Review of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) by Thomas B — 04 May 2018

****.

There's no denying that 'To Live and Die in L.A.' has its problems. It feels quite dated at times, the plot is very derivative and the characters are a little, well, empty. That being said, I still enjoyed the hell out of this movie, largely thanks to the excellent score, beautiful cinematography and great direction from Friedkin. The first half was a little slow, but by the time you reach half way the film changes up a gear and becomes a non-stop thrill ride from then on. Of particular note is a car chase which probably goes on for about 20 minutes, yet never drags. Quite the opposite actually - it's probably one of the best car chases of the '80s. Overall, my best advice would be not to go into this movie expecting a masterpiece. I was kind of hoping it would have had a bit more depth, and a more interesting story. Nonetheless, I was definitely entertained, and as pure genre cinema, it doesn't get much better than this.