To Live and Die in L.A.
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| To Live and Die in L.A. | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | William Friedkin |
| Produced by | Executive Producer: Samuel Schulman Producer: Irving H. Levin Bud S. Smith |
| Written by | Story: Gerald Petievich Screenplay: William Friedkin Gerald Petievich |
| Starring | William L. Petersen Willem Dafoe John Pankow Dean Stockwell John Turturro |
| Music by | Wang Chung |
| Cinematography | Robby Müller |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) | November 1, 1985 |
| Running time | 116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Spanish Arabic |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
To Live and Die in L.A. is a neo-noir American film released in 1985 and directed by William Friedkin.
The movie is based on the novel written by former Secret Service Agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay with Friedkin.[1]
The picture stars William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Turturro, John Pankow, and others.
The film tells the story of how two U.S. Secret Service agents set out and try to arrest the notorious money counterfeit expert, Rick Masters, by any means necessary. The agents bend the law when it fits their needs.
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[edit] Plot
Richard Chance (William Petersen) is a Secret Service agent for the U.S. Treasury with a reputation for reckless behavior.
His partner, Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene) is days away from retirement, but takes on one last mission to investigate counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe). After Hart is killed by Masters, Chance is outraged and seeks revenge. Chance says:
- Let me tell you something, amigo. I'm gonna bag Masters, and I don't give a shit how I do it.
Chance and his new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow) try to track down Masters, but the leads to Masters end up dead at the hands of the counterfeiter. Chance and Vukovich finally track down Masters, posing as potential counterfeiting clients interested in Master's services.
Later, Chance meets with Masters, and pays him the "front" money he has requested. During a set-up transaction, Chance tries to arrest Masters and his bodyguard, but the resulting shootout leads to the death of Master's bodyguard and Chance.
Masters briefly gets away, but Vukovich pursues him and kills him.
[edit] Exhibition
The film premiered in the United States on November 1, 1985.
It was screened at various film festivals, including: the Cognac Festival du Film Policier, France; the Noir in Festival, Italy; the Turin Film Festival, Italy; and others.
The movie was banned in Norway in theatres when it was first released and this lasted until 2003 (it was available in video with a 18 rating in 1987). The film had to be cut in Finland to obtain a K-16 rating at the time of release.
DVD release
A DVD was released by MGM Entertainment on December 2, 2003. The DVD contains: in a new restored widescreen transfer, an audio commentary featuring director Friedkin where he relates stories about the making of the movie, a half-hour documentary featuring the main characters, a deleted scene that involves actor John Pankow, and an alternate ending Friedkin refused to use.[2]
[edit] Production
The climactic scene in which Chance is killed was not very well-received by MGM executives, according to William Friedkin on the Special Edition DVD. To satisfy the studio, he shot a second ending, in which Chance is shot in the stomach and lives, and then a different scene in which Chance and Vukovich, for reasons unexplained, are transferred to Alaska, and watch their boss Thomas Bateman being interviewed on TV. Friedkin was disgusted by the new ending, and kept the original.[3]
The backwards car chase on a Los Angeles freeway was William Friedkin's attempt to outdo the car chase from his 1971 film, The French Connection.[4]
The same car chase was actually filmed by reversing the flow of traffic, so in reality, both sides are actually driving in the wrong direction, while the stunt car is driving on the correct side of the freeway.
The shot of William L. Petersen running along the metal railings of a moving sidewalk in LAX got the filmmakers into trouble with the airport security. The airport had prohibited this action, mainly for Petersen's safety, as they felt that their insurance wouldn't have covered him had he hurt himself.
[edit] Filming locations
Parts of the film were shot in known gang Los Angeles territory: Nickerson Gardens in Watts and parts of East Los Angeles.
Other locations include: Los Angeles International Airport; Malibu;Union Station, Los Angeles; Vincent Thomas Bridge, San Pedro; and Wilmington, Los Angeles.
[edit] Controversy
After the film was released, Michael Mann unsuccessfully sued William Friedkin for plagiarism. He accused Friedkin of taking the concept of his television series Miami Vice.
[edit] Critical reception
The film was well received by film critics and at the film festivals it was shown.
Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times liked the film's screenplay, the action, the acting, and the direction. He said, "[T]he movie is also first-rate. The direction is the key. Friedkin has made some good movies...and some bad ones. This is his comeback, showing the depth and skill of the early pictures. The central performance is by William L. Petersen, a Chicago stage actor who comes across as tough, wiry and smart. He has some of the qualities of a Steve McQueen, with more complexity. Another strong performance in the movie is by Willem Dafoe as the counterfeiter, cool and professional as he discusses the realities of his business."[5]
Critic Janet Maslin was dismissive of the film. She said, "Today, in the dazzling, superficial style that Mr. Friedkin has so thoroughly mastered, it's the car chases and shootouts and eye-catching settings that are truly the heart of the matter." She also thought the work of Willem Dafoe would be forever typecast by this film when she added, "he's a fine actor with a face that will bring him villain's work forever."[6]
Currently, the film has a 86% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on twenty-one reviews.[7]
[edit] Cast and ratings
| Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Argentina: | 18 |
| Australia: | R |
| Finland: | K-18 |
| France: | -12 |
| Germany: | 16 |
| Iceland: | 16 |
| Norway: | Banned |
| Sweden: | 15 |
| United Kingdom: | 18 |
| United States: | R |
- William Petersen as Richard Chance
- Willem Dafoe as Eric "Rick" Masters
- John Pankow as John Vukovich
- Debra Feuer as Bianca Torres
- John Turturro as Carl Cody
- Darlanne Fluegel as Ruth Lanier
- Dean Stockwell as Bob Grimes
- Steve James as Jeff Rice
- Robert Downey Sr. as Thomas Bateman
- Michael Greene as Jim Hart
- Christopher Allport as Max Waxman
- Jack Hoar as Jack
- Valentin de Vargas as Judge Filo Cedillo
- Dwier Brown as Doctor
- Michael Chong as Thomas Ling
[edit] Awards
Wins
- Cognac Festival du Film Policier: Audience Award; William Friedkin; 1986.
- Stuntman Awards: Stuntman Award; Best Feature Film Vehicular Stunt, Dick Ziker and Eddy Donnol; Most Feature Film Spectacular Sequence, Dick Ziker; 1986.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ To Live and Die in L.A. at the Internet Movie Database.
- ^ Reel Film Reviews. DVD review, December 3, 2003.
- ^ To Live and Die in L.A., Special Edition DVD.
- ^ Crowley Michael K. "Watching Under the Influence: To Live and Die in L.A.," film analysis, August 12, 2004.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Chicago Sun-Times, film review, November 1, 1985.
- ^ Maslin, Janet. The New York Times, film review, "From Friedkin," November 1, 1985.
- ^ To Live and Die in L.A. at Rotten Tomatoes. Last accessed: March 17, 2007.
[edit] External links
- To Live and Die in L.A. at Rotten Tomatoes.
- 24 Lies A Second article and film review.
Good Times (1967) • The Birthday Party (1968) • The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) • The Boys in the Band (1970) • The French Connection (1971) • The Exorcist (1973) • Sorcerer (1977) • The Brink's Job (1978) • Cruising (1980) • Deal of the Century (1983) • To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) • Rampage (1988) • The Guardian (1990) • Blue Chips (1994) • Jade (1995) • Rules of Engagement (2000) • The Hunted (2003) • Bug (2007)
