Nonureva Really Surprised!

Motompa Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Kayden This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

rooee "I'm getting too old for this s**t," one character utters early on in this stylish 1985 thriller from the formidable William Friedkin. The veteran director doesn't bring much of his recent black humour to this hard-boiled cop thriller, but the brutal cynicism is present and correct. After the questionable Cruising and the forgotten comedy Deal of the Century, this was Friedkin back on Sorcerer form. William Peterson, who would smoulder even more intensely the following year in Michael Mann's Manhunter, plays Secret Service agent Richard Chance. And boy does he take chances. A thrill-seeker who spends his spare time bungee-jumping off bridges, when his soon- to-retire partner is gunned down he goes after the culprit with reckless abandon. His prey is Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), a completely amoral counterfeiter who slaughters with a smile. Chance is paired with a by-the-book agent named Vukovich (John Pankow), who's dragged deeper into this violent mess thanks to a ruthless code of honour. What ensues is an action thriller somewhere between the rawness of Friedkin's own The French Connection and the glossy buddy thrillers that were soon to become a Hollywood staple. There are shoot outs, intricate car chases, fist fights, and a conspicuous amount of ball-kicking. You can forgive some of the film's flaws for their pay-off. Sure, Chance might blunder into situations with face-palming recklessness, but that's consistent with his character. Similarly, even when the storytelling is stripped down to the point of being nonsensical (characters leap about locations in the space of a jump cut), you accept it for the thrilling briskness and the efficiency of storytelling.You won't be surprised that Peterson excels at glowering and Dafoe revels in his menace. Chance isn't a complex character but he does take us on a journey, from sympathy to something like repulsion. He exploits others and ignores the rule of law to get the job done – so, is he so different from the villain he's preying upon?Par for the genre, women are sidelined as strippers or victims, although in Friedkin's defence the ample nudity is generous to both genders. Plus, in a thematic sense, one could see the film as one big critique of the single-minded alpha male. If there are winners in the end, it's not who you'd expect. On the whole, however, expectations are satisfied more than they are defied. Cliché follows cliché, but it's all done with great energy and style. L.A. is perennially clad in orange sunset, and the saucy 80s rock soundtrack (from British new-wavers Wang Chung) locks the film in time. Mann would remake his own 80s effort with Heat in 1995, providing the final word on the L.A. neo-noir genre. But in To Live and Die we see its overture: a relocated Miami Vice writ large. It's nasty, dated, and fun.

The Grand Master 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.

mgtbltp Beautifully bleak and highly stylistic. This film actually makes a lethally smoggy industrial West Coast/LA sunrise jaw dropingly gorgeous, perverting the normal aesthetic. Palm trees compete with power poles and high tension lines that diffuse into a yellowish soup. Rail yards and wrecking yards are bathed in golden light. All this segues into a montage of a series of varied illegal counterfeit $20 bill transactions. The tale is about three US Secret Service Agents who are headquartered in L.A. When not providing security for a visiting POTUS (President of the United States) they do field investigation work for the US Treasury, targeting counterfeiters. Richard Chance (Petersen) and Jim Hart (Greene) are top notch agents. Chance the cock of the walk, is a bit reckless, a bit overconfident, a bit of a jock, a bit shady, he even shacks up in a "safe house" with a stripper Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel) that he uses as a "stoolie with benefits". He holds her probation and the ability to see her daughter as leverage. Agent Hart is the veteran, steadfast, partner who is almost a father figure to Chance. A day after Hart's retirement party at the Dog Run Bar, and with only a few days left on the clock, Hart heads off on one last surveillance assignment. He drives out into the desert to check on a warehouse suspected of housing counterfeiting equipment. With binoculars he checks out the site belonging to counterfeiter Rick Masters (Dafoe). Hart, thinking the site is deserted approaches and jumps the fence. He starts to poke around and finds a trash bag full of cropped currency paper in a dumpster. Masters and Jack, his bodyguard, surprise and kill Hart. Leading a team of agents to Masters desert warehouse Chance discovers a pool of blood soaking into the dirt from Hart's body lying in the dumpster. Chance gets assigned a stuffy new partner John Vukovich (Pankow), a no nonsense by the book professional. Chance tells John that he is making taking down Masters a personal vendetta. The film has a 80's techno Wang Chung pounding beat. The cast at that time (save for Dean Stockwell) where pretty much all unknowns. The mayhem ratchets up nicely and unpredictably throughout the film. It's an anti buddy cop film. Gritty, flamboyant, caustic, beautifully bleak 9/10

avik-basu1889 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.