When I saw "To Live and Die in L.A." in the 1980s, I was struck by its worldliness, its style, its sexual energy, and its shocker of an ending. It was immediately one of my favorite films of the decade. I recently watched the film again to see if it withstood the test of time. And I was a little surprised to find that "To Live and Die in L.A." is still one of the most complex and cynical neo-noir films, 20 years after it was made. The film was based on the novel "To Live and Die in L.A." by former Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich and adapted for the screen by Petievich and director William Friedkin, the creative force behind the previous decade's "The Exorcist" and "The French Connection". At the risk of being blasphemous, I have always found "To Live and Die in L.A." more memorable than "The French Connection", which is why I was tempted to see it again.

When his partner is killed while tracking down a notorious counterfeiter, hotshot Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) vows to nail the killer at any cost. The counterfeiter is Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), a promising abstract expressionist painter and cunning criminal. Together with his new straight-arrow but spineless partner John Vukovich (John Pankow), Chance tries surveillance, extortion, and subterfuge to incriminate Masters, but Masters is always one step ahead of him. Chance resorts to stealing funds for an undercover operation, and even the corrupt interplay of cops and criminals begins to unravel.

Director William Friedkin wanted a cast of virtual unknowns, and maybe that's why "To Live and Die in L.A."'s box office receipts didn't reflect its quality. More likely, the world of 1985 wasn't in the mood for a film in which everything is counterfeit: the money, the relationships, the cops, the criminals. Nothing is what it pretends to be. But Friedkin can hardly be faulted for choosing an excellent cast. This was William Petersen's first major film role, and I can't help but think that, together with 1986's "Manhunter", it would have made him a big star had it been made a few years later. Both films were ahead of their time. Not because they were better than other films being made in the mid-1980s -although it happens that they were- but that their themes were simply not timed to coincide with what audiences wanted at that moment. In any case, Petersen gets credit for generating the energy that keeps this story moving. John Pankow gets credit for being the human expression of a world falling apart, through whom we sense the chaos. William Friedkin gets credit for the fantastic counterfeiting sequence and the creative decisions in story, music, and cinematography -including the gutsy ending- that make "To Live and Die in L.A." exceptional. This is a must-see for fans of neo-noir.

The DVD (2004 Special Edition from MGM): There is a nice package of bonus features on the Special Edition disc, including a making-of documentary, an alternate ending, a deleted scene, a photo gallery, and an audio commentary. "Counterfeit World" (30 minutes) is a documentary about making the film that features modern interviews with director William Friedkin, the film's cast, and some principle crew, as well as a bit of on-set footage. Definitely worth seeing if you like the film. You can see the Alternate Ending (5 minutes) and Deleted Scene (4 minutes) with or without introductory featurettes. I recommend viewing the featurettes, so you'll understand what you're watching. The alternate ending was made at the request of the producers and is truly horrible. The "Stills Gallery" is a slideshow of stills and on-set photos. The audio commentary by director William Friedkin is worthwhile. It's not a scene-by-scene analysis, but comments on filming, story, casting, music, cinematography, and various interesting tidbits. Subtitles are available for the film in English, French, and Spanish. Dubbing is available in French and Spanish.

If you're reading this, you've probably seen the movie--I'm not sensing a lot of people here who searched for this film.

So to the point: this movie will always remain in my mind for, first and foremost, its ending. Never before in a film had I seen the story line go the way this one did (those of you who've seen it know what I'm talking about). I was literally slack-jawed when all that went down... I just couldn't believe it.

Anyway, to the point, DVD owners: what's cool about owning it on DVD? First and foremost, the movie holds up. The Wang Chung soundtrack doesn't sound dated--it sounds like they created it in their own little timeless universe. Nobody really sounded like them anyway, and they didn't sound like anybody.

The story is a blast and what a rush to see before-they-were-famous performances from Petersen, Dafoe and John Turturro. They're all household names now, but at this point they were literally unknown.

The sound and the print are great; and the car chase is an all-time classic. Somebody here dissed it in comparison to the Matrix Reloaded--which is bunk, because 70% of that chase (although it's awesome) was CGI. This was actually done for real.

But what really makes the DVD awesome are the extras--the making-of short is a must-see, and it's a kick to see interviews with the original cast members, who obviously enjoyed being in this movie. There's a present-day CSI William Petersen reflecting fondly on the shoot, along with Willem Dafoe.

But the biggest kick of all is the alternate ending shot for the film, when the studio balked at the original (and final) ending--OMG, how ridiculous. The actors literally seem to be smirking through the scene, knowing how absurd it is. Thank the Lord the director never took it seriously.

Friedkin's commentary is very entertaining, if sometimes rambling. He doesn't necessarily dissect the movie scene-by-scene, but rather offers a general, overall philosophy of film making. What's also interesting in retrospect is that apparently this film didn't do to well at the box office; to me it's an easy Top 10, but on the other hand it would be hard to market a film which is not easily explainable in 25 words or less.

To own or not to own on DVD? The answer is: yes.

"To Live and Die in L.A." is one of those films I heard a lot about when it first came out, heard even more about in the intervening years, yet only recently got around to watching. Friends praised this film directed by William Friedkin as one of the coolest crime thrillers to ever hit the big screen. Friends whose opinion I greatly value when it comes to films said the same thing. Obviously, I thought, I've got to find some time to include this one in my to see list. After all, there is nothing like a great shoot 'em up film loaded with tons of car chases, violent killings, and do or die macho dialogue to help decrease high stress levels. Give me Charles Bronson sweeping through a gang of punks like he's the Angel of Death, Chuck Norris mowing down the baddies, or none other than Arnie Schwarzenegger dealing out doom to worthy recipients and I'm a happy camper. Let 'em use bullets, grenades, heavy artillery, hand to hand techniques, water, fire, missiles, swords, knives, ropes, whatever--anything that will do in the various enemies they encounter during the course of the film. You can probably tell I'm not that demanding when it comes to this genre.

Occasionally I am demanding, however, as in the case of "To Live and Die in L.A." It's the story of a Secret Service agent by the name of Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) who moves over to a new position in the Treasury department after he thwarts an assassination attempt on the president. His new job involves hunting down a most interesting criminal, a master counterfeiter by the name of Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe). This guy spends a lot of his time painting elaborate works of art and then burning them outside his house. He fills the rest of his hours running off thousands of sheets of money out in a warehouse in the desert. He's good, the best that there is, and the feds have been trying to shut his operation down for years. Chance's involvement becomes personal after his partner, a man very close to retirement, decides to launch a solo investigation of the warehouse only to meet his doom at the hands of Masters. Now Agent Chance will do anything in his power, both inside and outside the law, to bring the counterfeiter to justice. It won't be easy, however, since Masters is an absolutely ruthless thug who kills anyone--be it law enforcement officers, associates, or underlings--who gets in his way. Got a great idea for double-crossing Eric Masters? Forget about it; he will find out and pay a most painful visit to sort things out.

Chance soon gets another partner, the rather uptight John Vukovich (John Pankow), and the two start gunning for Masters with a vengeance. The agents shake up one of Masters's underlings, a guy named Carl Cody (John Turturro), in an attempt to make him turn snitch. They also set up a stakeout on a chap known to be one of Eric's best customers. In both instances, the feds botch the job. In order to get Carl Cody released from prison and into the custody of the Treasury Department, Chance had to convince a grouchy judge that signing a release order would help nab Masters. Unfortunately, Cody beats Chance to a bloody pulp and runs off at the first opportunity. The stakeout goes south when Masters manages to sneak past the prying eyes of Chance and Vukovich, kill the guy under surveillance, and escape without a scratch. These failures and the steadfast refusal of Treasury Department superiors to authorize a large cash payout to sting Masters leads Chance to take steps beyond the law. I won't spoil the ins and outs of how Agent Chance and the increasingly guilt ridden Vukovich procure the money, but the killings and resulting car chase form the most memorable aspects of "To Live and Die in L.A." So does the ending, which truly turns the action genre on its head.

I want to say I loved this movie. It does have great things going for it, including solid performances from Petersen, Pankow, Turturro, Dafoe, and Dean Stockwell as a sleazy attorney. It's also incredibly nuanced for an action film, with lots of twists and turns that you'll never see coming and characters that possess both good and bad traits. The action sequences grab the eye, especially the two scenes where characters take a shotgun blast to the face--surprisingly, the camera doesn't pull away when this occurs. What prohibits me from professing total adoration for "To Live and Die in L.A."? First, the car chase didn't impress me. I'm sure that it took forever to stage this sequence, and I have no doubt that it looked impressive back in 1985, but so many films made since have elevated chase scenes far beyond what we see here. Second, I could never get my mind around the Treasury Department's refusal to authorize more money for the sting that would reel in Masters. Here's a criminal responsible for the death of a federal agent, a guy churning out hundreds of thousands of sheets of top notch funny money, and the feds don't want to cough up a few bucks to catch him? Nope, I'm not buying it.

The DVD contains several extras, including a commentary with Friedkin, a making of feature, and deleted scenes and an alternate ending. Kudos to the director for sticking to his guns and insisting the studio keep the original ending intact. The alternate conclusion is so ridiculous that had the film initially used it, it's highly likely that "To Live and Die in L.A." would not have the following it has today. An enjoyable film, one that is highly evocative of the 1980s, "To Live and Die in L.A." is well worth watching. It's just not the masterpiece many make it out to be.

This movie was co-scripted by Gerald Petievich -who wrote the original novel on which it is based ,and this is a great plus point in the movie's favour as it helps in preventing a dilution of the message in the book ,namely the essential corruptability of every man
It is a tough and gritty movie about two US Treasury agents ,Chance and Vukovich ,played by William L Peterson and John Pankow ,to get the goods on a slick and depraved violence ridden counterfeiter ( Willem Dafoe) who killed Chance's partner .
Chance is wholly dedicated to his job and has no life or relationships outside the strictly professional ones dictated by his work -which is also his mission in life .Everything and everyone is a means to an end -the destruction of his enemy , Masters
The well made violence riddled movie is the story of his pursuit .To the accompaniment of a pounding score ,and punctuated by car chases and shootouts he sets about achieving his goal
This a movie with style and great performances but without a real hero or a moral centre .It is a grimly cynical picture in which all the characters are driven beings and this is problem in one way because there is no one to really root for or identify with .
Provided you don't object to this then sit back and enjoy a visceral movie with a uniquely dark vision which compensates for its lack of real narrative suprise or moral sensibility.
The direction of William Friedkin is lean, economic and powerful -like the movie

YOU TALK ABOUT HYPE. THIS ROUGE DEA COP WHO'S OUT FOR JUSTICE BECAUSE HIS PATNER IS KILLED.WHAT DID HE DO THAT WAS SO OVER THE TOP?????? ACTION, YEA MAYBE IF YOU TURN THE TV OFF AND LISTEN TO WANG CHUNG. OK MOVIE YEA AT BEST TOO LONG, NO ACTION AND THE BEST CAR CHASE MAYBE OF ALL TIME, PLEASE THIS WAS MADE IN 1985. I KEPT WAITING FOR SOMETHING IN THE CHASE TO BE ABOVE AND BEYOND. NOT. NOW KIDDIES THIS IS ONLY MY OPION. I LIKE DEAD BANG ALOT, I LIKE XXX AREAL LOT, I THINK CRIMSON TIDE KICKS RED OCTOBERS ASS. SO I'M NO EXPERT,LIKE SOME OF THESE CLOWNS. WORST MOVIE IN THE WORLD OR BEST MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. PLEASE. IF IT'S THE BEST THAN THERE CAN'T BE ANOTHER BEST OR WORST. IF IT ENTERTAINS YOU WHO CARES ABOUT TEC STUFF. THIS MOVIE WAS SLOW AND I WAS WAITING FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN. IT NEVER DID. DONE GONE PEACE!