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)
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) -- Special Edition DVD
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   8,744 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Gerald Petievich (novel)
William Friedkin (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for To Live and Die in L.A. on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 November 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
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
User Comments:
Raw, brilliant crime thriller more (175 total)

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Police fédérale, Los Angeles (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Viver E Morrer em Los Angeles (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Änglarnas stad (Sweden) (video title) [sv]
Änglarnas stad - Los Angeles (Sweden) [sv]
Brottsplats Los Angeles (Sweden) (TV title) [sv]
Elää ja kuolla L.A.:ssa (Finland) [fi]
L.A. daisosasen -- Ôkami-tachi no machi (Japan) [ja]
Leben und sterben in L.A. (West Germany) [de]
O anthropos apo to Los Angeles (Greece) (festival title) [el]
Vivere e morire a Los Angeles (Italy) [it]
Vivir y morir en Los Ángeles (Spain) [es]
more
Runtime:
116 min | Germany:101 min (TV version)
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
During the opening sequence when the Willem Dafoe character is shown printing money the film crew is actually creating counterfeit bills. They had a convicted counterfeiter on set showing them how it is done. They were filming out in the desert and Willem Dafoe said that every time a helicopter flew over the building they were sure it was the police coming to arrest them all. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: According to the title cards, the film begins in mid December and ends in late January. However, there is no mention whatsoever of Christmas or New Year's Day, and none of the sets has decorations of any kind for either holiday. more
Quotes:
Richard Chance: Remember me? Football game at the airport? more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
To Live and Die in L.A. more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
59 out of 63 people found the following comment useful.
Raw, brilliant crime thriller, 21 January 2004
Author: fertilecelluloid from Mountains of Madness

When Friedkin went "back on the streets" in 1985 to make TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., he made a classic that will endure and that perfectly captures its 80's milieu.

I don't understand these idiots who complain how a film is "dated" by its music. Of course a film is "dated" by its specific elements, but so what. This superb film, which has an amazingly kinetic Wang Cheung score, is about a time (the mid-eighties) and place (L.A.) that is now history, and it is a punishing document.

The film works on many levels. Yes, it is about counterfeiting and superficial (re: counterfeit) relationships. It is about greed, survival, justice and morality. It is also about human beings using and laying to waste other human beings.

These powerful ingredients weave their way through a police procedural/action thriller plot that never stops to catch its breath and is pure cinema.

Willem Dafoe is totally engrossing as the film's villain, while William Peterson delivers a highly focused, tough turn. Dean Stockwell is also a stand-out as a crook lawyer and real cop Jack Hoar is quietly spectacular as Dafoe's mule.

And the film boasts one unbelievable car chase that has not been equaled since.

But LIVE AND DIE is also a film that expertly marries the visual to the aural and depicts a part of Southern California that has not been so credibly depicted before.

Dynamite!

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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
Vukovich's reaction during chase sequence shiftydave77
This movie gets better every time I see it... markspiegel
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
Wow. Chance sucks. malachiX2000
more

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