Both of these shots have very complex lighting arrangements, in the style of film noir Venetian blinds and a light/dark contrast. The shots are similar because of the clearly visible beams of light entering the window (in neither case would the setting naturally have so many light rays), though the actual sets are entirely different, as is their context.
The shot from Double Indemnity is, first of all, not from an action scene, and subsequently the set is complacent and very organized and formal. Walter Neff is merely looking around the room while waiting around. The corresponding shot from LA Confidential is near the end of the movie in the final shootout scene — and rather than soft sunlight sliced by Venetian blinds, there is this eerie blue-gray light that flows through the bullet-holes in the wall of a run-down house.
Walter and the objects in the room are clearly lit and precisely placed, whereas Edmund Exley is hiding in the shadows behind the light, standing apprehensively with a gun in his hand.
The differences between these two shots highlight how different the two films are, though they follow the same general theme. There is more rugged action and suspense in LA Confidential than there is in Double Indemnity, which seems more reserved and relies more on the script and plot for the excitement.
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