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Movies / On DVD / To Live and Die in L.A.
To Live and Die in L.A.

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

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:19

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.1/10

Runtime: 3 hrs 52 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: 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... 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 in William Friedkin's thrilling, suspenseful crime drama. With violent shoot-outs and a turbulent chase scene reminiscent of Friedkin's own THE FRENCH CONNECTION, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. broke with tradition by making the ostensible hero as morally reprehensible as the villain he pursues. Clashing with bureaucratic obstacles, Chance is forced to break the rules in order to procure cash for a sting operation, but the risks he takes snowball into an avalanche of violence and moral repercussions, leading to a morally ambiguous cul-de-sac from which there may be no return. [More]

Starring: William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Dean Stockwell

Starring: William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Dean Stockwell, John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel, Robert Downey

Director: William Friedkin

Director: William Friedkin

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Release:

Jun 2, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • William L. Petersen (Manhunter, CSI ) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man) face off in a deadly game of cat and mouse in this riveting (The New York Times) action-thriller from the Oscar®-winning director of The French Connection. Full of flash, style and grit (Boxoffice), this raw tale of corruption and revenge features one of the most harrowing car chases ever caught on film and a shockingly explosive ending. Federal Agent Richard Chance (Petersen) has a score to settle, and he's through playing by the rules. Whether that means blackmailing a beautiful parolee, disobeying direct orders or hurtling the wrong way down a crowded freeway, he vows to take down a murderous counterfeiter (Dafoe) by any means necessary. But as the stakes grow higher, will Chance's obsession with vengeance ultimately destroy him?
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    Reviews for To Live and Die in L.A.

    • T-Meter Critics
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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    10/29/08
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
    09/15/07
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Jeffrey M. Anderson
    Combustible Celluloid

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    03/30/07
    Frank Swietek
    Frank Swietek
    One Guy's Opinion
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Geoff Andrew
    Geoff Andrew
    Time Out

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    10/10/05
    Cole Smithey
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com

    William Friedkin returned to form with this tough, stylish and gutsy crime thriller enhanced by one of the great soundtracks of the 1980s.

    comment Comment
    10/08/05
    Chuck O'Leary
    Chuck O'Leary
    Fantastica Daily

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    09/28/05
    Susan Granger
    Susan Granger
    www.susangranger.com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    07/26/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    05/06/05
    Clint Morris
    Clint Morris
    Film Threat

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    03/24/05
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Daniel M. Kimmel
    Worcester Telegram & Gazette

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    02/18/05
    Philip Martin
    Philip Martin
    Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

    ...the film's accumulation of stock clichés and negative outlooks finally overpowers everything else in the story and becomes more than a mite dispiriting.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    01/31/04
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com

    To Live and Die in L.A. is undeniably very well made - from the performances to the more technical aspects - but the bottom line is, it's just not all that compelling.

    Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
    01/13/04
    David Nusair
    David Nusair
    Reel Film Reviews

    There's not much substance here, but the film ... showcases a grabber of a car chase that compares favorably with the classic one from Friedkin's The French Connection.

    Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
    12/10/03
    Matt Brunson
    Matt Brunson
    Creative Loafing

    Action set-pieces are brilliantly blocked and shot, but never to the detriment of the unnerving unspooling of the universally unsavory cast of characters.

    Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
    12/08/03
    Phil Freeman
    Phil Freeman
    culturevulture.net

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    11/15/03
    Rich Cline
    Rich Cline
    Shadows on the Wall

    Visceral just often enough to allay the infuriatingly generic shortcuts Friedkin and co. take to a finale that throws the film triumphantly off its Hollywood-conventional axis

    Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
    10/23/03
    Bill Chambers
    Bill Chambers
    Film Freak Central

    No review available.

    comment Comment
    06/06/03
    Walter Chaw
    Walter Chaw
    Film Freak Central
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    05/20/03
    Janet Maslin
    Janet Maslin
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A sylish bit of 80's action-noir, with an amazing original soundtrack by forgotten one-hit wonders of the decade, Wang Chung.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    03/19/03
    Brian Mckay
    Brian Mckay
    eFilmCritic.com
     
     
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