To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

7.8

Complicated coppers chase a charming counterfeit in this lean thriller

Movie

United States of America

English, Spanish

Action, Crime, Thriller

1985

WILLIAM FRIEDKIN

Anne Betancourt, Bobby Bass, Brian Bradley

116 min

TLDR

Miami Vice, but less cheesy.

What it's about

A secret service agent will stop at nothing to avenge his partner, who was murdered by a counterfeiter at large.

The take

If I told you this was a crime thriller from the ‘80s, you’d probably conjure cheesy music, title cards, big hair, unearned machismo, and a Miami Vice-esque vibe. You wouldn’t be completely far off. To Live and Die in LA, directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) has some of those, but they don’t define the movie. Starring some familiar faces (including Willem Dafoe and John Turturo), the LA-set thriller is lean and fast-paced. While some films of the era might be padded with fillers to evoke machismo and cool, this one is primarily interested in the hunt and its complicated characters. It’s probably why it’s one of the few that have stood the test of time.

What stands out

Throwing out “groovy” and “far out” ages these guys way more than any mustache or wrinkle could.

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