To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

Gerald Petievich (novel), William Friedkin (screenplay),

Stars:

William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Petersen	...	Richard Chance (as William L. Petersen)
Willem Dafoe	...	Eric 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

Storyline

Two cops in Los Angeles try to track down the vicious criminal Eric Masters. Then, one of them is killed by Masters and the other one swears revenge no matter what the cost. After that, the hunt becomes an ob- session and the law he once swore to uphold becomes meaningless to him.

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Plot Keywords:

secret service | secret service agent | revenge | murder | parolee | 

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Taglines:

A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Arabic Spanish

Release Date:

1 November 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vivir y morir en Los Ángeles

Filming Locations:

183 North Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$967,312 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

SLM Production Group, New Century Productions, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 101 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A year after the film came out, John Pankow met an undercover NYPD cop in a coffee shop who told John that his panicking during the highway chase scene was a completely accurate and realistic response to such a situation.

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Goofs

The opening scene says December 20 at 1410 hours (2:10 p.m), which is about two hours before the shortest day of the year, yet the shadows and the sun's position makes it more like noon in the summertime.

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Quotes

Richard Chance: [to Vukovich] You ain't my partner! You ain't even my fucking friend. In fact, let me give you a little piece of advice: you better get your ass into protection, baby! Because you ain't shit on the streets! You understand that? You ain't got the nuts! Kiss my ass! Pussy motherfucker!

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Crazy Credits

Right at the end, after the credits, there is a shot of William Petersen's face

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Connections

Referenced in Psych: High Top Fade Out (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Lawdy! Lawdy!"
Performed by Junior Wells
Courtesy of Delmark Records

User Reviews

Excellent Non-Stop Action And Politically Incorrect Police Story

In Los Angeles, the secret agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) loses his partner and friend Jim Hart (Michael Greene) in an investigation of counterfeit, two days before the retirement of Jim. The agent John Vukovich (John Pankow) is assigned to work with Chance, who is obsessed to capture Eric 'Rick' Masters (Willem Dafoe), the criminal responsible for the death of Jim. Chance risks his partner and his own career, trying to arrest Rick.

"To Live and Die in L.A" is an excellent non-stop action movie, having an excellent pacing and being a politically incorrect police story. All the characters are amoral, dirty and sordid, and it is impossible to feel sympathy for any of them. There are excellent scenes, such as the car chase in the streets of Los Angeles, or the surprising lethal shooting in the end of the story. The DVD shows a commercial alternative ending of the story, fortunately not accepted by the director William Friedkin. The unpredictable and credible end as it is makes the great difference of this outstanding movie. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Viver e Morrer em Los Angeles" ("To Live and Die in Los Angeles")