A Secret Service agent becomes obsessed with catching a ruthless counterfeiter.
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- PaulAugust 12, 2026A gritty, slow-burning crime thriller that gets increasingly dark as it goes. William Petersen is excellent as a reckless Secret Service agent whose decisions become increasingly questionable. Some of the editing feels oddly abrupt and the loud, very 80s soundtrack can be genuinely jarring, but when the film hits, it really hits. The superb car chase alone is worth seeing. A flawed but memorable slice of 1980s crime cinema.
- cultfilmlikerFebruary 11, 2026John Mulaney really ruined this theme song lmfao hahahahaha @ the opening standoff The splatter was great. So fast paced with that Wang Chung score - it feels like a video game! They fell asleep right after they watched the stakeout get exciting 🤣🤣🤣 and then didn’t get any shit for it??? Cops do fail up! And he lost the prisoner!? Oh my GOD Gotta love all of the research Friedkin does on his films! The cops even drive like I do in GTA! Only the cops are accumulating wanted stars as more “villainous cronies” attack them! Amazing work. Between this and Beverly Hills Cop, I guess California really had a counterfeiting problem in the 80’s, huh!! Loved the climax. Safdies definitely stole the vibe for Uncut Gems. I wish the ending went the other way
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To Live and Die in L.A. was released on November 1, 1985.
To Live and Die in L.A. was directed by William Friedkin.
To Live and Die in L.A. has a runtime of 1h 56m.
To Live and Die in L.A. was produced by Irving H. Levin.
A Secret Service agent becomes obsessed with catching a ruthless counterfeiter.
The key characters in To Live and Die in L.A. are Richard Chance (William L. Petersen), Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), John Vukovich (John Pankow).
To Live and Die in L.A. is rated R.
To Live and Die in L.A. is a Thriller, Crime, Action film.
To Live and Die in L.A. has an audience rating of 7.9 out of 10.
To Live and Die in L.A. had a budget of $6M.
To Live and Die in L.A. has made $17.3M at the box office.