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William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro ... see more see more... , Darlanne Fluegel , Dean Stockwell , Steve James , Robert Downey Sr. , Michael Greene , Christopher Allport , Jack Hoar , Val de Vargas , Dwier Brown , Michael Chong , Jackelyn Giroux , Anne Betancourt , Brian Bradley , Gregg G. Dandridge , Thomas F. Duffy , Mark Gash , Pat McGroarty , Bobby Bass , John Petievich , Dar Robinson , Michael Zand , Gerald H. Brownlee , Jack Cota , Rick Dalton , David M. DuFriend , Joe Duran , Gilbert Espinoza , Ruben Garcia , Edward Harrell , Earnest Hart Jr. , Richard L. Lane , Katherine M. Louie , Bufort L. McClerkins Jr. , Shirley J. White , Donny Williams

William Friedkin's crime thriller, based on a book by U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, concerns an arrogant Secret Service official who wants to get his man at any price. Willem Dafoe plays... read more read more... Eric Masters, an ultra-smooth counterfeiter who has managed to sidestep the police for years. He is so up-front about his dealings, in fact, that when some undercover agents try to make a deal with him at his health club, Eric tells them, "I've been coming to this gym three times a week for five years. I'm an easy guy to find. People know they can trust me." But when young and eager Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) finds out that his partner has been cold-bloodedly murdered by Eric, he trains his relentlessness upon capturing Eric -- whether it means robbery, murder, or exploiting his friends and associates. As Chance erases the dividing line between good and evil, he drags his new partner John Vukovich (John Pankow) and Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel), an ex-con, down into the maelstrom with him. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

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74% liked it

9,047 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

29 critics

R, 1 hr. 54 min.

Directed by: William Friedkin

Release Date: November 1, 1985

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DVD Release Date: December 2, 2003

Stats: 666 reviews

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Willem Dafoe as Eric "Rick" Masters in To Live AND DIE IN L.A. To Live and Die in L.A. Willem Dafoe in To Live and Die in L.A.
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Flixster Reviews (666)

  • Callahan441
    May 18, 2012
    Callahan441
    'To Live and Die in L.A.' is ultimately something of a snorefest; watch this with even a grain of lethargy and you'll be lost. And that's a shame, because there is much artistic merit to be found in the film. The killer Wang Chung soundtrack compliments stylish sequences througho... read moreut, and is especially effective when capturing the Los Angeles landscape. The opening montage is very striking both visually and aurally; the sequence showing Master's counterfeiting procedure is also a pleasure to watch. Sadly though, the first twenty minutes and the closing credits of the film are the most interesting and engaging. Even its stylistic flair becomes tired, Wang Chung being overused and placed in sequences that just don't require it. To Live and Die in L.A. could've been far tauter; it rouses you from your catatonic state only a few times with its surprising gore and of course that famous lengthy car chase.

    The premise is simply Richard Chance's (William L. Peterson) relentless pursuit of a murderous counterfeiter named Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe) who has killed Chance's partner and 'best friend for seven years'. Chance, his safety hindered in the haze of his own hubris, is prepared to do whatever it takes to put an end to masters, even if it means breaking the law he enforces. Peterson's anti-hero isn't without his clichés: when presented with new partner John Vukovich (John Pankow), the film indulges in the common 'You know I work alone' cliché.

    In its entirety, To Live and Die in L.A. is a superficial, viewer-unfriendly production that just doesn't engage it's audience; the characters are flat and the plot is bloated and hard to follow. Its aesthetic redeeming features are seldom found over the course of 1hr 56 minutes, and even if there were more, it wouldn't save this film from its unsubstantiated characters and narrative.
  • axadntpron
    October 4, 2011
    axadntpron
    I don't throw around the term neo-noir lightly, but this film has the body of your average 80's cop thriller, with the heart and soul of a noir. William Petersen is good here as the hard-boiled and morally ambivalent detective Chance. As for Friedkin, whether he wants to admit it... read more or not, is not a God. But he does know how to craft a compelling film. Although this is not as captivating as the French Connection or the Exorcist, the action scenes are still very impressive and shot with vigor. He takes chances that really elevate the material in a lot of ways.
    The story is a bit messy and the film is steeped in the 80's aesthetic which unfortunately does not age well. However, it is much better than you would expect of your average thriller.
  • blacksheepboy
    March 17, 2010
    blacksheepboy
    An exploding thriller very well-directed by William Friedkin, with great performances, many awesome action scenes - especially an exhilarating car chase one - and a morally thought-provoking story that culminates in a fantastic, shocking ending.
  • cancercapricorn2002
    August 31, 2008
    cancercapricorn2002
    Some Minor Spoilers Here***********************************************************
    There are three things going for this crime thriller: it's a great in the sense of being a believable and well-constructed story; for the time, it has ordinary and not top box-office stars, a ca... read morest that produce star quality performances; and, of course, it's directed by William Friedkin, a director well known for constructing cinema designed to shock.

    The narrative which I understand only barely resembles the story line of the novel is a piece of nasty work in the form of the moral ambiguity that constantly arises when 'good' guys exceed their authority to do whatever it takes to bag the 'bad' guys. Friedkin had already explored that in The French Connection (1971) but, at that time, he used a big star draw card with Gene Hackman, who, as Popeye Doyle, trod on a lot of toes and faces to do the job and still managed to garner sympathy from this viewer, and many others, despite his excesses.

    That is not the case for Richard Chance (William Petersen), the T-man who'll do anything to get Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe) for murdering another T-man, Jim Hart (Michael Greene), Chance's partner in crime, so to speak. You see (literally and visually) the trouble with Chance, is that he always wants to take a chance on bridging the gap between doing what's right and proper, and doing what he wants to get the job done; ethically, he's a true pragmatist totally vacuous when it comes to core principles. And that's in direct contrast to Rick Masters, who's loyal to all those around him, until they double-cross him; only then do those real 'bad' guys pay the price for their double trouble.

    From the narrative perspective, Chance and Masters are mirror images, of course, and each shares the same first name (although, for Masters, Rick is a nick-name), thus providing a duality of principle and purpose in the totally corrupt society as presented by Freidkin; and all of which is summed up with Bob Grimes' (an urbane and consummate Dean Stockwell) pithy rebuttal to Bianca (Debra Feuer) when she asked him why he was lawyer for Masters: "It's just business". Note the great grimy name for Stockwell's totally debased character...

    So, the great irony for this story is that Chance works within the law as a T-man, but operates as much as he can outside of it to further his personal interests; while Masters works outside of the law as an anti-T-man (he counterfeits money), while operating within it as much as he can using corrupt lawyers and the legal system to further his own interests. So, who is the real bad guy? Who deserves more sympathy from society?

    The ending is fitting, as it should be: out with the old, in with the new. Society continues to function, in all its grime and glory, such as it is; but it is also Friedkin's Disconnection on a grand scale for telling the truth about how it all works. Little wonder: most people can't handle the truth, as somebody said, because there's a little bit of Chance and Masters in all of us. And, we all know what happened to Friedkin's career as a director after this one was released.

    There are, however, few thrillers, in the last twenty-five years, better than this one for irony, suspense and action. Add to that the sexually pulsating sound track from Wang Chung and the on-site location shooting around Los Angeles and you have a very believable story in a city where angels always fear to tread.

    Is it just co-incidental that many of the actors went on to greater recognition. For William Petersen, this was his second movie; for Willem Dafoe, it was his sixth; for John Pankow, his third; Turturro, his fifth and so on.

    See it for sure, if you haven't already; see it again for what you missed first time around. Highly recommended
  • middleeasternfilms
    May 18, 2008
    middleeasternfilms
    Great, very 80's action-drama about two inept Secret Service agents on the trail of the murdering counterfeiter Defoe. Dated, but still a great film with Petersen's acting leading the way. Points added for the hero inexplicably dying before the end, but then again points dropped ... read morefor having to see Petersen's junk. Thank God he's on Tv and we won't have to go through THAT again, eh?
  • allan913
    March 5, 2008
    allan913
    An stlyish, edgy and brilliant crime thriller. brutal, pulse pounding and exhilerating. It delivers a sensational car chase. William Peterson is memerising. Willem Dafoe is brilliant. Director, William Friedkin's best film since The French connection.
  • kenstachnik
    February 20, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Hollywood Saloon approved...

    One of the best cop movies of all time
  • tsigur
    December 9, 2007
    tsigur
    Before CSI, he didn't take no shit from nobody.
  • DrZeek
    January 4, 2007
    DrZeek
    Eric 'Rick' Masters: How you making it?
    Carl Cody: Like every other swinging dick in this place makes it. Day by motherfucking day.

    Director William Friedkin follows up the French Connection with another kick ass crime thriller that features another one of the best kick ass car... read more chases. Propelled by an 80s techno soundtrack from Wang Chung (not kidding), this movie gives us a good story involving Secret Service agents and counterfeiters. Between directors Friedkin and Mann, you can always count on an involving cop drama.
  • stevetheman1236
    November 6, 2011
    stevetheman1236
    William Friedkin is a fantastic director. He sets up the entire scene like a painter, adding detail to every single inch. You can always find something new in each shot. It's artistry like that that mesmerizes the hell out of me.

    I was also deeply impressed by the pure complexi... read morety of To Live and Die in L.A. At the beginning of the famous car chase scene, there's this shot that rises from Chance's car, up along the highway, meets up with the red car in pursuit of Chance, then moves back to Chance's car. And all of this is going on while the cars are going at top speeds.

    Maybe I'm just biased towards crime films. Crime is a genre that typically impresses me. The characters are always easy to get involved with, the storyline is typically riveting, and all of the technical aspects are usually right on par with everything else.

    William Friedkin is a director that has mastered this genre, and I've only seen two of his films. I think I might add him to my "Favorite Directors" list.

View All To Live and Die in L.A. Reviews

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
October 29, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Engrossing and diverting enough on a moment-to-moment basis but is overtooled. Full Review

Janet Maslin
May 20, 2003
Janet Maslin, New York Times

On its own terms, it's a considerable success, though it's a film that sacrifices everything in the interests of style. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The film isn't just about cops and robbers, but about two systems of doing business, and how one of the systems finds a way to change itself in order to defeat the other. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 25, 2011
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The action thrives on overkill. Full Review

Tim Brayton
February 22, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

A profoundly ambivalent motion picture... completely upends every convention of its hidebound genre without even seeming to notice that it has done so. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
February 17, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

[William] Friedkin creates a jittery atmosphere of adrenaline and corruption and danger... Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
September 15, 2007
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Friedkin's 1985 film To Live and Die in L.A. may be one of his very best, though it did not reach the level of acclaim and support of his earlier films. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

Friedkin plays it as brutal and cynical as he ever did with The French Connection... Full Review

Chuck O'Leary
October 8, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

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

David Nusair
January 13, 2004
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

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

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Facts

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    • Richard Chance: Guess what? Uncle Sam don't give a shit about your expenses. You want bread, fuck a baker.
    • Eric Masters: You're beautiful.
    • Eric Masters: You're beautiful.
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To Live and Die in L.A. Trivia

  • In what movie did "CSI"'s William Petersen stop at nothing to get revenge on Willem Dafoe?  Answer »
  • Who played the artist-turned-forger in To Live and Die in L.A.?  Answer »
  • Which rock group provided the music for To Live and Die in LA?  Answer »
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