Review of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) by Michael T — 28 May 2008
William L. Peterson is now the star of TV's CSI but back in 1985 he was cast as a somewhat amoral U.S. Secret Service agent out to nail the counterfeiter who killed his partner (the always great Willem Dafoe).
The movie was not terribly successful at the box office but did well on VHS and cable. It is not as good as William Friedkin's THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971) but since Friedkin also directed this film, the two movies are often compared.
The look of the film was very influential on neo-Noir films set in L.A., a grainy sun-drenched smoggy look which adds an air of menace to the palm trees and beach houses. The chase scene is worth the price of admission.
The soundtrack is by Wang Chung, who had a string of pop hits in the mid-eighties and were billed as New Wave when they first appeared in 1984. They were last on the charts in early 1987, by which time no one was using the label "New Wave" anymore.
This review of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) was written by Michael T on 28 May 2008.
To Live and Die in L.A. has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
