@@reeltimegamer7708 not to change the subject,but I always remember Dennis Farina as Cousin Avi in Snatch. I've heard that Get Shorty is good. Never seen it though. Is Danny Devito in that? I FEEL like he is.
I don't understand how this movie wasn't a hit?! For me, it’s one of the best action movies in general. Real action, great choice of actors, one of the best car chases, soundtrack is amazing... It should be a far bigger hit.
It made 3 times it's money back. Problem was that the 80s were the era of black and white feel good flicks. Folks couldn't appreciate a bleak film like this back then
I remember seeing this WAY before I was old enough to. Seeing a main character get killed before the film was over and having another character take over as the main protagonist blew my mind. Still kinda does to this day.
Yeah and having Pankow's character give up his innocence and transform/surrender into Petersens's to the point of taking over his babe, truck and clothes !
I finally saw this film about ten years ago and that shot gun scene near the end, I almost crap my pants. Didn't see that coming at all, especially for an 80s action film. Definitely one of the best and underrated thrillers of that decade.
have it on DVD and watch it at least once a year. The great Roy Scheider and directed by Friedkin and it is still a cult hit? I don't get it. The entire supporting cast and setting is dead on perfect. When I watch it, I feel like I am in the movie. There is nothing to remind you that there is a camera, it is a story, and it is from Hollywood.
@@Redmenace96 lol, same here. I have it on hard disc. It's getting hard to find those classics on dvd and keep it affordable. Just the other day i tried to find 'Tin Men' by Barry Levinson.... i believe it would cost about 50 euros... i was baffled. It's getting quite expensive to grow a collection of classics.
I think this was possibly William Petersen's finest role. This movie seemed to define him as a star in my opinion, he's got it, whatever it is. Top notch acting across the board and a compelling pace that kept you engaged.
I agree. He was great in this as well as everything else I’ve seen him in. I especially liked him in Fear & Young Guns 2. Fun fact: Petersen was the original choice to play Sergeant Barnes in Platoon but he turned it down.
I think he does a little bit of over acting, because of that i don't think he's such a great actor but somehow it doesn't seem to really bother me much when watching him play. There's probably other actors of which the same thing could be said.... Some actors know they can only play themselves and aren't shy to admit. I would be more awestruck by John Torturro's work. Now there's a guy who can play characters. I actually think he's a bit underrated.
So, my deceased father was a Secret Service Agent, and I rented this movie for him and the family to see. He was severely pissed about how accurate they depicted the counterfeiting of money. People did say that the counterfeiting consultant was placed back in prison for violating his parole to make this movie.
Yeah they had a lot of issues with the counterfeiting sequence in this movie. Friedkin talks about it in the DVD (or Blu-Ray) I can't remember which. There were some parts that they filmed that they had to remove because the SS told them that they could not show them in the movie. I think they had a problem with the "movie money" that they were using too. "Movie money" has to have a noticeable difference from actual currency. Friedkin did not want to use "movie money" and made it look like actual currency, and that's a big no no. The movie just shows the off-set aspect of the printing process, intaglio printing is the part that actually impregnates the currency and gives it that "real money" look.
Young Petersen was insanely charismatic and intense. Mesmerizing, one of the hottest actors ever IMO, and so talented. Sexiness isn't about looks, it's about overall confidence, charisma--he's got it in spades.
I think it's the greatest movie in history. I can't fault it. Casting. And the rest. An impeccable film in every sense. Score. Cutting. I like my films and I simply cannot crib about this film in any way. It saddens me that more people aren't aware of its presence. Love love love this film.
Not trying to be pretentious but in this case i gotta say: "watch the original!" "Le Salaire de la peur" (The Wages of Fear) is an incredible good movie and is still absolutely worth watching even nearly 70 years after being created!
@@richtifilmpalast5373 Sorcerer is superior to Wages of Fear. I am not saying Wages is bad. It is good. But it lacks the atmosphere, the feeling of out right despair of Sorcerer. The decision to add the opening vignettes was a brilliant choice on the part of Friedkin. In Wages, with the exception of Luigi, the men are just bums looking to scam the system. In Sorcerer they are truly desperate. Mario actually seemed to be living quite well, that was not the case in Sorcerer.
The French Connection, To Live and Die LA, and The Hunted. A trio of films directed by William Friedkin that feature some of the best car chases in film history.
@@matthewdaley746 The irony of The Hunted is that it's the closest we will ever get to a loyal adaptation of David Morrell's First Blood. The Stallone films turned Rambo into an audience friendly action hero.
This is a very welcome reminder of just how good this film is. I remember seeing this at Cinema City in Norwich in 1986 and was blown away by it. Deeply conflicted characters, fine acting, superb action scenes, no light relief plus the Wang Chung soundtrack is a bit special. One of the great films of the 1980's.
I really liked this movie. You spend the whole movie following, identifying with and loving William Petersen's character, and then he gets blanked at the end. So unexpected and shocking. I haven't seen the movie in 20+ years but that scene still resonates with me today.
You failed to mention a then unknown John Turturro, who gave a terrific performance as a drug mule who gets caught at the airport by Petersens caracter. I saw this movie in the theater and loved it.
Great film, had the pleasure of attending a Q&A with William Friedkin after a Killer Joe screening and despite his rather crazy reputation, was an absolute gent and gave some really cool anecdotes about To Live & Die in LA in particular.
So I read that they got an actual counterfeiter to consult, and they did in that scene actually makes them bills that were quite convincing. Supposedly copies were still floating around in LA for about 10 years afterwards.
One of my favorite scenes too. Supposedly he had to cut some bits out because the Treasury dept was furious he was showing the process in such detail; but it really shows that Dafoe's work is just beyond anyone else. I also love the little bit where Dafoe is giving one of his distributors grief about getting some of it back and he stops him and asks what's the big deal - it's just paper, and I think it's the only time Dafoe genuinely laughs in the film because the guy is right. To him, it's his true art, but to them it is just printed paper.
The Wang Chung music placed the viewer in the mindset of both the William Petersen and William Dafoe. Men who did not see beyond the future and were doomed to self destruction.
Hey there, This is fantastic. I love this movie very much, and I saw it in the theatre. "Dance Hall Days" came out in '83. Friedkin liked the album Points On The Curve very much and asked the band to score the soundtrack. The Soundtrack was released in 1985, and it remains a classic. I am a huge Wang Chung fan, and just so it is known, the music was in between Dance Hall Days ('83) and Everybody Have Fun Tonight ('87).
that first sequence of dafoe making the money is my favorite in the entire film. we know who he is and the world he works in without having to have dialogue.
I am 4th gen LA and what pops is the look, light and location work. It is the City I grew up in, not the whitewash version glammed up so often. Beautifully photographed and produced...
I saw this already in the mid-80:s in Finland. Have it on DVD and have watched it several more times since. On top of everything else some of the best things about this movie is the footage of the box Impala and all the R-body Mopars. Wish I could see more of the latter. Great movie for sure!
Every few months or so I’ll come back to this video because it was the moment I first heard about this movie and ever since then it’s been one of my all time favorites. Thank you for one of the best recommendations ever
Speaking of William Petersen, Manhunter is also a great movie you'd probably never saw. It was Michael Man's first feature film and it was about Hannibal Lecter.
I saw Willem Defoe recently on that new Netflix movie “The Florida Project” and as soon as I saw him my mind instantly went back to this movie I watched on HBO way back in the ‘80s when cable tv was new to the world. I thought this flick back then was so kick ass and must have watched it a dozen times while it was being featured. I wish it was streaming now - I would pay to watch it again. Thanks for the video reminders on how awesome this movie was❤
Saw it tonight in a packed cinema here in London, it was sold out. Incredible! Cannot believe I had not seen it until now. So much packed into this movie, which is also hilarious at many points. A must see!
Criminally underrated movie.I had seen a few other Friedken movies but this was a welcome surprise. Great soundtrack and ambiguity, you never really feel sure if things are going to go to plan.
Agreed. If you really want a great double feature, try this film backed up with Manhunter. This film features Bill Peterson in the lead role with Brian Cox as (the best IMO) Hannibal Lecter. This is one of Friedkins' best movies. I put it up there with The French Connection.
@@unclepatrick2 I wouldnt call it a remake though, because both movies have different themes. Wages of fear was a book first. So you could say both movies are adaptations of the book.
I had a Ferrari 308GTS and the tape was constantly on while I cruised in the 80's. There was a black 308GTS in the movie. Yes, the popup headlights shake just like when he left the print facility that night in the desert.
Can’t count how many towns me and my buddy watched this on VHS in the eighties....great movie, great actors, great soundtrack! It was eerie, when I finally re-connected with him a few years back we watched and realized the last time we’d both seen it was when we were fourteen and watched it together!
I've loved this movie since seeing it in the 90's, and recently purchased the 4k disc of it. I agree with the others about the great soundtrack. Awesome movie.
I love this part where Chance is driving to the informant's house and the track Lullaby transitions from verse to chorus as he enters the house. It's perfect.
This a legendary 80’s movie, one of the best of an era that were making legendary movies by the hundreds ! 80’s were the golden era for iconic and most legendary classics films ever ! This one of the best films ever , I used to watch it all the time, another classic similar style film is “ Bounty Hunter “ with Robert DeNiro !
Just rewatched this in the wake of Friedkin's death and it still mesmerizes. Just a masterful mix of 80s excess with that bleak Friedkin cynicism. And the ending is still as shocking as the first time I watched it 30 years ago.
William Peterson doing his own stunt work in this film had to be in great shape at the time. This and Sorcerer among my Friedkin favorites to go along with his other more popular hits, Exorcist, French Connection. Jade was another film of his that I like that I feel was underrated.
Just saw it and it’s absolutely badass. Not only the really good car chase but the exceptional writing and performances which are pure testosterone and the filth of the city infesting every frame
I've practically memorized this film. You can't have an 80s action film like this without those of the 70s (e.g., this vs The Seven-Ups), etc. Each decade owes its predecessors, even if novel.
I went the theater to see it in 1984, when I was seventeen. Have never forgotten it. When Chance got shot in the face, I was blown away too! LOL! Even at that young age, I’d seen enough cops& robbers movies to know what a unique and original film To Live and Die in LA was…
All time favourite! Not best, but fav. I remember watching this on the big screen in 1985, in disbelief at what Friedkin had gotten away with. A studio movie without a single redeemable soul. Still amazes me!
Watched it many times while working on a graphic novel in 2017-8. Peterson is intense, and Pankow is a great partner. That car chase is epic. Never bettered.
This movie is vastly underrated. The acting is terrific, the action scenes are expertly filmed (especially the freeway chase) & a real good subversion of which hero makes it 😉
This isn't just a great movie. It's one of the best movies made in the entire decade of the 80's. It has aged extremely well and even the 80's soundtrack is fantastic (including the title track). Best car chase of all time. Super stressful!!
Well I saw it years ago on C4. Peterson explodes off the screen with the sort of physical energy that most actors would kill for. During the car chase I nearly fell out of my chair when the car crossed in front of the train! I can't believe they did that. Mueller's photography is sensational. Worth getting on Blu ray.
I saw this masterpiece when I was 12 when it came out. It has remained my fav crime drama of all time. Along with the soundtrack. Wang Chung put that soundtrack together in two weeks!
I've seen this movie about 20 times since it released; an instant classic in my opinion. I like the Wang Chung soundtrack instead of mixed artists from the 1980''s and from the opening I'm drawn back in time. The movie has such great ambiance, action, and actors. Your review is 100%
"To Live and Die in L.A." is a fantastic film by master William Friedkin. Everything came together perfectly in this film: Friedkin's brilliant direction, the immensely talented cast unknown to the general public at the time (Willem Dafoe, William Petersen...), Robby Miller's brilliant cinematography (who worked for many years with another master, the German Wim Wenders) and this excellent soundtrack by Wang Chung. "To Live and Die in L.A." is, without a doubt, a classic by master William Friedkin, who left us a few days ago, but whose work is brilliant and timeless. Thanks, Master Friedkin the Irascible!
I saw it on video right after VCRs became popular. I would have never thought to watch it, but my brother wanted to rent it. I am glad he did because To Live and Die in LA is a great movie.
Having been an LA resident at the time, I saw this in the theater and was satisfied and impressed. I didn't really follow directors at the time so finding out about Friedkin's pedigree was great. To Live and Die in LA is unique, because there's not many films about the enforcement arm of the US Treasury.
I loved this movie, it just had the balls to *Go There* in a big bold way. Also the title track is written from the point of view of his informant who is trapped in this world by Peterson, and then later by Pankow.
I saw this in-theatre at a preview presented by Chicago radio station WXRT. Everyone in that theatre was totally blown-away and couldn't wait to tell their circle of the awesomeness they'd just witnessed. Amazing film, one of the first I bought in Beta, then again in VHS, then again when DVDs came out. It's definitely a keeper and Chicago actor William Petersen is incredible in it.
I will say it until I die: this is the best English-language film of 1985. I rank Brazil a very close second. A great movie in a packed year of above average movies.
The point is, if you can’t come up with the front money... you ain’t for real. How many times I came home from a night out and put this on to quote the night away.
Clouzot's "Wages of Fear" is a classic, great movie indeed. Though in Friedkin's remake I feel the spirit of cinema of the 70s, especially in the first act where we see the background of each character. The episodes in Jerusalem and especially in Paris are fascinating.
@@Scotkhuncap I saw manhunter long before silence of the lambs and I like the movie for the hunt for the killer. the few words said by Brian Cox as Lecktor are enough to know that this guy can get into your head even behind bars and still almost gets Will even in jail just by a phone call. Thats enough to know how smart Lecktor is and that is better than him just going rampage to see how brutal he is, in my opinion. I like silence of the lambs but you almost forget they are out to catch a killer as he seems secondary compared to the killer in manhunter and I always thought the more evil guy got away and this other mixed up not so intelligent killer is killed rightly so but at a price which seems worse. it ends with this very intelligent evil man just strolling away at the end away to go kill the doctor which your obviously meant to hate and thats a bit confusing as your thinking, well they caught that nutter but now that even more dangerous guy is on the loose.
Frankly To Live and Die in LA is one of William Friedkin's best films. Well made action film with nicely framed scenes and kinetic action sequences such as the footchase scene in the airport and the car chase in LA freeways backwards. Also it was a tough but slick feature populated with a main character who is a ruthless , risk taking another. Well worth seeing.
For once I can say I've heard of this movie and I'm a huge fan of it! I rented it back in the day and really didn't like it that much, but there was something about it that called me back. One of my favorite crime dramas now.
When I first watched this on VHS in the latter half of the 1980s the sudden fate of the "action hero lead" absolutely floored me like no other film has done since.
@@matthewdaley746 you are right. The 1st time on “to Live and Die” I remember going for a few minutes expecting to be made whole with a Deus Ex Machina.... and waited... and waIted.... 😂
@@siulanainad Thank You, the fact that the villain loses, and, we get a downer ending, anyway, made it vastly different, than normal fare, previously available.
I first saw this movie about 10 years ago flipping channels. I stopped what I was doing and watched the rest of the movie. I think by the next day I had ordered the DVD. It's such a great movie for so many reasons. I'll always have a bias about that since it's one of my top 5. I was pleasantly surprised to find out Friedkin directed it, as my dad introduced me to The French Connection early on, and that movie is a favorite of mine as well.
One of the few examples of a movie being better than the book. William Friedkin specifically instructed Wang Chung NOT to write a theme song with lyrics to the movie. They did anyway, and when they played it for Friedkin, he went and filmed an opening scene to go with it.
This is my favourite cop film. I discovered it about 15 years ago. William Peterson is amazing in it. Clearly you can see how it influenced such films as Lethal Weapon. The main protagonist's intensity, his partner days off from retirement. Even (possibly?) Coining the phrase 'i'm too old for this shit'. Just blew my mind that it went under my radar for so long.
