Essay Questions

Who is the person that Exley calls Rollo Tomassi?

After an unknown and unnamed person murders Exley’s father in cold blood, he dubs them “Rollo Tomassi.” Exley spends much of his life searching for Tomassi (in fact, he becomes a detective because of Tomassi), hoping to find out his identity and throw him in jail for the murder of his father (among many other crimes that he had committed).

Ultimately, audiences come to learn that Rollo Tomassi is essentially Captain Dudley Smith, a high-ranking member of the police force who wanted to control the drug trade in Los Angeles.

Why does Captain Smith murder Vincennes?

Detective Vincennes is someone known for his dogged persistence of the law and the truth and justice. Because of this, he has uncovered that Captain Dudley Smith is the ringleader behind the organization of corrupt cops bent on making as much money possible from the Los Angeles drug trade. Smith, who asks Vincennes if he has told anyone else about his involvement in the organization, doesn’t want to be found out and kills Vincennes to keep his mouth shut, thus preventing himself from getting in trouble.