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To Live and Die In LA (1985)

post #1 of 23
5/9/08 at 11:50pm
Thread Starter 
Just watched this for the first time, and I'm kind of conflicted about it. The first half of the film is very heavy on 80s cliche ('too old for this shit', partner retiring in a few days, wild young cop, garish credits, very 80s score), but by the time it hits the one hour mark it gets noticeably better, and loses a lot of the cliche.

Willem Dafoe is as solid as ever, and I was pretty surprised by Petersen's turn. I wasn't expecting anything from him (I honestly didn't know he was in it, even though his name is right on the DVD cover) but when the final locker scene hit, it was damn jarring. I'm not the most familiar person with Friedkin's work, but I know the chase in French Connection, and the chase here works almost as well.

And I still can't wrap my head around a Wang Chung scored movie by Friedkin.
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post #2 of 23
5/10/08 at 12:00am
Completely agree that it gets better as it goes on. That chase is phenomenal and the shocker at the end had even my jaded jaw on the floor (thankfully I hadn't bothered to read the blurb on the Netflix envelope that trumpets the shocking ending). Dafoe is Dafoe, which is to say incapable of not giving it his all, and his demise is wonderfully over-the-top.
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post #3 of 23
5/10/08 at 7:07pm
This is one of those 80's flicks, like THIEF, NIGHTHAWKS, & 52 PICK-Up, that manages to be slick and gritty at the same time. You wouldn't thing a Wang Chung sdtrk. would work, but somehow it does. I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but that car chase is all kinds of kickass! And, yeah, DaFoe is DaFoe; a delirious treat.
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post #4 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:00pm
You could pair this with Repo Man and Fletch and have yourself a nice look at mid 80s Los Angeles.
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post #5 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:04pm
I completely agree. The last half is a very solid cop movie. But the first half is not only mired in cliche, but absolutely drowns in its modern style. Twenty years later, it looks and sounds like a dinosaur. Add in the unbelievably annoying Wang Chung score, and in the final balance, I don't think it comes out with its head above water.
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post #6 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:07pm
What's really interesting is that if you read the book, the POV is from Hart. Chance's partner and Chance is far more reckless then he appears in the movie.
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post #7 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:15pm
Have the dvd, and the Wang Chung soundtrack. It's a pretty good flick, and is definitely cut from the Miami Vice cloth.

The surprise death is really something, and the alternate ending that was studio imposed was rightfully discarded. There was no other way to end this movie, then with the original ending.
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post #8 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg David View Post
I completely agree. The last half is a very solid cop movie. But the first half is not only mired in cliche, but absolutely drowns in its modern style. Twenty years later, it looks and sounds like a dinosaur. Add in the unbelievably annoying Wang Chung score, and in the final balance, I don't think it comes out with its head above water.
No offense, but I hate when people criticize a movie & call it dated because it embraced the aesthetic of the times. The movie feels 80's-ish in the same way BULLIT feels 60's-ish. A movie's either good or it isn't.
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post #9 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:26pm
It's one thing to matter-of-factly contain the styles of the times simply because that's what's around. It's another thing entirely to make a point of draping a film in up-to-the-minute style. In this film, the style wasn't incidental, it was a front-and-center part of the movie's being. It's not like I'm saying that King Kong was bad because the fashions in the New York sequences are out of date.
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post #10 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:35pm
I was pretty surprised by Petersen's peter.
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post #11 of 23
5/10/08 at 10:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg David View Post
It's one thing to matter-of-factly contain the styles of the times simply because that's what's around. It's another thing entirely to make a point of draping a film in up-to-the-minute style. In this film, the style wasn't incidental, it was a front-and-center part of the movie's being. It's not like I'm saying that King Kong was bad because the fashions in the New York sequences are out of date.
I get what you're sayin'. I guess I feel the style enhances the coked out vibe of the film. I haven't seen it in a while, maybe I'm looking past it's faults & only remembering the effectiveness.
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post #12 of 23
5/10/08 at 11:54pm
Here's the Wang Chung Music Video. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBVxvFxRClM
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post #13 of 23
5/11/08 at 12:10am
Everybody have fun tonight! Everybody Wang Chung tonight!!!
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post #14 of 23
5/11/08 at 3:21pm
This is one of my favorites of all-time. The 80s feel contributes a lot to my enjoyment of it. It's basically the FRENCH CONNECTION in 1985. Between this and MANHUNTER, Peterson should have been a big star before CSI. John Pankow was also great in this one.
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post #15 of 23
5/11/08 at 3:33pm
Also, this has to be one of the darkest, balls-out studio picture ever! No way this gets through today!
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post #16 of 23
5/11/08 at 3:46pm
If you check out the DVD extras, you can watch the alternate ending where Chance basically gets shot in the gut and survives. It would have been such a cop-out and I'm glad the studio didn't have their way.
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post #17 of 23
5/11/08 at 8:34pm
Love this movie. John Pankow is the glue that holds it together, he doesn't get enough praise when talking about this one. Loved Steve James bit as well, wish his character had gotten more screen time.

I disagree about the first half being a waste, though. I think the over the top 80's cop bit was more about pushing the 80's alpha male archetype all the way, and then over the edge. Petersen's Chance isn't really a likable character, in fact the way he treats Darlanne Fluegel is downright despicable. Coming in an era in which out and out sociopathic action heroes were celebrated, watching this complex character in action was fairly liberating.
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post #18 of 23
5/12/08 at 12:30am
I agree with Keith. Also if you look closely at the beginning, you see that the usual cliches (risk taking super cop and partner about to retire) are spun up a bit. Chance does not have the heart of gold, instead he is a big asshole only looking for the next thrill. A more realistic take on the usual stereotype. Also his about to retire partner, sure looked like he was trying to score himself some nice retirement cash. He did not look like he was 'just checking something out', it looked like he thought he was going to nab some funny money for himself. It of course backfired on him. Again a more interesting spin on the normal convention of the time. The whole movie is like a typical 80's cop movie through a dark, bitter lens.
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post #19 of 23
5/12/08 at 1:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saint G View Post
Chance does not have the heart of gold, instead he is a big asshole only looking for the next thrill.
Exactly, and perfectly summarized in the movie when he starts racing down one-way highway in the wrong direction and we get that quick shot of him bungee-jumping. I understand the complaints about the style, but I think they actually compliment the movie. It's the 80's and everything (even law enforcement) is about surface life style and cheap thrills. These are probably two of the worst cops ever featured on film...and the villain is actually MUCH more sympathetic! What seems like 80's cliches are actually totally spun on their head by the time the movies over.
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post #20 of 23
5/12/08 at 1:38am
It's also worth noting that Robert Downey, Sr. played Chance's boss.
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post #21 of 23
5/12/08 at 3:59pm
I agree with whats being said, but remember it was enough a copy for Michael Mann to bring a lawsuit, which in retrospect is rather silly. I re watch Manhunter more often, but do own this on DVD.
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post #22 of 23
7/22/10 at 2:38am
What's the point of the pre-credits sequence? I don't know what that's supposed to add to the film.

The car chase here is pretty much on the level of French Connection, and is definitely the high-point of the film.
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post #23 of 23
7/25/10 at 2:42pm
I haven't watched To Live and Die in LA in a while, but I liked it. I thought Petersen and Dafoe were great. I might have to watch this again sometime.
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