Friedkin returns to the streets with ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’

TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

By winning the Oscar for “The French Connection” in 1971 and following it two years later with “The Exorcist,” William Friedkin made a name for himself as one of the best, most successful young film directors of his time.

Then came a string of misses. A long string of misses. In fact, Friedkin’s spotty career has produced a host of disasters that include the killer tree film “The Guardian” and a so-so cable television remake of “12 Angry Men.”

Friedkin recently finished his first film in five years, “Killer Joe,” set for release later this year; the film is about a man in debt who decides to kill his mother for the insurance. With a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsh, Friedkin hopefully will regain his voice.

Until then, you have go back almost 26 years to find the last great film Friedkin directed. “To Live and Die in L.A.” hit movie screens in November 1985 – the first Friedkin crime drama since “The French Connection.” While the action this time is on the West Coast, “To Live and Die in L.A.” is just as riveting and exciting.

William L. Petersen, who most recently starred on the TV drama “CSI,” heads the cast as Richard Chance, a renegade Secret Service agent with the U.S. Treasury Department assigned to Los Angeles as a counterfeit investigator.

Chance and his new partner, John Vukovic, played by John Pankow, spend much of the film going after Rick Masters, an expert counterfeiter played by Willem Dafoe. Vukovic loves to follow the book, but Chance is reckless and often uses unethical practices.

While the film’s plot doesn’t involve the drug trade like “The French Connection,” the world of counterfeiting proves just as dangerous, just as lethal and just as exciting. The film allows Friedkin to explore ethical issues raised by Chance, a character just as obsessed with his villainous rival as was “Popeye” Doyle in “The French Connection.”

WILLIAM L. PETERSEN

“To Live and Die in L.A.” even features its own breathless chase sequence. But instead of involving the subway like “The French Connection,” this chase finds Chance and Vukovic going after their prey by heading the wrong way on the interstate.

This is one of the best chase scenes ever put on film, partly because it is so well staged and partly because the sequences leading up to it are so tense. The chase scene, which was shot over six weeks, also serves to move the plot forward.

“To Live and Die in L.A.” is based on the book of the same name by Gerald Petievich, a former Secret Service agent. Petievich and Friedkin worked together on the film’s screenplay, turning it into a tight, well-written movie that features believable characters with depth.

The two men teamed again on the routine 1986 television movie “C.A.T. Squad” and its 1988 sequel “C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf.” Both were unremarkable and unmemorable.

For the film’s music, Friedkin hired popular band Wang Chung. The synthesizer-driven soundtrack plays a lot like the New Wave music that dominated mid-1980s radio. Wang Chung also had a sizable hit with the film’s title song.

In the end, “To Live and Die in L.A.” is Friedkin at his finest. Almost 26 years after it played in theaters, the film holds up and retains its power remarkably well.

Sadly, Friedkin has not returned to the police genre since “To Live and Die in L.A.” Instead, he has filmed such duds as “Blue Chips,” “Jade,” and “The Hunted.” Only “Bug,” a creepy film about meth addiction, has come close to the level of success and artistry he experienced early in his career.

“To Live and Die in L.A.” is available for rent or purchase on DVD or Blu-ray high definition disc. Click here to purchase the special edition Blu-ray or click here to purchase the special edition DVD both from Amazon.com. The film is rated R for violence, profanity and nudity.









# # #