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

[chazgower01]

To Live and Die in L.A. (USA, 1985) bluray 4/5
Still a pretty great crime thriller with William Petersen (in his first starring role) as the Secret Service Agent trying to avenge his partner's death (by any means) at the hands of a super smart counterfeiter (a young Willem Dafoe). Also with a young John Turturro (in one of his first meaty supporting roles), John Pankow (many years on 'Mad About You), Dean Stockwell, and a young, sexy Jane Leeves (Daphne on Frazier) in a garter, bra, and panties.

Petersen's partner is shotgunned to death while going solo to check on a lead involving Dafoe's sleazy counterfeiter. They used real counterfeiters to teach them how to make bills in this movie and actually SHOWED the process. The FBI said some of those bills made it out into circulation and they'd recover them years after this movie. Anyway - he gets a new partner (Pankow), who's not quite the 'any means necessary' cowboy HE is, and so there's tension there. He also has a hot informant, sexy Darlanne Fluegal (I remember her best as the bitchy ex-wife of Billy Crystal in 'Running Scared') who he pays for inside tips, while occasionally giving her some of his own inside tip.

Beautifully shot, and grittier than it's competition at the time (and by grittier, I mean realistic - or MOVIE realistic anyway), this feels more like 1989-90 than 1985. Not director William Friedkin's absolute best (how you gonna top 'The Exorcist' and 'The French Connection'?), but most definitely a highlight of his career. Petersen never became a big star, though you can tell Friedkin's camera is quite infatuated with him, but he'd do other good work (Manhunter) before moving into a long career in TV.