Review of To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) by Juan C — 04 Jun 2011

A great set of cast and characters fill this neo-noir in a grim and nihilistic portrayal of Los Angeles. William Peterson is fantastic as the cop that at first glance appears to have some semblance of moral fibre but soon becomes a rogue. It is a shame that after this and Manhunter he seemed to fade away completely. Willem Dafoe is also great as the counterfeiter who has an artistic background. He has a sinister confidence to himself and easily wins the verbal joust between himself and Peterson.

The plot bounces all over the place and it is only late in the film that the arcs begin to converge. A level of humour helps keep the film entertaining and it never has to delve into a character born to fulfil comic relief. The scene at the airport toilet is particularly memorable with multiple people having guns on each other, and one guy who just really wants to use the bathroom. Then there are the zingers, âIf you want bread, fuck a bakerâ? foreshadowing âIf you are looking for a pigeon, go to the parkâ?.

Sexuality is also abound in the Friedkin film. Petersonâ(TM)s relationship with the lead female is a highlight as he uses his powers to control their relationship. He uses smooth moves in changing the radio station before the sex scene. Then there are the odd scenes with Dafoe kissing a man and the lesbian angle. Fire is also used as a motif, starting with Dafoe burning a painting, burning his counterfitted money, and then finally burning himself.

Killing off the protagonist before the denouement is also extremely uncommon because it distances the audience from the story. Of recent times this has occurred in The Departed and to some degree in eXistenZ. It does provide a twist and is unexpected and brutal but only serves to push the film in an ungainly direction. The idea of the good cop relenting to corruption is completely out of character and handled poorly.