Review of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) by Christopher L — 21 Aug 2004
Starring: William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, and Robert Downey.
Directed by William Friedkin.
Written by William Friedkin and Gerald Petievich.
Rated [b]R[/b] (for strong violence, sexuality, language and some drug content).
Running time approximately 1 hour 54 minutes.
William Friedkin is one of the most inconsistent directors in the business, creating masterpieces ([i]The Exorcist[/i], [i]The French Connection[/i], and this one) and complete bombs ([i]The Guardian[/i] and most recently [i]The Hunted[/i]) without warning. It's almost like you have to expect a mixed bag no matter what the buzz is telling you. Well, I trusted [i]Chicago Sun-Times[/i] critic Roger Ebert when I saw [i]To Live and Die in L.A.[/i], and I am very pleased to say that, once again, we have agreed on what is without a doubt a four-star film. Everything about this film is interesting, and the surprises are actually surprising and do not feel like cheats. Most will talk about the amazing car chase sequence, which is astonsihingly well done, but there is so much more to this film than the action sequences. Willem Dafoe creates a wicked villain out of Rick Masters, an artist-turned-conterfeiter who doesn't seem threatening until he has a gun in someone's mouth and blood dripping down his face. This is one of Friedkin's very best films. [b]**** (out of ****) A[/b].
This review of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) was written by Christopher L on 21 Aug 2004.
To Live and Die in L.A. has generally received very positive reviews.
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