To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) User Reviews

Excellent pacing and effective marriage of action and music

[mmasv · 8/10 · 5 February 2005]

Worthy of the director of "French Connection," the pace of this set- in-LA action thriller immediately draws the view in and never lets up. A car chase in the best traditions of "Bullitt" and of Friedkin's own "French Connection" is centers the action, but the motivation of a rogue agent obsessed with the death of his partner, and clearly with his own death, are well- and credibly- drawn. The most sympathetic character in the story is not one of the principals. It is a female informer. An ex-con at the mercy of those on both sides of the law, she is callously exploited by all. Her feelings for Agent Chance are more implied than explicit, but they are believable as is his indifference to her as a person. This riveting film never lets your attention wander. Thanks to Friedkin, we are told, we are given a credible ending to this taut, tightly- wound thriller. An under-exposed, under-appreciated work; excellent for the genre.

Losers, all!

[sc8031 · 7/10 · 18 July 2008]

Despite a confusing (or irrelevant?) opening segment, To Live and Die in L.A. is an authentic and somewhat disturbing crime film. In fact, some of the film is so harrowing and caustic it evokes almost horror-like inspiration. As you might have heard by now, it involves one of the finest car chase scenes ever put to film.

The film follows a couple of Secret Service agents for the National Treasury as they try to track down a counterfeiter. As the movie rolls on, it becomes clear that these agents are pretty shady in the way they gleam information and that the ties between crime and justice are actually quite close. I know, it sounds like an obvious plot, but the editing, pacing, characters and twists are all pretty unexpected or original. It is not nearly as cliché as it sounds.

The downsides to the movie could be some of the aesthetic choices: the neon colors are sweet (I think) but some of the soundtrack is just too grating. You REALLY feel like you're hopped up on speed after hearing the main theme for too long. It's done by Wang Chung, but I think Tangerine Dream would've created something much more provocative. Oh well. Also, I felt like one or two characters' stories were not really concluded properly. There was a minor hang-nail or two left at the end.

But all in all, this is a solid film. Very inspired, very dark, simultaneously exciting and depressing. Seriously, this movie is way more intensely real than anything Tarantino has tried to do. It may not actually be more violent per say, but the violence itself it much more effective and the social ties are far more believable. This junk is scary.

Excellent Non-Stop Action And Politically Incorrect Police Story

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 4 June 2005]

In Los Angeles, the secret agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) loses his partner and friend Jim Hart (Michael Greene) in an investigation of counterfeit, two days before the retirement of Jim. The agent John Vukovich (John Pankow) is assigned to work with Chance, who is obsessed to capture Eric 'Rick' Masters (Willem Dafoe), the criminal responsible for the death of Jim. Chance risks his partner and his own career, trying to arrest Rick.

"To Live and Die in L.A" is an excellent non-stop action movie, having an excellent pacing and being a politically incorrect police story. All the characters are amoral, dirty and sordid, and it is impossible to feel sympathy for any of them. There are excellent scenes, such as the car chase in the streets of Los Angeles, or the surprising lethal shooting in the end of the story. The DVD shows a commercial alternative ending of the story, fortunately not accepted by the director William Friedkin. The unpredictable and credible end as it is makes the great difference of this outstanding movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Viver e Morrer em Los Angeles" ("To Live and Die in Los Angeles")

Raw, brilliant crime thriller

[fertilecelluloid · 21 January 2004]

When Friedkin went "back on the streets" in 1985 to make TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., he made a classic that will endure and that perfectly captures its 80's milieu.

I don't understand these idiots who complain how a film is "dated" by its music. Of course a film is "dated" by its specific elements, but so what. This superb film, which has an amazingly kinetic Wang Cheung score, is about a time (the mid-eighties) and place (L.A.) that is now history, and it is a punishing document.

The film works on many levels. Yes, it is about counterfeiting and superficial (re: counterfeit) relationships. It is about greed, survival, justice and morality. It is also about human beings using and laying to waste other human beings.

These powerful ingredients weave their way through a police procedural/action thriller plot that never stops to catch its breath and is pure cinema.

Willem Dafoe is totally engrossing as the film's villain, while William Peterson delivers a highly focused, tough turn. Dean Stockwell is also a stand-out as a crook lawyer and real cop Jack Hoar is quietly spectacular as Dafoe's mule.

And the film boasts one unbelievable car chase that has not been equaled since.

But LIVE AND DIE is also a film that expertly marries the visual to the aural and depicts a part of Southern California that has not been so credibly depicted before.

Dynamite!

Vintage 80's cop drama

[praveen77 · 7/10 · 7 November 2009]

Somehow, I just love the feel and styles of the '80's. The music, the fashion statements, the hair styles and the movies. Maybe it's just because I was a kid in the Eighties, and the days of your childhood are mostly what you have a longing for.

So, the other day, when I started to watch 'To Live and Die in LA', I knew there was a very small chance that I would dislike the movie. And I liked it. From the opening sequence soundtrack to the style and swagger of the lead character, to the ladies. The movie is about a daredevil cop, Chance, who likes a bit of BASE jumping along with his job. His partner is about to retire from duty in a few days, but gets killed while trying to track down a lead on counterfeit money being produced in LA. The counterfeiter, Rick Masters (William Dafoe in a wonderfully wild and wicked role) shoots him down and leaves him to the dead. Chance decides he wants to track down the killer no matter what the methods used. He gets assigned with the seemingly by the book, nervous Vukovich. However, as Vukovich starts to work with Chance and trusts him, he slowly begins to come around to his way of thinking. The rest of the movie deals with how Chance and Vukovich, with the help of Chance's ultra sexy informer, tracks down Masters. The climax is something worth waiting for, as it hits the viewer unexpectedly and suddenly.

The acting is good enough, though not great. The look and feel of the movie reminded me a bit of Michael Mann's Miami Vice TV series in the eighties. Though William Peterson was good as Chance, I did wonder how it would have been if the more suave and sophisticated Don Johnson had played the lead. Oh, and there a pretty explicit sex scene between Chance and his informer as well.

All in all, a pretty good watch for anyone who likes cop movies, and a must watch for the fans of the eighties.

a litmus test - possible spoilers

[ThingyBlahBlah3 · 9/10 · 23 August 2004]

David Mamet once explained the difference between art and entertainment. Entertainment, he said, reinforces what you already know, and tells you that you're right. Art, on the other hand, suggests that what you know is wrong, and that your beliefs might not be correct.

In "To Live and Die in L.A.", director William Friedkin inverts, twists, and eventually demolishes the standard "Cop seeks vengeance for his partner's murder (with 3 days til retirement!)" formula. The viewer learns that 1) not every law enforcement agent always has the public good in mind, 2) real people generally aren't either 'good' or 'evil' all the time, 3) if a cop (or in this case, Secret Service agent) takes the law into his own hands, he WILL pay for it one way or another, and 4) whether you're a cop or a criminal, things usually don't go according to plan.

This information is directly opposed to what we've learned from countless action movies of the 1980s. Watching the "Lethal Weapon" movies, or anything with Schwarznegger, Stallone or Seagal, suggests that it's fun and entertaining when cops take the law into their own hands. Notice that no matter how much damage Riggs & Murtaugh cause, they can laugh about it with the captain later, and the world is always a better place for it. And no matter how many people's civil rights are trampled, and no matter how illegal the cops' activities are, everything always works out in the end, and the only people who get hurt are the "bad" people.

"To Live and Die in L.A." shows what would happen if Riggs & Murtaugh tried their antics in the real world. While Martin Riggs' arrogant recklessness is heroic and hilarious, Richard Chance's arrogant recklessness ruins a lot of lives, not least his own. When it's over, justice has hardly been served, and even though the bad guys are dead, there's no hint that L.A. is a better place for it.

With all these "Lethal Weapon" comparisons, I should make it clear that "To Live and Die in L.A." came out in 1985, two years before the first LW movie.

All that stuff aside, this is one rock-solid movie. Willem Dafoe uses his character's eccentricities to create (for my money) one of the best villains in cinematic history, even if the movie doesn't see Rick Masters quite that way. William Peterson is incredible and brings a lot of depth to his performance; I'm not one to critique someone else's opinion, but I don't understand the users who complained that he's "wooden." Chance is an egomaniacal, scheming nutjob with a death wish; he really believes that he's above life and death, and it never crosses his mind that he might be wrong. Peterson brings this all out.

Dean Stockwell is in his element, playing a scumbag who knows everything about everyone. John Pankow was a wonderful surprise, bringing all sorts of conflicting and confused ideas to Vukovich, which is perfectly appropriate. When things really go wrong, he goes to pieces. Again, some users complained that he was overacting, but ask yourself how YOU'D behave. Nobody ever gives Darlanne Fleugel much credit, but she's terrific here. There's a whole lot going on in Ruth's head, and in many ways, she's the central character to this whole play. Pay attention. And I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't point out Steve James and Jack Hoar as two of Masters' criminal associates. They're both tough, intimidating, and surprisingly multi-dimensional.

And I haven't even mentioned 1) the car chase to end all car chases, 2) the copious amount of nudity, 3) the perfect fit of Wang Chung's soundtrack with the day-glo L.A. look, even as all hell breaks loose and men confront the dark depths of their souls (huh?), and 4) a climactic shock that WILL knock you for a loop.

Competent crime thriller.

[rmax304823 · 7/10 · 4 May 2006]

It's a genre movie but the director, William Friedkin, knows how to put them together effectively.

We have two Secret Service agents. One (Peterson) is a reckless rule-defying loose cannon; his partner (Pankow) is more principled, or uptight, if you like. Peterson bungee jumps from high bridges. During a chase, when Peterson is laughing, Pankow is grimacing with anxiety.

Their prey is a master counterfeiter (DaFoe). DaFoe is like neither of the cops. He's extremely organized. He tells the truth and fulfills his promises. He's an artist, not only with engraved plates but with a paint brush. A man of his word. He really only has one kink -- he's a remorseless cold-blooded killer when it's in his interests to be one. And when he gets burned up, he REALLY gets burned up. DaFoe loses in the end, but then everyone loses, one way or another.

The best-known scene (justifiably) is the car chase that takes place in the wrong direction, against traffic, on the Long Beach Freeway. It is gripping, precisely choreographed, and must have been dangerous to shoot. These are not computer-generated images either. That eighteen wheeler we see jackknifing among dozens of whirling cars is a real eighteen wheeler jackknifing among dozens of whirling cars. No exciting music during the pursuit, only the sound of engines in overdrive and vehicle horns shrieking alarms in the key of F. The high-speed pursuit by this time, though, was not an original idea. It was original with "Bullitt" (1968), and that's still the best example. After "Bullitt" this car chase -- ALL car chases -- were variations on a theme of director Peter Yates, a former racing car driver himself, and Philip D'Antonio.

Friedkin has directed with a maximum of speed and action scenes, none of them gratuitous. Lots of shots of people running full tilt along city streets. Plenty of violence, although it isn't wallowed in. It's not a Bruce Willis action/comedy. There are few dull moments to bore the kids.

Really, this is one of the better efforts of Friedkin and his editor. For instance, there is a shot between DaFoe's burning the funny money and Peterson's meeting with the judge. It's simply a high-angle shot of a dozen pedestrians walking through the plaza in front of a government building. But Friedkin frames it so that, from this distance, the equidistant palm trees loom over the people and throw lengthy shadows across the tiles of the pavement. The composition is impressive.

If the performances don't shoot out the lights, they get the job done in a most professional manner. Peterson is physically nimble and obviously does most of his own stunts. He played football at school, and it shows. And the parts are complex too. The bad guys don't fit easily into any stereotypes, except one ham-handed heavy who spits on his victims after blowing their heads off. The good guys are hardly saintly. Peterson's character has a snitch working for him, Darlanne Fluegel, a tall thin sexy blond. He's keeping her out of jail, and in return she feeds him information and certain other perquisites. When she turns to him for comfort or understanding, he is off on some other planet, frantically chattering on about basketball while she weeps. "What would you do if I STOPPED giving you information?", she asks Peterson at one point. "I'd revoke your parole and send you back to the joint," he answers tonelessly. "Would you do that? Would you REALLY do that?" He turns and walks out the door without a word. He's really a mean guy. Mean to everyone, including his new partner, Pankow.

Three particularly enjoyable features of the film. The location shooting and photography by Robby Muller is great. He manages to make smoggy San Pedro look almost artistic with its oil refineries and its multitude of distant floodlights providing patterns of globular glow. "The stars are God's eyes," says Fluegel to Peterson, who disagrees with her. One advantage of living in San Pedro is access to Papadakis Tavern. Great Greek food. Tell Nick I sent you.

Wang Chung's theme music is simple but it zaps you with its percussion and its simple, pounding succession of four electronic notes. Carl Orff with syncopation. A distant train rushing through a flat landscape is introduced by a passage for what sounds like Peruvian nose flutes or shakuhachis.

Then there is the performance of Dean Stockwell as an expensive and expert criminal defense lawyer. He underplays the part, but he's just fine. Our two heroes have just stolen fifty thousand dollars from the FBI and Pankow explains the situation to Stockwell, who gives him a few words of advice and adds, "Of course I can't be directly involved in this." "How much would it cost for you to be indirectly involved?" asks Pankow. Stockwell looks up at him, puffs a cigar, and answers smoothly, "Fifty thousand dollars." Nobody laughs. Friedkin knows how to lay out a funny line.

Shamefully misunderstood by the critics

[SMK-4 · 10/10 · 29 April 1999]

One of the very best films of the 1980s this was shamefully neglected and misunderstood by the critics. The problem is: on the surface it's just like an ordinary action crime thriller (and thus won't appeal to the arthouse crowd), except that it makes it difficult to identify yourself with any of the characters. In other words: it violates its genre rules. But this very fact makes it so unpredictable and thrilling, and a proper movie as opposed to a mere genre clone.

The good guys are flawed. This isn't really new, since the mid 1960s there were plenty of flawed heroes in Westerns or police thrillers. The difference is that not only their characters are flawed, they are vulnerable, destructible, they make mistakes. And they pay for their mistakes. Similarly the villains: yes, they are formidable and glamorous, but they are not in the league of the Blofelds or Sentenzas of moviedom. They make mistakes too. And they pay too.

A surprising asset is the film music by Wang Chung, a one-hit-wonder pop obscurity of the era. Their sound perfectly melts with the cinematography, especially in the stylish opening sequence.

Ultra-Stylish Super-Eighties Crime Thriller With Tremendous Cast And Direction

[ShootingShark · 7/10 · 21 August 2005]

Richard Chance, a gung-ho risk-taking secret-service agent, is out to avenge the death of his partner at the hands of an expert counterfeiter, but his reckless actions lead him into a chaotic and ultimately self-destructive spiral, with tragic consequences.

This eye-popping cop thriller, from a novel by Gerald Petievich, is somehow both gritty and glamorous, arty and trashy, enjoyable and deplorable. It's extremely rare in an American thriller to have an antihero who is so resolutely obsessive and distasteful, and who pays the ultimate price for it in the end. Petersen is blisteringly unforgettable in the role, despite having no prior movie experience; all body-popping fireworks and crackling on-screen energy. The rest of the cast are all brilliant as an eclectic series of lowlifes, especially Dafoe as the thoroughly deranged funny-moneymaker. What really pumps this movie into a higher gear though is the supercool direction by Friedkin - his camera zooms all over the place, never pausing for breath, rushing through the action, lovingly painting its canvas of eighties Los Angeles as a cradle of sin. The orange-and-brown photography by Robby Muller, superloud snare-drum music of art-rock band Wang Chung and razor-fast editing by Bud Smith are all first-rate. There is an incredible chase sequence (supervised by Buddy Joe Hooker) when Chance drives the wrong way down a freeway, which is one of the most impressive ever committed to film. The clever twist at the end puts the icing on a brilliantly conceived, top-notch crime thriller. This is a film which puts a detestable sociopath in the hero role and subverts all the standard genre clichés. Never trust a copper.

Strong film

[mm-39 · 8/10 · 19 December 2000]

This story is very 80's, and is heavily influenced by the TV show Miami Vice. The style, clothes, music, and characters reflect that time period exactly. The direction of this film gives a slick feel; where its action, style, and seedy underside all blend in well. The story could be very predictable, but with its plots twists, and the theme that follows the saying be careful when you go hunting for monster not to become one yourself gives it originality. It has some mind blowing stunts that create tension, and if you watch the film Ronin you see where they got the car chase idea from. In all this film gives a feeling of being involved in events that go too fast, too dangerous, and too twisted. Its shows what happens to the heart when the individual becomes obsessed with what he seeks. Watch this one and love it.

Dead and buried in Hollywood

[=G= · 6/10 · 2 March 2004]

"To Live and Die in L.A." tells of a T-Man who will stop at nothing to settle a score with a counterfeiter (Dafoe) who murdered his partner. A moody and very Hollywoodish action/drama, this film does little to distinguish itself, save one very good car chase, and plays out like just another cop vs bad guy movie. Petersen is too generic and vanilla and acts like a hyperactive Secret Service agent on meth. Funny money freak Dafoe is too stereotypical and acts like he's trying to be the personification of evil on ludes. The story is flawed with plot holes aplenty and obvious histrionics and the principal protag Petersen is too bad to be good, leaving the audience with no one to root for. Nonetheless, this flick received excellent reviews from critics with Ebert giving it a top four stars. Personally I couldn't remember anything about the film after 20 years, though I have vivid recollections of Friedkin's earlier "French Connection". "Live & Die..." is fodder for TV action junkies but too old to be state-of-the-art and not good enough to be a classic. Watchable but passable. (B-)

To Live and Die in L.A. 20 years later, still fresh and authentic.

[lcl44 · 9/10 · 28 May 2005]

I saw To Live and Die in L.A. during its original theatrical release in the summer of 1985. I thought then it had the potential to eventually become regarded as one of the best cop films ever. Recently I watched it again on DVD. It absolutely holds up in every respect to its original verity and impact, and it undeniably should be regarded as one of the top ten movies of its genre, and in my opinion, one of the top two or three. What is so remarkable about William Friedkin's film is the uniformly excellent level of the performances of his cast. There is not a single portrayal on screen that is not, from first scene to last, dead on target. William Petersen as Richard Chance, an ambitious adrenaline-charged treasury agent who becomes totally obsessed with avenging his partner's murder and Willem Dafoe as Rick Masters, a fabulously wealthy yet sleazy and violent counterfeiter form the nucleus around which the film unfolds. Both actors are superb in their roles, but no less impressive is John Pankow as the new partner who approaches emotional meltdown as he gets drawn deeper and deeper into a web of illegality and violence stemming from Chance's single-minded pursuit of Masters. Also Dean Stockwell as a cynical mob lawyer in his glass tower office and John Turturro as a lowlife ex-con, each in their own way a lackey to Masters, deliver taut finely-etched portrayals that linger in the mind with their subtle impact, all the more remarkable for the relatively brief time they appear on screen. And the same can be said about Debra Feuer and Steve James in even briefer roles, Feuer as Masters' longtime girlfriend and James as a ghetto crime lord totally dependent on a constant supply of counterfeit twenty dollar bills from Masters. The richly detailed location shots within which the film's action flows, from Masters' BelAir mansion to the barrios of East Los Angeles, from Hollywood Boulevard performance art theaters to federal prison exercise yards is unflinchingly authentic, but never intrusive. And as a bonus to all this is a car chase that at least equals if not surpasses the one Friedkin directed in 1971's Best Picture Oscar winner, The French Connection.

"Guess what? Uncle Sam don't give a sh*t about your expenses. You want bread, f*ck a baker." - Richard Chance

[MichaelMargetis · 7/10 · 29 September 2005]

The incredibly out-dated but still thrilling 'To Live and Die in L.A.' is something I'd recommend you seeing if you like realistic gritty crime dramas. It really doesn't get much grittier then this, this dark-spirited crime caper based on a true story follows U.S. Secret Service Agent/Badass Richard Chance (William Petersen) and his bloody and consistent pursuit to catch the counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) who murdered his soon-to-be retired partner. The film is jam-packed with action, but it is just so out-dated. 'To Live and Die in L.A.' is like spending two hours in an 1980s nightmare, but hey, for the time is was pretty good. William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) does a superb job directing this, but the screenplay drags a lot during the non-action sequences. William Petersen gives one of if not his finest performance as the macho agent on a mission, while Willem Dafoe plays the creepy role he usually plays (not to say he isn't great). I'd recommend you seeing this if you want some good action scenes and don't mind some rather brutal violence. It's a good film, but it has some serious faults, so don't be expecting something on par with Friedkin's masterful 'French Connection'. Grade: B

Petersen and Pankow...Poop!

[hemisphere65-1 · 2/10 · 28 July 2021]

Neither of these TV actors belongs in a starring role in a movie, and it shows. One note wonder boys offer nothing to the roles, and the writing/direction is just as lousy.

Scenes that go nowhere, discoveries that are unexplained, characters that didn't exist making astoundingly appropriate decisions for the plot...terrible movie.

Those badmouthing others for badmouthing the appalling Wang Chung soundtrack should be ashamed! The music is as bad as the movie.

Friedkin made a few great movies, but this isn't one of them.

A Gritty, Anti-Buddy Police Thriller With A Welcome Mean Streak

[HughBennie-777 · 10 October 2002]

Another critic discussing this film accurately mentioned "being shamefully ignored" as an injustice this 1985 William-Friedkin masterpiece suffered upon its release. And it was not only the critics who failed to notice its worth. For some reason, the public stayed away in droves as well, this as myself and my friend were practically organizing tours to the theater, introducing people to the film who, weened on "48 Hours", "Miami Vice" and yet to experience the Abbott & Costello hijinks of the "Lethal Weapon" series, had little concept of what a below-the-belt, impeccably crafted cop movie could be. Or would turn into.

Those who've seen Friedkin's earlier genre entry "The French Connection" shouldn't be caught off guard by his often ruthless tactics here, as he's back in the familiar territory of cops and criminals. Nor should those who survived his muscular "Sorcerer"--another unsung hero of an action piece--be unprepared for the director's inability to hide the more challenging (and dreadful) sides of male conflict. Even the disturbing "Cruising", where no attempts were made by the film to explain its ugly corkscrew of a story, all the while summoning an atmosphere thick with dread, still suspenseful, but full of plot holes conveniently filled with leather jackets and the scariest Village-People-on-PCP-soundtrack to date, is just another Friedkin descent into Hell. The details always more than part of a whole.

It may show the surface of a genre flick, but beneath the pulsing Wang Chung soundtrack and 80s-reflective duds (no Members Only jackets appear, luckily) there is as lean and mean and taut a suspense thriller as even Don Siegel could deliver in his prime. And with an outstanding, hyper-realistic cast of then unknowns--including Chicago theater alumni William Pederson, pre-"CSI" and with even more cock to his walk, swaggering through his pursuit of a damaged counterfeiter, Willem Dafoe--the screws tighten with each and every action sequence, climaxing the building mayhem with a cathartic, freeway massacre of automotive chaos on the same scale as a "Mad Max" movie.

The characters ar caustic, the betrayals extremely violent, the music pounding, the ending, in particular, is a departure from the Gerald Petievich novel, the author, himself, a retired U.S. Treasury agent writing an even bleaker resolution to the problem of two unstable detectives at odds with each other, losing their sanity, and finding no comfort in their escalating criminal misbehavior. "To Live And Die In LA" marks a significant and welcome departure within such an oversaturated genre, the buddy cop movie. It refuses to soften its blows or coddle its audience, showing instead dangerous, volatile situations being taken serious. Brutally serious.

Nonetheless, for all its nihilistic tone, captured in parched images of a city populated by thugs, thieves, and sociopathic criminals, "To Live And Die In LA" is like a breath of fresh smog.

good

[jpintar · 7/10 · 13 June 2004]

William Friedkin has had a scattered career. For every French Connection he made, he also made Jade. To Live and Die in LA is somewhere in between. On one hand, there is a great cat and mouse battle between the secret service and a counterfeitor. The performances are very good in this film. The biggest gripe I have about the film is that it has an unpleasant tone. Though the performances are good, the character of William Petersen is unlikable that his fate comes as no surprise to the audience. This is something that didn't happen to Gene Hackman in The French Connection. Whatever you think of Popeye Doyle, you did root for him. Not in this movie. But since William Dafoe's character isn't much better, you end up with two bad guys in the end. Overall, stylishly made but somewhat offputting. 7/10

A Great, Little Known Gem!

[cinebuff-3 · 10/10 · 17 April 2004]

There are 'Cop films'. 'Buddy' films and 'Partner' films. This one is definitely in the 'Partner' category. With the same kind of magic that Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider shared in Freidken's 'The French Connection'... I just picked up and watched 'To Live And Die In L.A.' on DVD and had my socks knocked off for the umpteenth time!... Those expecting a standard, cookie cutter 'Cops & Robbers' film should go elsewhere. Friedken pulled out all the stops on this one! Taking a small budget and a clutch of then No-Name actors. Planting them in the sections of L.A. no one ever sees. And allowed them free rein to improvise, romp and play. And then, create some of their best work!.. William Petersen plays Secret Service Agent Rick Chance. Who hunts Artists/Conterfeiter/Con, Eric Masters. Played with clever, evil glee by Willem Dafoe, with a passion just short of Psychosis... The segments showing Dafoe making 'Funny Money' are as detailed and astounding as the scenes of him violently tidying up loose ends!... Toss in great location shots. A few startling chases. And a 'conscience' for Petersen, played by John Pankow as John Vukovich. A three-piece, by-the-book agent. Who follows his partner through the Counterfiet World of assorted crime, mayhem, and dirty deals. Into Dante's Inferno. Only to fully evolve in the last fifteen minutes of the film. That must be seen to believe!...

Sleazy, cheesy, ugly and entertaining police procedural

[PimpinAinttEasy · 7/10 · 30 March 2016]

Dear William Friedkin,

To Live and Die in LA is the kind of movie that the likes of Sanjay Gupta, Rajiv Rai and Abbas Mastan aspires to make but fails.

It is sleazy - there is a hardcore sex scene, men casually undressing in each other's company, erotic dancing, strip clubs, a bisexual villain and even a gay kiss.

It is a police procedural - while not as gritty as The French Connection, it did have many of the same elements like officers breaking the law to catch criminals and facing heat from superiors.

It has loyalty as one of its major themes - loyalty between police officers and even criminals.

It has a cheesy 80's score - the background score was a bit of a letdown. There is a heated debate on the film's IMDb message board about this. I found myself warming to the score as the film progressed. But I guess there were better cheesy 80's songs that you could have used. Some of the songs were simply awful.

It is a film of place - as the name suggests. There are some beautiful long shots but some of the action takes place in really ugly warehouses and wastelands. It is not a very pretty film to watch on a normal DVD.

It has great action scenes - while nowhere as good as the ones in The Sorcerer and The French Connection, the car chase in To Live and Die in LA was quite thrilling.

It is peppered with eccentric characters - especially the two protagonists who share a woman and nothing is certain about their sexuality.

It has some great performances - by William Petersen, John Turturro and Willem Dafoe.

Despite all this, it is not in the same league as some of your 70s films. It is a bit of a let down considering your work in the 70s. But anyway, thanks for making such a sexy and entertaining film.

Best Regards, Pimpin.

(7/10)

slick 80s thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 23 January 2016]

Secret service agents Jimmy Hart and Richard Chance (William Petersen) thwart an Islamic terrorist during a Presidential visit. Hart has a few days left before retirement. He tries to investigate and gets killed by counterfeiter Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe). Chance vows to take him down. He gets John Vukovich (John Pankow) as his new partner. They catch Masters' delivery boy Carl Cody (John Turturro). Masters' lawyer Bob Grimes (Dean Stockwell) says Cody has to do 3 years. Chance's C.I. Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel) directs them to lawyer Max Waxman. Waxman was Cody's last stop and Masters suspects he set them up. Masters and his girlfriend Bianca Torres (Debra Feuer) go to demand repayment and ends up killing him. Chance steals Waxman's black book as he becomes more morally corrupt in order to take down Masters.

William Friedkin delivers a slick thriller of amoral cops and immoral everyone else. I love Dafoe's montage of counterfeiting. Friedkin delivers so many great action scenes. The wrong way car chase is the highlight and probably the height of his action work. It is so slick and so stylized that I accept the avant-garde artsy stuff. It fits into the movie. It also has an early bungee jump on film. This is one of the most fun 80s action thriller filled with relatively unknown actors at the time. I can't help but think of Michael Mann who was showrunning Miami Vice TV show at the time.

Rather Hard To Believe---But One Fun Jaded Film

[gfourmil · 7/10 · 6 June 2007]

In the modern era of laser-print counterfeiting, this is a bit dated. However, I find my pulse rate rising with the soundtrack's synchrony. Even in the old 'Little Big Man' Dafoe portrayed his skill, as the 'bit-part' reporter. Come a long way in one hard biz. I still feel this was one of his best roles. Convincing, methodical, ruthless---the classic 'anti-hero' performance has you rooting for him. The Feds? Who cares? As murderous as he, by accident or chance--exploiter of bimbos. I would have been more satisfied if he had escaped. And really, how many car-chases are we expected to take seriously---watch NASCAR---you want a brilliant portrayal of a 'Rebel with a Cause'---getting rich in a criminal society? He won't let ya down---does he ever? worth it---

Style to spare

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 7 May 2021]

A decent cop thriller from William Friedkin. Maybe by this stage it's not as good as the classic THE FRENCH CONNECTION but it still packs a punch and is an effective slice of sun-drenched noir with a very slick, stylish and visual MIAMI VICE feel to it. William Petersen is a good choice for volatile lead - even better in MANHUNTER - and Willem Dafoe is of course exemplary as the villain of the piece. There are good twists and turns and character darkness along the way, alongside a car chase that stands out (although isn't personally one of the best for me). A fine little film overall.

I wonder why we waste our lives here...When we could run away to paradise

[benvarkentine · 7/10 · 7 September 2007]

So I'm thinking about To Live And Die In LA.

A couple IMDb users describe it as having been "shamefully misunderstood" by critics of the time. I dunno, maybe it was (I was paying more attention to Back To The Future and Cocoon that year). I know Roger Ebert liked it a lot, though.

What did I think? I think this is a film with no heroes, just a protagonist. My rule of thumb has always been that whoever ends up changed the most by the events of a story is its protagonist.

The biggest twist in this movie is that the person who you think that is for the first 106 minutes or so turns out not to be, and that's all I'll say for those of you who haven't seen it, which you probably should.

In bare bones, this is about a cop (William L. Petersen) whose partner is killed and who decides that the son-of-a-bitch responsible (Willem Dafoe) must pay.

The film has more mean twists to it than this suggests, unfortunately, it also has some big, stupid logic holes.

But anyway, those bare bones aren't really what the piece is about. What it's "really" about, first of all, is a man who lowers himself into hell and finds that he likes it there.

Visually it's a beautifully composed and shot film (directed by William Friedkin, photography by Robby Muller) with a great sense of place and time; almost worth seeing for those elements alone.

Some of the dialog, unfortunately, is brutal: "I'm gonna bag Masters, and I don't give a @%&% how I do it." Which is why more than any movie except Legend and Star Wars: Episode I, this one might be just as well enjoyed if the DVD had a music-only audio track.

Even though none of the film music is as good as the title song. I'm always up for a little Wang Chung tonight, but this is the most dated part of the film.

That title song remains perfect, however.

Especially when you realize that the lyrics make the most sense if thought of not from the point of view of one of the "stars," as you might think, but someone who appears sixth in the credits. I'll get back to that in a moment.

You see, what I think this movie is about, secondarily, is not just the hatred of women, but the rejection of any "womanly" qualities (like vulnerability).

Dafoe's character, ostensibly the "bad guy" of the piece, has many "effeminate" characteristics. And although he is shown as having a girlfriend, played by the very shapely Debra Feuer, that character is a male impersonator; revealed to be either lesbian or bisexual.

It's suggested that she is making sport of him all along.

(Her girlfriend, just as an aside, is played by a young Jane Leeves, later known for Frasier and before that Murphy Brown.) Even a scene cut from the original release but available on the DVD supports this reading of the film as being about men needing never to let their guards down, lest a soft side show.

It features Petersen's partner, played by John Pankow (who probably never topped this in movies, but was good, and funny, on Mad About You on television).

He tries to reconnect with his ex-wife when his world is falling apart, and is violently rejected.

The character who I think most suits the lyrics of the title song is played by Darlanne Fluegel. She's a parolee who trades information, and her body, to keep on Petersen's good side lest he throw her back in jail.

It's suggested she may want to form a truer bond with him, but he blocks her every attempt. It's Fluegel who wonders why she's wasting her life; feels trapped and dreams of running away.

But the character either goes unrewarded, or, depending on how you want to put some things together from the clues the movie gives you, was a traitor all along.

In which case she gets exactly what she deserves, the movie darkly seems to be saying. Still, she's the only one in the movie who longs to fit her life with another person (or at least with a man-see above).

Everyone else, whether a "good" guy or bad, thinks only of themselves.

Cracking stuff

[steve_b33 · 10/10 · 5 February 2005]

Billy Friedkins's brilliant cop thriller from 1985 - William Peterson(of CSI fame)plays Richard Chance a hotshot Secret Service agent hot on the trail of master forger Rick Masters(a menacing Willem Dafoe) who has murdered Chance's partner and friend 3 days before he was due to retire.As a consequence he is now partnered by John Vucocvich(John Pankow) who is as straight by the book as Chance is a maverick. Chance will stop at nothing to get Masters - he bends the rules,steals evidence and after his request to raise money to buy Masters forged notes decides to take matters into his own hands. He is also having a sexual relationship with Ruth(Darlene Fluogel)who feeds him information - in this case about a drug dealer who is carrying 50 Grand in cash and arrives the next day - Chance persuades Vucovich to rob the guy and use the cash to set Masters up - unfortunately the whole thing is a an FBI sting operation and both agents are soon way out of their depth. Chance decides to carry on with the operation but Vucovich's doubts grow and the fact that their actions led to the death of a Federal agent only makes his guilt even more intense.

Its an absolutely cracking movie - excellent played characters - Peterson plays Chance as someone beyond caring for anything apart from nailing Masters and Dafoe is at his reptilian best as the forger - his grin gets more and more sinister as the film unfolds.Fine support from Dean Stockwell as a slimy lawyer and the ever excellent John Tuturro as one of Masters bagmen whom gets caught and is forced to turn stoolie. The film also has a very amoral feel to it - Chance will use anyone he can to achieve his ends - he morally blackmails Vucovich to going along and his relationship with Ruth is even more dodgy - she asks him what he would do if she stopped supplying him with information(and presumably sex) - "I'll have your parole revoked and have you sent back to the joint".....

Fantastic photography by the great Robby Muller and a car chase through L.A. that ends up going down the wrong way of an 8 lane freeway adds to the films pleasures as does the use of locations around the city that you don't normally see - rail tracks,sidings,industrial landscapes and the L.A. river basin are all uses to terrific effect.It has a very '80's soundtrack by Wang Chung that fits the mood and location perfectly and its has a very bleak ending that Hollywood would have real issues with today. A key film from the 1980's - just a shame its the last great film that Friedkin made before descending into straight to video hell.....

When the End Justifies the Means

[refinedsugar · 7/10 · 17 September 2023]

Co-written and directed by once dependable Hollywood director William Friedkin, 'To Live and Die in L. A.' is the kind of movie that sinks or swims by it's cast and chosen style. I say that because the story is semi-routine. A Secret Service agent who likes to play fast & loose with the rules tries to nail an eccentric counterfeiter who's responsible for the death of his partner who was days away from retirement.

William L. Petersen became most known to audiences for heading up the original and long running CSI television show, but he turned in a pair of great performances in long ago 80's films. 'Manhunter' and here in this as the crackerjack, risktaker Richard Chance. Willem Dafoe was a year away from his breakout role in 'Platoon' but he too turns in a devilishly good spin on not your typical bad guy. John Pankow as the new partner goes from uneasy, scared to a changed man. John Turturro plays a criminal, Dean Stockwell is a lawyer playing both sides and likable tough guy Steve James is here.

With a soundtrack from Wang Chung and numerous shots of LA, there's no denying the 80's atmosphere - almost a silent character - is ripe here. The moral spectrum the flick runs is unique, the cast is great and the style carries us through low spots in a somewhat predictable story. The ending to 'Live and Die in L. A.' is quite the sight too, but not in the way you might be expecting as it stays true to itself right until the very end.

Horrible. why such a high rating? Friedkin, you suck.

[perfectisolation · 2/10 · 16 August 2004]

The writing, direction, and editing are horrific. I've never said that before about any other movie. Lines like "i like the rain." "oh yeah? Groovy." Within 3 minutes of the movie starting, the senior partner goes "I am too old for this." Of course, he is days away from retiring, and within the next 2 minutes (after his partner warned that he should come with him to this place, he gets killed. there is no character development whatsoever. the only reason we are given that the bad guy's lawyer turns him in is that "he was beginning to order me around like i was one of his mules". are you kidding me? no f@#king lawyer would ever ruin his future (practice or life) and so casually decide to do it while having breakfast with an secret service person.

this movie is so unrealistic and so stupid. we have no idea how any of these guys get there tips, how they end up meeting people. how did they end up at a quadraplegic artist's loft who happens to tell him that the bad guy's studio is somewhere downtown near a garage with a Chinese sign on it. Cut to agent walking up to garage sign with Chinese character on it. LA is enormous!!!!! how the hell did he find it? especially since we track the agent walking up to it and you can see that it would be IMPOSSIBLE to casually see it.

how come the bad guy knows when one of his contacts is being watched by the two agents, but yet doesn't even know who they are when they go into business with him. how come the head agent happens to be sleeping with the stripper/prostitute who is the only person in town who magically always gets the information? oh gawd i am getting an ulcer from the utter mediocrity that this movie is.

argh, it only gets worse. the direction is so bad. what the hell happened to friedkin? was he really a two trick pony? he throws in scenes that are completely unnecessary. why does dafoe need to be naked (gonads protected by a grocery paper bag) throwing money into a fire with a strategically placed naked lady in the background? Why does the guy talk non stop about BASE jumping (especially when it doesn't fit into his character whatsoever). Was it new and friedkin wanted to be hip? how the hell did the guys know to stop on the bridge and find the guys below?

Best direction point: Why would the prison murder attempt be done in broad daylight and so obviously that the mark escapes? I mean shoot, Turturro is able to get away from FOUR big black dudes. Couldn't freidkin be more inventive in shooting the scene? he view of the attempt is two guys with enormous 'fros walking menacingly, scowling straight at him. they they jump on top of him, and still cant stab him. a high school kid could think of a better way to come up with an attempt. and, 90% of the way in, all of a sudden there are titles on the bottom of the screen, declaring the day and time. how odd is that? there hasn't been ANY in the ENTIRE movie. So why now?

Look, every movie can have holes shot through it, but these aren't holes, they just don't make sense and are the result of horrible, horrible writing and directing. this movie isn't a sci fi movie, it isn't asking you to suspend disbelief. It just makes no sense that a guy gets killed even though his place is under surveillance and then a cop car comes up to his house, turns off his headlights while still up the block, pulls into the driveway, and then RUNS into the house and discovers the dead body. Why? it is 4am so the guy's secretary didn't find him dead (shoot, the agents watching him are still asleep CUZ it's dark outside) and the guys used a silencer to kill him. Who called it in? why the the cop show up? turn off his lights before he pulled up to the house? Why did he run in?

In fact, what the hell does this have to do LA? This movie could have been placed in a "town" of 10,000 people. why live and die in LA?

I have *NEVER* vented like this. But I have never been tormented by such crap that is supposed to be an 'A' movie.