To Live And Die In LA is to the 80s what The French Connection is to the 70s cop movies, and echos that movie with a corrupt cop who gets more corrupt.
To Live And Die In LA is one of the first movies to show LA as a less than glamourous place, a gritty place which isn't Hollywood. The DVD release of the movie includes both a making of featurette and a horrendous alternate ending.
As a bookend to The French Connection, this movie is great, and really gives you a new reason to look at William Peterson in CSI. Plus Freidkin is less sadistic than he is in the commentary to The French Connection.
Article comments
1 - mike
That chase scene in which they go the wrong way on the LA freeway is an all time masterpiece. As one who almost got on the San Diego freeway the wrong way myself one time, I can relate.
As I recall, the movie was a commercial bust. Never understood why. It even had lesbians!
2 - Jim Carruthers
In the commentary, the guy who did the car stunts said that Friedkin told him to better The French Connection or not at all. Since until the chase scene on the freeway the whole movie consists of people running "Why are you chasiing me? Why are you running?"
Since I've never been to LA is that how people drive there?
3 - Jim Carruthers
While I'm at it, is "To Live And Die In LA" the first movie to have an older cop say "I'm getting too old for this shit". And then get killed?
4 - Chris Kent
That would be Madigan, a hard-edged, brilliant Donald Siegel cops-on-beat film that predates Bullit, The French Connection and Dirty Harry....