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To Live and Die in L.A. (Special Edition) | Year: 1985 Classification: Action/Adventure Directed: - William Friedkin Actors/Actresses: - William L. Petersen - Willem Dafoe Gritty and gut wrenching cop thriller William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Hunted) directed this gritty, gut churner that fully displays that there is a very thin line between enforcing the law and breaking it. William Petersen (Manhunter, TV's CSI) stars as a hot shot special agent who, after his partner is killed, will go to any length and any means necessary to catch the killer who is a career counterfeiter played by Willem Dafoe in psycho mode. Soon, Petersen is teamed with an idealistic and green behind the ears agent (John Pankow) who reluctantly helps his new partner bend the law farther and farther in his quest for revenge. The acting is superb. Petersen, Dafoe, and Pankow are sights to behold, with Petersen and Dafoe coming close to brilliant. Friedkin's direction is also the best of his career since the classic French Connection, showcasing one of the most memorable and exciting car chases to ever be caught on film; a car chase that film makers would mimic for years to come in films such as Ronin and recently in The Matrix Reloaded. MGM finally had the good sense to release To Live and Die in L.A. on a generous Special Edition DVD which includes a commentary by Friedkin and an alternate ending which Friedkin wisely chose not to go with. Pulse-Raising Action Throughout! For anyone who has not already seen this absolutely terrific action film, it is one of the best depictions of the street struggles of the Secret Service against counterfeiters yet filmed. The movie was also a brand new showcase for the emerging abilities of a very young William Petersen, now better known as the star of the hit TV show, CSI. Here he plays an agent obsessed with catching a particularly clever and ruthless counterfeiter, played by another emerging screen presence, Willem Dafoe. The counterfeiter has brutally murdered Petersen's partner, and once the agent catches the trail, a deadly cat and mouse chase ensues. All of this is done against the backdrop of Los Angeles, where the counterfeiter is living the life of a wanna-be struggling artist who finances his high life style with bogus bills. Petersen catches the trail and enlists the help of his young new partner in pursuing Dafoe, and amidst the car chases, carnage, and pulse-raising suspense of various encounters, moves in for the final encounter. This is a gritty and realistic look at the ways in which both sides of the law bend circumstances to their advantage, and the action unfolds in a kind of no-man's land where law and civil order are mere trivialities neither side bothers much with, except as it furthers their personal, private agenda. One of the most memorable sequences involves a breath-taking car chase through LA at rush hour, and is the first of many chases against traffic ever filmed. At the time, it was heady stuff indeed. The movie is ably directed by William Friedkin, and also features a splendid supporting cast, including John Pankow, John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, Robert Downey, and Debra Feur. The cinematography is superb, and the action sequences quite stunning and very believable. The DVD has a number of interesting features, and the new DVD markedly improves the print quality from the original VHS version, which suffered from a bad production effort. This is great entertainment, and is sure to keep your interest as it speeds to its awesome conclusion. Enjoy! Living And Dying Again Director William Friedkin, the man who brought us The French Connection and The Exorcist, fell into a bit of a slump after those box office successes. To Live And Die In L.A. was the shot in the arm he needed. And while the movie is not perfect, it's still very good, and worth your time. When a notorious, highly sophisticated counterfeiter murders his partner, Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) launches a furious vendetta to capture the man responsible. But master counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe) is always just one step ahead of Chance. Clashing with one bureaucratic road block after another, Chance is forced to break the rules in order to obtain enough cash for a sting operation, in the hope of bringing Masters down. The risks he takes soon spiral out of control though, leading to a wave of violence with moral reprecussions, taking Chance down to a morally ambiguous road from which there may be no return. One of the things that makes To Live And Die In L.A. work is the fact that the hero isn't exactly a saint. In fact, he can be as "dastardly", as the villian of the film, doing things that are just as awful. Petersen goes to those darker places and gives a great perfomance. Based on Gerald Petievich's novel, the script, written by Friedkin and Petievich, allows for plenty of drama and action. As director and the "father" of the modern car chase, Friedkin almost tops the one he crafted for the aforementioned film, The French Connection...Almost. For its DVD debut, MGM has put together a nice special edition, complete with some fine extras. The talky audio commentary from Friedkin is a good...but I wonder if it wouldn't have turned out better if Petersen sat in for it as well? The 30 minute documentary,"Counterfeit World: The Making of To Live and Die in L.A." is a nice retropective--some info from the commentary is repeated here though. There's also a deleted scene and the very controversial alternate ending, that caused a stir at the time in '85, for all to see in a featurette. A photo gallery and the theatrical trailer top off the bonus material. As I said at the outset, To Live And Die In L.A., is well worth a look, for both fans and newcomers alike. Buy To Live And Die In L A at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on To Live And Die In L A Search with the Priority Search Engine on To Live And Die In L A This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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