off a notch? This is getting out of hand!
Herschel Biggs: There's a time to talk and a time to shut up. Now is the time to be quiet, son.
Cole Phelps: Courtney Sheldon was a corpsman, Roy. He served his country. He went out with a medical kit and an Army .45 and into places that made the Valley of Death look like a picnic. He was either naïve enough or dumb enough to get involved in the Suburban Development Fund along with the mayor, the DA, Monroe, and a certain crooked cop. He was involved in the morphine heist, but he has a puncture wound in his jugular, which makes this a murder case. He was a better man than you'll ever know. You say one more word about him and I will BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!
Roy Earle: You've finally lost it, partner.
Cole Phelps: I have a pretty good idea why Sheldon is dead, and I know about Monroe. Your vast corrupt future is draining away as we speak.
Roy Earle: I got better things to do than to argue the rub with you.
Cole Phelps: Stay with him until the coroner gets here. Make sure Technical Services bags the evidence. If you let this creep anywhere near it, I'll come looking for you.
Patrolman James Mitchell: Yes, sir.
Herschel Biggs: You know, Phelps - you're not the worst asshole going round.
Cole Phelps: Thanks, Herschel.

Alternate versions
There were several changes in the remastered versions for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, such as:
The questioning options were changed to "Good Cop", "Bad Cop" and "Accuse" instead of "Truth", "Doubt" and "Lie" from the original.
The PS4 and Xbox One versions also got some texture enhancements on the characters, environment and the subtitles. The skyboxes were also changed in several areas. Switch didn't get these changes, being more similar to 360/PS3/PC.
Being able to change camera modes on foot.
A photo mode was added.
A wind sound effect was added to the city ambience.
Four new suits were added as well as being able to use the Beat Cop uniform. An obstacle course minigame was added at the Army Base as part of unlocking the "The Murphy" suit. A new "Novels" collectible was also added as part of unlocking the "The Hard-Boiled Detective" suit.
The originally DLC cases were added to the main story and are part of the normal story instead of being add on cases.

Connections
Featured in Sage Reviews: L.A. Noire (2011)

Soundtracks
Investigation Theme
Composed by Bob Brockman and Andrew Hale

User reviews54

Review

Featured review

9/10

Great ode to the noir films

What can I add that others didn't already. L.A Noire is IMO currently the best detective game ever created. This game can make you feel like true investigator, with occasional chase and "shoot rm up" sequences. It pays homage to the film noirs of 40s. Visually stunning, highely detailed and atmospheric in evoking post WWII Los Angeles. Characters expressions and motions are incredibly and voice actors have done their job superbly. Lots of older (exotic) cars contemporary to the time and some of them you'll need to find to unlock. Storyline is intriguing, emotional and well written. Cole Phelps is one of the best characters that exist in a video game. For this genre ans style, what can you ask for more? The only flaw is: it's very repetitive. But again, it doesn't spoil the overall experience.