Review of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) by Brook K — 19 Feb 2010

Solid actioner from Friedkin with tight cops (or in this case secret service agents) & robbers drama and a darker than usual approach to the material. William Petersen is effective as the agent out to avenge his murdered partner while Willem Dafoe makes for a terrific bad guy, giving his character both intelligence and a brutal, psycho-sexual edge, in using his wits and intimidation to stay one step ahead of the feds. Has a memorable finale, though I found the ending unbelievable due to a miscast John Pankow.

However, on the debit side we have a relentlessly 80's shooting, lighting and editing style, average at best dialogue, and a now unintentionally hilarious soundtrack/score by Wang Chung that dates the movie badly and takes it down a notch or two.