IMDb > To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
To Live and Die in L.A.
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To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 2 NEW)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) -- Special Edition DVD
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   8,674 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 12% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
William Friedkin
Writers:
Gerald Petievich (novel)
William Friedkin (screenplay) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for To Live and Die in L.A. on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 November 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
The director of "The French Connection" is on the streets again! more
Plot:
A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
3 wins more
NewsDesk:
Locarno 09: Review of Takeshi Koike's high octane anime Redline
 (From QuietEarth. 17 August 2009, 12:03 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Shamefully misunderstood by the critics more (175 total)
US TV Schedule:
Mon. Nov. 163:50 AMMAX   

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

William Petersen ... Richard Chance (as William L. Petersen)

Willem Dafoe ... Eric 'Rick' Masters
John Pankow ... John Vukovich
Debra Feuer ... Bianca Torres

John Turturro ... Carl Cody

Darlanne Fluegel ... Ruth Lanier
Dean Stockwell ... Bob Grimes

Steve James ... Jeff Rice

Robert Downey Sr. ... Thomas Bateman (as Robert Downey)
Michael Greene ... Jim Hart

Christopher Allport ... Max Waxman
Jack Hoar ... Jack
Valentin de Vargas ... Judge Filo Cedillo (as Val DeVargas)
Dwier Brown ... Doctor
Michael Chong ... Thomas Ling
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
116 min | Germany:101 min (TV version)
Country:
USA
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Finland:K-16 (cut) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Singapore:M18 | USA:R (certificate #27848) | Australia:R | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16 | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1987) | Norway:(Banned) (1986-2003) (cinema release)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The prison scenes were shot in the San Luis Obispo Penitentiary and real prison inmates were used as extras. more
Goofs:
Plot holes: After breaking into Masters' secret country hideout by breaking the outer gate's padlock with a bolt cutter, Chance and his fellow cops encounter another padlock, this time on a warehouse door. But instead of using the bolt cutter this time, Chance fires his revolver at the lock. Although this breaks the lock, why did he risk the danger of a bullet ricochet instead of using the bolt cutter again? more
Quotes:
Richard Chance: [noticing a 'Do Not Enter - Wrong Way' street sign] We're going this way! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003) more
Soundtrack:
The Conductor Wore Black more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
72 out of 82 people found the following comment useful.
Shamefully misunderstood by the critics, 29 April 1999
10/10
Author: Stefan Kahrs from Canterbury, England

One of the very best films of the 1980s this was shamefully neglected and misunderstood by the critics. The problem is: on the surface it's just like an ordinary action crime thriller (and thus won't appeal to the arthouse crowd), except that it makes it difficult to identify yourself with any of the characters. In other words: it violates its genre rules. But this very fact makes it so unpredictable and thrilling, and a proper movie as opposed to a mere genre clone.

The good guys are flawed. This isn't really new, since the mid 1960s there were plenty of flawed heroes in Westerns or police thrillers. The difference is that not only their characters are flawed, they are vulnerable, destructible, they make mistakes. And they pay for their mistakes. Similarly the villains: yes, they are formidable and glamorous, but they are not in the league of the Blofelds or Sentenzas of moviedom. They make mistakes too. And they pay too.

A surprising asset is the film music by Wang Chung, a one-hit-wonder pop obscurity of the era. Their sound perfectly melts with the cinematography, especially in the stylish opening sequence.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
10 Star Film if not for the Plot Holes eternal_buzz
Willem Dafoe as a villain cellery
What's the deal with that girl Chance kept banging? FeistyIntruder
This movie gets better every time I see it... markspiegel
Wow. Chance sucks. malachiX2000
Was Hart dirty? BiffC
more

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