To Live And Die In L.A. (Special Edition)
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Actor: Debra Feuer, John Pankow, John Turturro, Willem Dafoe, William PetersenBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 116 minutes
Published: 2003-12-01
DVD Release Date: 2003-12-02
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Anamorphic; Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; Dubbed; DVD; Special Edition; Subtitled; Widescree
DVD Reviews of To Live And Die In L.A. (Special Edition)
DVD Review: Groundbreaking action yarn
Summary: 4 Stars
"To Live and Die in L.A." is one of those films I heard a lot about when it first came out, heard even more about in the intervening years, yet only recently got around to watching. Friends praised this film directed by William Friedkin as one of the coolest crime thrillers to ever hit the big screen. Friends whose opinion I greatly value when it comes to films said the same thing. Obviously, I thought, I've got to find some time to include this one in my to see list. After all, there is nothing like a great shoot 'em up film loaded with tons of car chases, violent killings, and do or die macho dialogue to help decrease high stress levels. Give me Charles Bronson sweeping through a gang of punks like he's the Angel of Death, Chuck Norris mowing down the baddies, or none other than Arnie Schwarzenegger dealing out doom to worthy recipients and I'm a happy camper. Let 'em use bullets, grenades, heavy artillery, hand to hand techniques, water, fire, missiles, swords, knives, ropes, whatever--anything that will do in the various enemies they encounter during the course of the film. You can probably tell I'm not that demanding when it comes to this genre.
Occasionally I am demanding, however, as in the case of "To Live and Die in L.A." It's the story of a Secret Service agent by the name of Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) who moves over to a new position in the Treasury department after he thwarts an assassination attempt on the president. His new job involves hunting down a most interesting criminal, a master counterfeiter by the name of Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe). This guy spends a lot of his time painting elaborate works of art and then burning them outside his house. He fills the rest of his hours running off thousands of sheets of money out in a warehouse in the desert. He's good, the best that there is, and the feds have been trying to shut his operation down for years. Chance's involvement becomes personal after his partner, a man very close to retirement, decides to launch a solo investigation of the warehouse only to meet his doom at the hands of Masters. Now Agent Chance will do anything in his power, both inside and outside the law, to bring the counterfeiter to justice. It won't be easy, however, since Masters is an absolutely ruthless thug who kills anyone--be it law enforcement officers, associates, or underlings--who gets in his way. Got a great idea for double-crossing Eric Masters? Forget about it; he will find out and pay a most painful visit to sort things out.
Chance soon gets another partner, the rather uptight John Vukovich (John Pankow), and the two start gunning for Masters with a vengeance. The agents shake up one of Masters's underlings, a guy named Carl Cody (John Turturro), in an attempt to make him turn snitch. They also set up a stakeout on a chap known to be one of Eric's best customers. In both instances, the feds botch the job. In order to get Carl Cody released from prison and into the custody of the Treasury Department, Chance had to convince a grouchy judge that signing a release order would help nab Masters. Unfortunately, Cody beats Chance to a bloody pulp and runs off at the first opportunity. The stakeout goes south when Masters manages to sneak past the prying eyes of Chance and Vukovich, kill the guy under surveillance, and escape without a scratch. These failures and the steadfast refusal of Treasury Department superiors to authorize a large cash payout to sting Masters leads Chance to take steps beyond the law. I won't spoil the ins and outs of how Agent Chance and the increasingly guilt ridden Vukovich procure the money, but the killings and resulting car chase form the most memorable aspects of "To Live and Die in L.A." So does the ending, which truly turns the action genre on its head.
I want to say I loved this movie. It does have great things going for it, including solid performances from Petersen, Pankow, Turturro, Dafoe, and Dean Stockwell as a sleazy attorney. It's also incredibly nuanced for an action film, with lots of twists and turns that you'll never see coming and characters that possess both good and bad traits. The action sequences grab the eye, especially the two scenes where characters take a shotgun blast to the face--surprisingly, the camera doesn't pull away when this occurs. What prohibits me from professing total adoration for "To Live and Die in L.A."? First, the car chase didn't impress me. I'm sure that it took forever to stage this sequence, and I have no doubt that it looked impressive back in 1985, but so many films made since have elevated chase scenes far beyond what we see here. Second, I could never get my mind around the Treasury Department's refusal to authorize more money for the sting that would reel in Masters. Here's a criminal responsible for the death of a federal agent, a guy churning out hundreds of thousands of sheets of top notch funny money, and the feds don't want to cough up a few bucks to catch him? Nope, I'm not buying it.
The DVD contains several extras, including a commentary with Friedkin, a making of feature, and deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Kudos to the director for sticking to his guns and insisting the studio keep the original ending intact. The alternate conclusion is so ridiculous that had the film initially used it, it's highly likely that "To Live and Die in L.A." would not have the following it has today. An enjoyable film, one that is highly evocative of the 1980s, "To Live and Die in L.A." is well worth watching. It's just not the masterpiece many make it out to be.
Description of To Live And Die In L.A. (Special Edition)
TO LIVE AND DIE IN LA SPECIAL EDITION - DVD MovieWilliam Friedkin briefly revived his faltering career with this sleek, bleak thriller of a pair of secret service agents on the trail of a counterfeiter. William L. Peterson is the hotshot protégé of a career agent killed by the ruthless, almost feral counterfeiting genius Willem Dafoe (Platoon). Now Petersen, teamed with the smart but still green John Pankow (TV's Mad About You), is ready to twist arms, lean on criminals, steal, and even murder to exact his revenge. The harrowing chase through the streets of Los Angeles that climaxes on the freeway at rush hour, where Friedkin's brilliant twist sends them heading the wrong way, careening through a sea of cars coming straight at them, is still one of the most breathtaking car chases ever filmed. Friedkin's edgy crime thriller, stylishly shot in steely blues against hazy red and orange skies by Robby Muller (Paris, Texas), paints a very thin line between the good guys and the bad guys, and Wang Chung's techno soundtrack sets the proper mood--jumpy and alienated. It's a cynical and very brutal look into the world of law enforcement (adapted by Friedkin and former Secret Service man Gerald Petievich from his novel) and a cold portrayal of the power games between cops and feds, and cops and informants. John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, and Robert Downey Sr. are featured in supporting roles. --Sean Axmaker
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