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

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

To Live and Die in L.A. is one of those underrated gems that could easily get lost but then resurface every once in a while. Based on a novel by former Secret Service Agent Gerald Petievich, this action packed crime caper moves at a frenetic pace thanks to director William Friedkin (The French Connection) and it is also notable for featuring a cast of almost unknowns who later find stardom.Los Angeles Secret Service Agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) is a reckless daredevil who vows to take down the brilliant but murderous counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe, Platoon) following the brutal murder of Chance's partner Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene) who was due to retire in less than three days. Chance makes it very clear to his new partner John Vukovich (John Pankow, Mad About You) that he will break the law and throw all the rules and ethics out the window to catch Masters no matter the cost. Chance also relies on his informant Ruth (Darlanne Fluegel, Lock Up) to provide him relevant tips with whom he is also having a sexual relationship with as well. Vukovich also contacts Master's lawyer Bob Grimes (Dean Stockwell, Blue Velvet) to try and get close to Masters. Chance and Vukovich continue to tear up the streets of Los Angeles hot on the heels of Masters, but for everyone the price may come at high cost.William L. Petersen, who made his big break here, turns in an excellent performance as the thrill seeking daredevil Secret Service Agent Richard Chance who is breaking every rule in the book no matter the cost to avenge the death of his partner. Willem Dafoe shows that he is always reliable no matter what role he plays and as the murderous counterfeiter Rick Masters, Dafoe is almost flawless. John Pankow who is later well known for comedic roles does a fine job as straight laced John Vukovich who finds himself in a moral dilemma taking down Masters with his partner Chance.The soundtrack by pop band Wang Chun gives the film a neo-noir feeling reminiscent to Miami Vice although the same mood is transferred to Los Angeles. Everything about To Live and Die in L.A. is unashamedly 80's.What makes To Live and Die in L.A. enjoyable is that the movie is not just the same clichéd crime caper. The good guys might have their strengths but their flaws prove to be their downfall. Richard Chance is definitely more of an anti-hero who sees things as the end justifies the means. The bad guys are also three dimensional. While they are criminals, they are also human without sympathizing with them or glamorising their lifestyle. Rick Masters might be brilliant with his methodical attention to detail with counterfeiting dollar bills, but he is also ruthless and is not afraid to commit murder should anyone cross him. His personal life also shows his eccentric behaviour.To Live and Die in L.A. is also made even more memorable featuring one of the most thrilling car chases in cinematic history.Keep an eye out for John Turturro (The Big Lebowski), Robert Downey Sr. (Robert Downey Jr's father) and Steve James (American Ninja) in small roles.Over 30 years later, To Live and Die in L.A. is still an underrated gem that is still enjoyable and well worth checking out. It's also fantastic to see a majority of the cast including William L. Petersen and Willem Dafoe move onto bigger and better things with their career.9/10.

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.

It's always been hit or miss for me with William Freidkin. I love The Exorcist and The French Connection. I also like Cruising which most people don't. But there a lot of his films that I am not at all fond of. Unfortunately "To Live and Die in L.A." falls in the latter category. Let's get the positives out of the way first. The cinematography is good. The opening credit sequence with the damaged cars and the seedy roadside low-lives perfectly sets the mood by throwing light on the dark side of the city. There are a number of interesting themes that are explored here like how far an individual can go to do the thing he thinks is right, can the supposedly moral always uphold his morality, questionable actions can reverse the tale and the hunter can become the hunted, how individuals are influenced by the filth that surrounds them in their own city, how everyone is playing a specific role to survive in the city,etc. Lastly the car chase is absolutely riveting as you would expect from a Freidkin film. Now let's talk about the flaws. The style of storytelling and the screenplay is very poor. With the interesting themes that are explored, this could have been a much better film with a better screenplay. But unfortunately this isn't the case. The cheesy 80s pop music trivialises everything that happens. The dialogues are very contrived and forced and the script involves too may unrealistic conveniences. Then there is the acting which is amateurish. I generally like Willlem Dafoe, but even he can't make up for the lack of acting from the rest of the cast and with dubbed over lines, the situation just gets worse. The film's themes had potential but unfortunately it fizzled out in the end.

William Friedkin's 'To Live & Die in LA' is hands down one of the best cop movies ever made. It's as raw and hard-boiled as any gritty cop drama, including Friedkin's earlier 'The French Connection', and isn't bogged down with buddy-cop clichés that later burned out the genre by the early 1990s. William Petersen plays a secret service agent living on the edge, quite literally at times, as he takes extreme risks nearly every day on the job. When his partner is killed he tells his new partner, played by John Pankow, that he's going to get the murderer no matter what it takes. The killer is a counterfeiter named Masters (played by Willem Dafoe in a fine performance) who is also an artist. It's a curious twist that the killer commits crime in order to fund his art, which he routinely burns because he is perfectionist. He feels the same way about his other 'art': counterfeiting money.What I found most intriguing about Friedkin's film is its consistent avoidance of clichés. First off, Los Angeles looks ugly, industrial, and very inhospitable in this film. None of the conventional shots of fancy, upscale downtown or beautiful Long Beach. We also aren't given sentimental sob stories for Petersen's semi-suicidal behavior, nor are we given many 'buddy-buddy' moments between him and his new partner. The characters are revealed more by their actions than their words, which I think is more interesting. The two secret service agents are both professionals doing a job and oftentimes bending the rules (or outright breaking them) to get Masters. We aren't even treated to a true romance in the picture. Both Petersen and Masters have women they have sex with on the side, but neither of them seem to particularly love them and both use them for what they want (and likewise the women use them). The climax too, goes against convention in the handling of Petersen's character that many people still find rather shocking for a mainstream film. I, for one, found it both refreshing and daring to end it in such a manner.Finally, the score might be a tad dated by today's standards yet I enjoyed it and felt it added to the feeling of the film. Friedkin is famous for finding the right composers and music for his films (think Tangerine Dream for 'Sorcerer') and 'To Live & Die in LA' is no exception.For any out there who enjoys cop movies 'To Live & Die in LA' is a must see. Moreover, it truly belongs up there with Friedkin's other masterpieces like 'The Exorcist' and 'The French Connection'. It's a shame the film was a box office dud or we may have seen further Friedkin explorations of the down and dirty world of police work like we did in 'The French Connection' and 'To Live & Die in LA'.