I've looked in a book I read long ago, by John Truby, called The Anatomy of Story. He dissects the scenes from LA Confidential (and many other great movies) and points this out:

Scene 63/90: "Rolo Tomasi" was the name given to the man who killed Ed's father, Preston Exley. It's why Ed became a cop. Scene 73/90: When the Captain shoots Jack, Jack's last words are "Rolo Tomasi". He noticed that some years ago the Captain supervised a case where Stensland and Meeks investigated Patchett.

Scene 87/90: (...) when the Captain shoots Bud twice, Ed calls the Captain Rolo Tomasi, the guy who gets away with it. To reinforce it, the Captain promises Ed he'll be chief of detectives if Ed arrests him and doesn't kill him.

I believe the movie as it is states that the Captain was the killer of Ed's father.

That makes Ed end the movie with his personal goal accomplished. The director could have ended the movie with "The end ... though unfortunately, Ed, you still don't know who Rolo Tomasi is".

I've looked in a book I read long ago, by John Truby, called The Anatomy of Story. He dissects the scenes from LA Confidential (and many other great movies) and points this out:

Scene 63/90: "Rolo Tomasi" was the name given to the man who killed Ed's father, Preston Exley. It's why Ed became a cop.

Scene 73/90: When the Captain shoots Jack, Jack's last words are "Rolo Tomasi". He noticed that some years ago the Captain supervised a case where Stensland and Meeks investigated Patchett.

Scene 87/90: (...) when the Captain shoots Bud twice, Ed calls the Captain Rolo Tomasi, the guy who gets away with it. To reinforce it, the Captain promises Ed he'll be chief of detectives if Ed arrests him and doesn't kill him.

I believe the movie as it is states that the Captain was the killer of Ed's father.

That makes Ed end the movie with his personal goal accomplished. The director could have ended the movie with "The end ... though unfortunately, Ed, you still don't know who Rolo Tomasi is".