Favorite Scenes - L.A. Confidential

Ed Exley: Vincennes? I need your help with something.

Jack Vincennes: I’m busy right now. Why don’t you just go ask some of your boys in Homicide?


Exley: I can’t. I need someone outside Homicide. I want you to tail Bud White ‘til he goes on duty this evening.

Vincennes: Why don’t you do me a real favor and leave me alone?

Exley: Do you make the three Negroes for the Night Owl killings?

Vincennes: What?

Exley: It’s a simple question.

Vincennes: Why in the world do you want to go digging any deeper into Night Owl killings – Lieutenant?

Exley: Rollo Tomasi.

Vincennes: Is there more to that or am I supposed to guess?

Exley: Rollo was a purse-snatcher. My father ran into him off duty and he shot my father six times and got away clean. No one even knew who he was. I just made the name up to give him some personality.

Vincennes: What’s your point?

Exley: Rollo Tomasi is the reason I became a cop. I wanted to catch the guy who got away with it. It was supposed to be about justice. Then, somewhere along the way I lost sight of that. (pause) Why’d you become a cop?

Vincennes: I don’t remember.