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

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

Gerald Petievich (novel)
William Friedkin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 November 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The director of "The French Connection" is on the streets again!

Plot:

A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.

Plot Keywords:

Anti Hero | Bodyguard | Shot In The Stomach | Shot In The Face | Blood Splatter

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

William Petersen	...	Richard Chance (as William L. Petersen)
Willem Dafoe	...	Eric 'Rick' Masters
John Pankow	...	John Vukovich
Debra Feuer	...	Bianca Torres
John Turturro	...	Carl Cody
Darlanne Fluegel	...	Ruth Lanier
Dean Stockwell	...	Bob Grimes
Steve James	...	Jeff Rice
Robert Downey Sr.	...	Thomas Bateman (as Robert Downey)
Michael Greene	...	Jim Hart
Christopher Allport	...	Max Waxman
Jack Hoar	...	Jack
Valentin de Vargas	...	Judge Filo Cedillo (as Val DeVargas)
Dwier Brown	...	Doctor
Michael Chong	...	Thomas Ling

Runtime:

116 min | Germany:101 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Arabic | Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-18 (uncut) | Singapore:M18 | Finland:K-16 (cut) | Singapore:PG (cut) | USA:R (certificate #27848) | Australia:R | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1987) | Norway:(Banned) (1986-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

6th Street Bridge, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Century Productions

Trivia:

William Friedkin insisted that every activity depicted in the movie should be portrayed with extreme accuracy. Two ex-cons (convicted for money counterfeiting) were hired as technical consultants for the money printing scenes. And for the police procedures scenes, Friedkin hired real T-Men Gerald Petievich (also author of the book "To Live and Die in LA"), Rick Petievich (Gerald's brother) and LAPD living legend Jack Hoar.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: According to the title cards, the film begins in mid December and ends in late January. However, there is no mention whatsoever of Christmas or New Year's Day, and none of the sets has decorations of any kind for either holiday.

Quotes:

Bob Grimes: I don't have a lot of time. I'm in the middle of a trial.
John Vukovich: What kind of trial?
Bob Grimes: It's a dope case. Client got busted smuggling fifty pounds of cocaine. I should be able to get him off, though. Seach warrant's weak.
John Vukovich: Weak?
Bob Grimes: Color of the house is listed as brown in the warrant, when in fact it's beige and yellow.
John Vukovich: You should be ashamed of yourself.
Bob Grimes: I don't make any apologies for being an attorney. If I didn't accept the case, somebody else would, without a doubt. Without a doubt.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hairshirt (1998)

Soundtrack:

Lookin' Good

A Very Unappreciated Movie

I truly feel bad for director Friedkin. He is a very talented filmmaker who has had very bad luck. After two mega hits in the 1970s ("The French Connection" and "The Exorcist"), he has had one big box office failure after another. Friedkin's "Sorcerer (1977)" (a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot's "Wages of Fear") is nothing to be ashamed of, but that film started Friedkin's streak of big money losers. "To Live and Die in L. A." was some sort of comeback film for Friedkin, but the film was pulverized by critics and audiences stayed away. This is very sad, because this film is exceptionally well made; one of the best action films of the 1980s. The film is about a secret agent (William L. Petersen) who is obsessed with capturing a very cunning counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe). At first, the story looks like an episode of "Miami Vice", but soon characters unravel and the story shows its true colors. Little by little the line between the good guys and the criminals becomes blurrier, and one wonders if the viewer should root for the "good guys" or the bad guys. This is just one element that helps make the movie so watchable. Friedkin's film is forceful, clever and unpredictable (only the ending seems below average). The actors are terrific, especially John Turturro in a key supporting role. Give this movie a chance - you won't regret it!