To Live and Die in L.A.
Tags: revenge, neo noir, murder, violence

Plot synopsis:
Richard Chance and Jimmy Hart are United States Secret Service agents assigned as counterfeiting investigators in its Los Angeles field office. Chance has a reputation for reckless behavior, while Hart is three days away from retirement. Alone, Hart stakes out a warehouse in the desert thought to be a print house of counterfeiter Rick Masters. After Masters and Jack, his bodyguard, kill Hart, Chance explains to his new partner, John Vukovich, that he will take Masters down no matter what.
The two agents attempt to get information on Masters by putting one of his criminal associates, attorney Max Waxman, under surveillance. Vukovich falls asleep on watch, and consequently they fail to catch Masters in the act of murdering Waxman. While Vukovich wants to go by the book, Chance becomes increasingly reckless and unethical in his efforts to catch Masters. While Chance relies on his sexual-extortion relationship with parolee/informant Ruth for information, Vukovich meets privately with Masters' attorney, Bob Grimes. Grimes, acknowledging a potential conflict of interest that could ruin his legal practice, agrees to set up a meeting between his client and the two agents, who engage Masters by posing as bankers from Palm Springs interested in Masters' counterfeiting services. Masters is reluctant to work with them, but ultimately agrees to print them $1,000,000 worth of fake bills.
In turn, Masters demands $30,000 in front money, which is three times the authorized agency limit for buy money. To get the cash, Chance persuades Vukovich to aid him in robbing Thomas Ling, a man whom Ruth previously told Chance is bringing $50,000 cash to purchase stolen diamonds. Chance and Vukovich intercept Ling at the train station and seize the cash in an industrial area. Ling's cover people follow them, though, open fire and accidentally shoot Ling. Chance and Vukovich try to evade them through the streets, freeways and even one of the flood control channels, before a final escape by going the wrong way on the freeway. The next day, the end of their daily briefing includes an FBI bulletin that Ling was its undercover agent, kidnapped, robbed and murdered while on a sting operation. Only a generic description of the assailants and their vehicle is given. While Chance and Vukovich did not kill Ling, Vukovich is nonetheless consumed by guilt, while Chance is apathetic and focused solely on getting Masters. Unable to persuade Chance to come clean about their role in Ling's death, Vukovich meets with Grimes, who advises him to turn himself in and testify against Chance in exchange for a lighter sentence. Vukovich refuses to implicate his partner.
Chance and Vukovich meet with Masters for the exchange. After inspecting the counterfeit million, the agents attempt to arrest Masters and Jack, but Jack pulls a shotgun. Jack and Chance fatally shoot each other, and Masters escapes. Vukovich gives chase, going to a warehouse a previous informant had told them about. By the time he arrives, Masters has set fire to everything inside, destroying all evidence. Vukovich confronts Masters and during a brief struggle, Masters asks Vukovich why he did not take Grimes' advice to turn his partner in, revealing that Grimes was working on Masters' behalf all along. While Vukovich is stunned at the revelation, Masters grabs a board and knocks him unconscious. Masters then covers Vukovich with shredded paper and is about to set him on fire when Vukovich wakes up and shoots Masters. Masters drops his lighter and accidentally sets himself ablaze, while Vukovich empties his gun on the burning man, killing him.
Vukovich visits Ruth as she packs up to leave L.A. He mentions Chance's death, deducing she had known all along that Ling was FBI. He knows Chance had left her with the remaining cash that his agency now wants back, but Ruth says she needed it to pay debts she owed. Vukovich declares that Ruth is working for him now, turning into the same "whatever it takes" agent that his partner was.

Review: 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.
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!.
A car chase in the best traditions of "Bullitt" and of Friedkin's own "French Connection" is centers the action, but the motivation of a rogue agent obsessed with the death of his partner, and clearly with his own death, are well- and credibly- drawn.
For some reason, the public stayed away in droves as well, this as myself and my friend were practically organizing tours to the theater, introducing people to the film who, weened on "48 Hours", "Miami Vice" and yet to experience the Abbott & Costello hijinks of the "Lethal Weapon" series, had little concept of what a below-the-belt, impeccably crafted cop movie could be.
And with an outstanding, hyper-realistic cast of then unknowns--including Chicago theater alumni  William Pederson, pre-"CSI" and with even more cock to his walk, swaggering through his pursuit of a damaged counterfeiter, Willem Dafoe--the screws tighten with each and every action sequence, climaxing the building mayhem with a cathartic, freeway massacre of automotive chaos on the same scale as a "Mad Max" movie.The characters ar caustic, the betrayals extremely violent, the music pounding, the ending, in particular, is a departure from the Gerald Petievich novel, the author, himself, a retired U.S. Treasury agent writing an even bleaker resolution to the problem of two unstable detectives at odds with each other, losing their sanity, and finding no comfort in their escalating criminal misbehavior.
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.
William Petersen as Richard Chance, an ambitious adrenaline-charged treasury agent who becomes totally obsessed with avenging his partner's murder and Willem Dafoe as Rick Masters, a fabulously wealthy yet sleazy and violent counterfeiter form the nucleus around which the film unfolds.
To Live and Die in L.A is one of my favorite movies of all time and one of the best Action-Thrillers ever made.
Dark,unforgettable, and uncompromising, To Live and Die in L.A is an underrated classic and one William Friedkin's best films.To Live and Die in L.A tells the story of a secret service agent named Richard Chance(William Petersen) who is apart of a secret service unit that takes down counterfeit money and counterfeiters in Los Angeles.
Now looking for revenge, Richard Chance will do anything to get Rick Masters even if it means breaking the law.To Live and Die in L.A is an amazing film from beginning to end that was so dark and uncompromising in the 80's it's not a surprise the film wasn't a hit in 1985.
Well directed and fast-paced,the car chase is one of the all-time great Action scenes and a classic scene that's up there with The French Connection.
Steve James(Jeff) and Robert Downey SR(Thomas Bateman),Michael Greene(Jim Hart),Christopher Allport(Max Waxman),Jack Hoar(Jack) and Val DeVargas(Judge Filo Cedilo)also do good jobs in their roles.William Friedkin's direction is excellent,gritty,dark and stylish showing the city of Los Angeles that wasn't seen at the time in the 80s from the freeways,dirty streets,corners,vibrant colors and palm trees.
Great movie-making from Friedkin.The score and soundtrack by Wang Chung is excellent and fits with the film perfectly with the title theme song To Live and Die in L.A being my favorite.
Based on a novel by former Secret Service Agent Gerald Petievich, this action packed crime caper moves at a frenetic pace thanks to director William Friedkin (The French Connection) and it is also notable for featuring a cast of almost unknowns who later find stardom.Los Angeles Secret Service Agent Richard Chance (William L.
Petersen, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) is a reckless daredevil who vows to take down the brilliant but murderous counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe, Platoon) following the brutal murder of Chance's partner Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene) who was due to retire in less than three days.
Petersen, who made his big break here, turns in an excellent performance as the thrill seeking daredevil Secret Service Agent Richard Chance who is breaking every rule in the book no matter the cost to avenge the death of his partner.
John Pankow who is later well known for comedic roles does a fine job as straight laced John Vukovich who finds himself in a moral dilemma taking down Masters with his partner Chance.The soundtrack by pop band Wang Chun gives the film a neo-noir feeling reminiscent to Miami Vice although the same mood is transferred to Los Angeles.
Music is by Wang Chung and cinematography by Robby Muller.Secret Service agent Richard Chance (Petersen) swears to bring down those responsible for the death of his partner...Critics of the time were very divided on the quality of Friedkin's movie, with some being way off the mark by trying to put it in the same ball park as TV show Miami Vice!
In short, this is classic neo-noir.As an action film it also scores high, with the brutal violence handled with kinetic assurance by Friedkin, while the "famous" car chase that precedes the finale is worthy of all the praise thrown its way over the years.
The script stings with snide asides and moody exchanges and a splendid cast are led by Petersen and Dafoe turning in classical noir protagonist/antagonist portrayals.It's very 80s, Wang Chung's electro synth musical score ensures that is the case, as do the garish reds and greens that adorn the opening credits, but this is a good thing, for it's not a film of god awful mullets and spangle dressage.
And William Friedkin's direction is superb: he's topped himself with the chase scene in this film -- he also did the amazing chase in "The French Connection."Excellent performances from the entire cast; especially Willem Dafoe and Dean Stockwell..
There was also a man in the film, Rick Master's (the counterfeiter) right arm man, the muscle, named Jack (Played by Jack Hoar) now this man I had never seen before, but I knew this guy was too good to be nothing, or just some actor with a character to play named 'Jack'.
In Los Angeles, we follow the turmoil and obsession that swallows secret service agent Richard Chance, when his long-time partner and good buddy, Michael Greene, is killed by counterfeiter Eric 'Rick' Masters.
William Friedkin's "To Live and Die in L.A." is a sophisticatedly, hard-boiled crime thriller (adapted from the novel of Gerald Petievich, a former Secret Service agent) that has a plethora of unexpected turns and a very trance like appeal within its powerful makeup.
Peterson puts the boot in to give an excellently raw and hard-edge performance as secret service agent Richard Chance and Pankow equally so, as the very alert new partner John Vukovich.
Dean Stockwell plays the sneaky lawyer Bob Grimes, Darlanne Fluegel as the naturally stunning parolee Bianca Torres being used by Chance and Debra Feuer is manipulative, piercing as Master's flame, Ruth Lanier.What's makes this pounding flick inventively, wicked and far from contrived, is the way the film's material goes about its character's relationships with devious twists and deceptions making way for a great showstopper of an ending.A well-crafted and quite established crime thriller with explosive bursts interwoven into its glitzy, but also roughly cold embrace..
DaFoe loses in the end, but then everyone loses, one way or another.The best-known scene (justifiably) is the car chase that takes place in the wrong direction, against traffic, on the Long Beach Freeway.
A fearless Secret Service agent (William Petersen) will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) who killed his partner (Michael Greene).As with many movies, this one began as a novel by a former Secret Service agent.
Director William Friedkin read the book and loved it, attracted to what he saw as a "surreal" aspect of the Service: the balance of one day living the high life with the president and the next chasing counterfeiters through the slums of America.
and that's a good thing 'cause it gives teenagers these days an opportunity to see what the world was like before.After making the groundbreaking "The French Connection" in '71, William Friedkin had yet to make another slick cop movie....and he finally did that in '85....14 years later.
and dafoe even has the look of a heartless madman, and even looks like a freaking mannequin at some points in this movie.William Petersen, before his CSI days, shines as Richard Chance, the secret service agent who goes after Masters 'cause he killed his partner who was only 2 days away from retirement.
He's pretty devious for a law enforcement agent and an anti-hero who you might not sympathize with.The action and the thrills are top notch, especially the historical car chase that exceeds the ones in Bullitt and Friedkin's own; "The French Connection".
It features Chance and his new partner, Vulkovich, being chased by a couple bad guys and has cross the tracks before an incoming train and go on the wrong side of the freeway that'll keep you on the edge of your seat.There's some violence and some nudity in here, so it might not be suitable for kids, also, one more thing, the ending is gonna surprise you and this warning isn't going to be enough to save you, cause you will freak out by what happens.So, because of the LA Riots, LA cops have been forever branded as dirty and corrupt, *sigh* pretty sad, right?
There are three things going for this crime thriller: it's a great  in the sense, believable and well-constructed  story; for the time, it has an ordinary  in the sense, not top box-office stars  cast that produce star quality performances; and, of course, it's directed by William Friedkin, a director well known for constructing cinema designed to shock.The narrative  which I understand only barely resembles the story line of the novel  is a piece of nasty work in the form of the moral ambiguity that constantly arises when 'good' guys exceed their authority to do whatever it takes to bag the 'bad' guys.
Friedkin had already explored that in The French Connection (1971) but, at that time, he used a big star draw card with Gene Hackman, who, as Popeye Doyle, trod on a lot of toes and faces to do the job  and still managed to garner sympathy from this viewer, and many others, despite his excesses.That is not the case for Richard Chance (William Petersen), the T-man who'll do anything to get Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe) for murdering another T-man, Jim Hart (Michael Greene), Chance's partner in crime, so to speak.
This movie will make you laugh, but also keep you glued in your seat with good action, and in your face plot twists...the high powered synth heavy soundtrack by Wang Chung is AWESOME...this is a must for any action, crime drama, or general movie fan's collection.Rick Masters is also the GREATEST movie villain ever, and you will see why if you give this great flick a chance....
This is all somehow connected, but with the way it's presented, you won't care.Later in the film come shifting loyalties, the dilemma of Chance's new partner (Pankow), one genuinely cool twist (I'll let you be surprised), and, what you all came to see, the car chase!
What it's "really" about, first of all, is a man who lowers himself into hell and finds that he likes it there.Visually it's a beautifully composed and shot film (directed by William Friedkin, photography by Robby Muller) with a great sense of place and time; almost worth seeing for those elements alone.Some of the dialog, unfortunately, is brutal: "I'm gonna bag Masters, and I don't give a @%&% how I do it." Which is why more than any movie except Legend and Star Wars: Episode I, this one might be just as well enjoyed if the DVD had a music-only audio track.Even though none of the film music is as good as the title song.
And although he is shown as having a girlfriend, played by the very shapely Debra Feuer, that character is a male impersonator; revealed to be either lesbian or bisexual.It's suggested that she is making sport of him all along.(Her girlfriend, just as an aside, is played by a young Jane Leeves, later known for Frasier and before that Murphy Brown.) Even a scene cut from the original release but available on the DVD supports this reading of the film as being about men needing never to let their guards down, lest a soft side show.It features Petersen's partner, played by John Pankow (who probably never topped this in movies, but was good, and funny, on Mad About You on television).He tries to reconnect with his ex-wife when his world is falling apart, and is violently rejected.The character who I think most suits the lyrics of the title song is played by Darlanne Fluegel.
French Connection director William Friedkin gives us a tour of the city of L.A.'s worst spots as an obsessive cop (William Petersen in only his second role) goes after the dude (Willem Dafoe) who killed his partner.
It really doesn't get much grittier then this, this dark-spirited crime caper based on a true story follows U.S. Secret Service Agent/Badass Richard Chance (William Petersen) and his bloody and consistent pursuit to catch the counterfeiter (Willem Dafoe) who murdered his soon-to-be retired partner.
I'm fascinated with "To Live and Die in L.A."--not because it is a terrific movie, but simply because after watching it dozens of times, I still can't figure out the dynamics going on between the characters, especially Chance's partner, Vukuvich (John Pankow), and mob lawyer Grimes (Dean Stockwell).
The film is frantic and explosive, has a dizzying development and action, true scenes of anthology and fantastic performances, especially of William Petersen (I still do not understand why this actor did not become a star) and Willem Dafoe.
Willem Dafoe is the main "bad guy," playing it with a sort of laconic menace, no stretch for him.Peterson's "Chance's" total obsession in pursuing Dafoe seems over-the-top to a large degree, and it costs others a great deal along the way, including - in the big car chase - probably more auto accidents on the freeway than even L.
Although I'm neither a fan nor an expert regarding the genre of thrillers and chase movies -- and although I have never even seen "The French Connection" (!) -- I have seen "To Live and Die in L.A." five times since I bought the DVD a few weeks ago.
It's as if the movie's makers wanted to make a movie with a long car chase, some fighting, some guns, and some nudity, and didn't really care about how stupid and senseless the story was or which second-rate actors played the lead roles.I don't give it a 1 because Willem Dafoe is pretty good, as usual, but there wouldn't have been anything anyone could do to save this stinker with a cast and a screenplay and directing like this.
When my cousin gave me a copy of To Live And DIE IN LA BACK IN THE LATE EIGHTIES,I had never heard of it.But after watching it for the first twenty minutes i knew it was going to be real good.I really like the grittyness and realism of this movie and rick masters (willem dafoe)is my favorite all time bad guy in a movie,also even though i've read some comment's that the sound track by wang chung is dated,there's only ahand full of other movies i can think of that have a sound track that better fit's the movie.
Starring William Peterson and Willem Defoe this is a Los Angeles crime caper full of action (containing what many consider one of the greatest car chase sequences ever filmed) and underlying themes.
William Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA is an underrated action thriller which deserves more recognition, now that sufficient time has passed since its release.
William Friedkin's To Live and Die in LA is an underrated action thriller which deserves more recognition, now that sufficient time has passed since its release.
However director William Friedkin ("French connection") takes a cliché story and creates one of the most dark , realistic and surprising movies I have ever seen.
William Friedkin directed this exciting crime thriller that stars William Petersen as law enforcement officer Richard Chance,whose partner has just been killed by clever counterfeiter Eric Masters(played by Willem Dafoe).
While watching this chase, I was appalled by the action sequences and the great direction of William Friedkin, who also directed, The French Connection.
I didn't expect much from this film, but in the end, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. is a fun movie to watch and never misses.4 out of 5.
I first saw To Live and Die in L.A. in 1985, I think mostly because William Friedkin directed it, and Willem Dafoe was one of the stars.