To Live and Die in L.A., 1985.
Directed by William Friedkin.
Starring William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, Dean Stockwell, John Turturro, Robert Downey Sr., Dwier Brown, Michael Greene, Darlanne Fluegel, Steve James.
SYNOPSIS:
A secret service agent goes out for revenge when his partner is killed but has to resort to criminal methods to get his man.
Richard Chance (William Petersen – Manhunter) is a secret service agent whose partner Jim Hart (Michael Greene – White of the Eye) is due to retire in a few days, but before Hart can hang up his badge he single-handedly goes to investigate a warehouse where known counterfeiter Ric Masters (Willem Dafoe – Platoon) is operating. Hart is killed by Masters and his henchman, an action which sends Chance on a mission to nail the counterfeiter at whatever cost. When the opportunity arises for Chance and his new by-the-book partner John Vukovich (John Pankow – Monkey Shines) to get close to Masters by posing as customers, both agents have to break the rules to get their man, and with shocking results.
Containing a brilliant car chase going in the wrong direction of the Los Angeles freeway, To Live and Die in L.A. saw director William Friedkin (The Exorcist) bringing his ‘A’ game to the production as he recreated and updated his take on the gritty cop thriller that worked so well in the 1970s with The French Connection for a 1980s audience. Friedkin and his cinematographer Robby Muller managed to capture the essence of the city throughout the whole movie with some fantastic landscape shots, both in the daytime and at night, and the high-octane car chase echoes the classic move car chases of previous classics like Bullitt, where the layout of the city streets almost becomes as integral to the plot as the characters.
And the characters in this movie are just as down and dirty as the city they inhabit, with nobody being particularly likeable but still engaging. William Petersen was a relative unknown when Friedkin cast him but he managed to land the lead role in Michael Mann’s Manhunter off the back of this the following year, and although his turn as Will Graham is probably the role he will be remembered for it is as Richard Chance that he is at his most charismatic and giving a more natural performance. Credit also to Willem Dafoe, whose performance was showing the signs of the eclectic and oddball roles that would go on to define his career, only with more edge here as he is clearly having fun being totally serious.
An obvious comparison piece for this movie would be Michael Mann’s Heat that came out a decade later, but whereas that movie was sold on the casting of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, To Live and Die in L.A. has none of the glamour or star power of that movie when you put it into context. According to actor William Petersen in the special features, director William Friedkin wanted unknown actors that wouldn’t bring any baggage or expectation with them, a move he did with a relatively unknown Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider in The French Connection, and considering Friedkin’s hit rate at the time wasn’t quite as consistent as it was during his ‘70s peak, it was one hell of a gamble but it paid off as the movie pulls you in right from the start with Chance preventing a suicide bomber killing the President and keeps you on the edge throughout, right up to a final showdown for Chance, Vukovich and Masters that must be seen to be believed.
A thrilling, unpredictable ride through ‘80s Los Angeles and the mindset of a law enforcement officer trying to do what he thinks is right, To Live and Die in L.A. is everything a crime drama should be – thoughtful, action-packed, stylish, twisting and, most importantly, never boring, with characters that may not be the nicest or most likeable you’ll ever see on the screen but they are believable and brilliantly portrayed. The 4K restoration is quite colourful and pretty, bringing out the depth and scale of those beautiful city landscapes, although the grain level is a little inconsistent in places, and the DTS-HD Master audio is simply stunning, giving the none-more-‘80s score a dynamic boost that should rattle your subwoofer into submission when you turn it up. Extras come in the form of interviews with actors William Petersen, Dwier Brown and Debra Feuer, composer Wang Chung and stunt co-ordinator Buddy Joe Hooker, an interesting audio commentary with William Friedkin, archive ‘making-of’ featurette, alternate ending, deleted scenes and the usual Arrow Video reversible sleeve, making this a fully loaded and definitive release of a brilliant film that has aged a lot more gracefully than many of its contemporaries (Manhunter, Miami Vice, etc.) and can still pack a punch to the gut, even if you already know what is coming.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Ward
Originally published November 21, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
