To Live And Die In L.A.

UK Release Date. 7 January 1986
Certification. 18
Running Time. 1 hour 56 mins
Director. William Friedkin
Cast. Willem Dafoe, Debra Feuer, Darlanne Fluegel, John Pankow, William Petersen, Dean Stockwell, John Turturro.
Rating. 76%

Review.

Based on a 1984 novel of the same name by the former US Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich (who co-wrote the screenplay with director William Friedkin), To Live And Die In L.A. is a compelling, violent, stylish neo-noir.

 

Comparisons with William Friedkin’s The French Connection are almost inevitable [as are comparisons with more recent subversive thrillers such as Michael Mann’s Heat and Martin Scorsese’s The Departed]. Friedkin’s Academy Award-winning The French Connection, set on the East Coast, is essentially translocated to the West Coast, specifically Los Angeles. Secret Service agent, Richard Chance (William Peterson) is hellbent on avenging the murder of his partner Jim Hart (Michael Greene) by counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe). The parallels between Richard Chance and Jimmy Doyle (Gene Hackman) are blatantly obvious; uncompromising, driven and objectionable individuals, apparently oblivious that their relentless focus may lead to their ultimate undoing. 

William Peterson is superb and portrays Chance as a maverick, whose reckless behaviour makes him dangerous to be around. Peterson’s performance is matched by Willem Dafoe (as Rick Masters), on the back of a compelling performance in Walter Hill’s 1984 film, Streets Of Fire.

The film is frequently gorgeous, whether it’s the long, lovingly sun-drenched vistas of Los Angeles or the macro photography of interior scenes, such as the sequence of producing counterfeit money. All shot by the renowned German cinematographer Robby Müller, who also worked on Wim Wenders' Paris, Texas and Lars von Trier's Breaking The Waves. 

Friedkin even attempts to surpass the seminal car chase from The French Connection with an audacious 9-minute pursuit through the back streets, alleyways and rail yards of industrial Los Angeles, into the dry canals of the Los Angeles River, and finally, head-on into oncoming traffic on a freeway. It’s brilliantly shot and edited, with wonderful pacing. A staggering achievement considering the sequence is filmed entirely in the pre-digital era.

As the audience has come to expect from the director, Friedkin doesn’t pull any punches. He is unashamedly unafraid in revealing the sordid corruption and squalor that accompany the principal characters. Except, there’s an undercurrent running beneath the surface of the entire film, a cruel layer of reality. There are no gallant epilogues or memorable epitaphs. Instead, To Live And Die In L.A. ends with a nihilistic conclusion to rival that of The French Connection.  

Easily one of the best thrillers of the 1980s alongside the likes of Body Heat, Thief, Blood Simple, Witness, Manhunter and Mississippi Burning.