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I think that's a very fitting ending, jack74; it's essentially the way the book finishes, despite having an entirely different ending shoot-out (which is much larger, involves way more of the cast who were mainly relegated in the film, is where Vincennes really gets killed and where Bud White is not only shot about a thousand times but also has the living shit kicked out of him - and it's only after this that he summons up the strength to beat Deuce Perkins to death).
The point is that he survives an inordinate amount of violence, and believe me, it's more inordinate in the book. I mean, his jaw's wired shut, his entire body's broken; he's alive by the skin of his teeth. The important thing is not whether he should have lived or not, but the fact that Lynn joins him; she'd give up everything she has and move to Arizona to live with a disabled ex-cop.
The book is a bit more morally awkward at the ending, in that Dudley Smith gets away with it; the shoot-out doesn't involve him. Exley's parting line to White (in the car) is "I swear I'll get him for you" (IIRC); White's sacrifice isn't going to go unnoticed. It's a bit harder in the film because Exley shoots Smith in the back; the revenge happens within the timeframe of the movie. Ellroy leaves many events to happen after the novel has ended simply because life's like that, and he doesn't really make pretty pictures of things.
I think it still works in the film, even if it's slightly less relevant, as the ending is more about the Lynn-Exley-White triangle: the damaged guy (in so many ways) emerges to be the preferable choice to Mr. Squeaky-clean - and Exley knows this and understands why. I'd love the book to have been filmed verbatim, but it's physically not possible - there'd be too many lawsuits for a start. |
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