Rating: 
Summary: the wait was worth it
Review: Despite the fact that I'm a longtime fan of William Petersen, I have NEVER been able to see this movie until I bought the DVD. Video stores didn't have it, and it's not exactly Saturday afternoon movie fare for broadcast or cable. I was thrilled when it was released on DVD!It's 80's postmodern film noir, and was way ahead of its time. Perhaps that's why the critics panned it. Be sure to look at the still photo gallery; there are some fabulous black and white portraits of the cast. A must for all William Petersen fans! If you're quick with the pause button, you get to see him fully, frontally naked! WOO-HOO!
Rating:
Summary: 80's Gem!
Review: This film is an example of how to do-it-right. Friedkin does a masterful job of storytelling, setting a mood and building tension. This is not your average buddy buddy film chock full of cutesy yuks, this is a gritty, action thriller. William Petersen is excellent as the protagonist who will do anything legal or illegal to nab the bad guy...even if it means becoming one himself. Willem Dafoe can do no wrong as an actor in my opinion, and plays his role marvelously, exuding calm, cold ruthlessness. The soundtrack is perfect and anybody who says it's "dated" is being silly. Of course it's dated! It's a movie very much of it's time and place ( Reagan's 1980's) and the soundtrack echos that, helping to drive the picture along.
Rating:
Summary: Friedkin's last great movie!
Review: To Live and Die in L.A. was a film ahead of its time. When it was released in 1985, it failed to connect with a mainstream audience that was put off by its amoral, unlikable characters and downbeat, nihilistic ending. What did people expect from the same man who brought them the equally uncompromising The French Connection in 1974? William Friedkin's film has long been out of print on VHS and so MGM's new special edition DVD is exactly what fans of this influential crime thriller have been waiting for. Director William Friedkin provides an informative audio commentary that pulls no punches. He goes into detail about the world of counterfeiting and the Secret Service. For those who enjoyed his commentary on The French Connection DVD, this new track is a must-listen. "Counterfeit World: 'The Making of To Live and Die in L.A.'" is a wonderful retrospective look at how the movie was made. There is some excellent archival, behind-the-scenes footage of Friedkin and his cast in action. Fans are in for a real treat as the fantastic airport foot chase between Petersen and Turturro is discussed, as is the famous car chase on the Los Angeles freeway. This featurette is crammed with tons of anecdotes and new interviews with Petersen, Pankow and Dafoe. Also included is an alternate ending that the studio forced Friedkin to shoot because they didn't like his original downbeat ending. There is also a deleted scene that fleshes out Pankow's character a bit more. To Live and Die in L.A. was William Friedkin's last great film. He has failed to deliver anything on the level of his 1985 film. MGM has produced an excellent DVD with a stunning transfer (including a new 5.1 surround soundtrack) and a solid collection of extras that should please fans of this crime thriller masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: One of my favorite movies - purchased the DVD as a holiday gift to myself. Definitely a must see for Action lovers.
Rating: 
Summary: Should have been an option for full-frame
Review: I am sick of people who insist widescreen is necessary. Compare this dvd with the full-frame VHS. The wide of the image is exactly the same, so to achieve widescreen effect they crop the top and bottom of the frame. That's right, you get LESS of the movie. Not more. As with many movies shot in the 80s and 90s, this was shot with full-frame home video in mind. Why couldn't they at least provided the option to have full-frame. All they'd have to do is include a mask effect, or people with widescreen tvs can crop it themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: The Time Was Right.
Review: Back in 1985, "To Live And Die In L.A." was an edgy, gritty police thriller much in the vein of "The French Connection". In fact, it could be said that "L.A." and "Connection" are quite similiar with both having main characters that are living on the edge and great car chase sequences. However, I believe "Connection" was the better story/screenplay. The main difference with this film from other films of its kind is that something great happens to the main character. He's not perfect, he's not a great guy, he makes big mistakes like a real person might make. I have yet to see a law enforcement officer thriller that matches this character (played by "Manhunter" and "CSI" alumni William L. Peterson). This is what is sadly lacking in today's cop/secret service/FBI/CIA films. The next difference, and this was good at the time but not so good now, was Wang Chung creating the soundtrack. I like Wang Chung, have all of their cds including this soundtrack. I think this soundtrack is full of great music and that it fits the film, but Friedkin overused them. Nearly every scene had some soundbite from the band and it began to grate. Well, then again, this was the era of "Miami Vice" and MTV. It was trendy then to overuse popular music in the film score. Despite this shortcoming, the music didn't spoil the film. Lastly, Willem DaFoe and John Turturro made great bad guys who appeared fairly realistic and not superhuman like Nicholas Cage's character in "Face/Off". I agree with some of the other reviewers here that this may very well have been the last good Friedkin film. I think what he needs now is a good script--forget flimsy material like "The Hunted"!!!!
Rating:
Summary: FINALLY!!!
Review: I've been waiting forever for this DVD...then two weeks ago I saw it in 'Best Buy' when I wasn't even looking for it! Of course I bought it immediately... As expressed in other reviews, this is a very underrated and overlooked movie. Directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist), this is a cops & robbers movie where there are no good guys. Just drama and action. ALOT OF DRAMA AND ACTION. This is great escapist fare, but it's not mindless. This movie takes you on a wild ride that tickles your brain but never makes you think TOO hard. The movie centers around the struggle between U.S. Treasury Agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) and graphic artist-turned-counterfeiter Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe). Both are great characters played by great actors. Dafoe expertly portrays one of my favorite all-time screen criminals. This is a guy who is too smart to be a criminal, but uses his intelligence to be an even BETTER criminal. He's smart enough to discuss art history, but tough enough to deal with the street crooks who buy his paper. This was the first time I'd seen Willem Dafoe (in 1985), but it's easy to see why he got more movie parts after seeing his work here. Towards the end of the movie there is a great car chase which is even better than the one in 'The French Connection', in my opinion. Fans of William L. Petersen (CSI) should definitely check this movie out...he's really terrific. (Also check out the HBO movie he did in 1989 called 'Long Gone'--a very good 'Bull Durham' knock-off)
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not Great!!!!!
Review: With Willem DaFoe(Spiderman) & William Peterson's(C.S.I.) career in high gear, is it any wonder why this one finally came to DVD after years of being out of print, at the time(1985), Dafoe & Peterson were unknown, with exception of Dafoe being in the little seen "Streets of Fire" a year earlier(1984), & before "Platoon" a year later in 1986, In this one Dafoe is Rick Masters, a Master counterfeiter who has eluded capture for years, Peterson is Richard Chance, a Secret Service agent hell bent on bringing Masters to justice, especially after Masters kills his just retired partner in a grusome manner, Chance's determination becomes even more so, he is soon paired up with John Vukovich(John Pankow of "Mad about you") who is a by the book agent, it is clear that him & Chance don't see eye to eye on things but tolerate each other, they attempt to infiltrate Masters for a buy only to discover that he wants money up front, an amount that the agency won't grant to Chance & Vukovich for the operation, faced with this agency red tape, Chance decides to take matters into his own hands by doing some unethical things that result in one of the best car chase scenes ever captured on film, won't spoil the ending here, but it is really a un-Hollywood type ending that will grab you, & many future stars also got their start in this with John Turtorro as Masters'carrier & Dean Stockwell(Quantum Leap) as Masters lawyer & Darlene Vogel(Running Scared) as Chance's informant & lover to Jane Leeves(Frasier) as a unrecognizable lesbian, to Robert Downey SR as the head of the Secret Service, definatley a good movie but not as good as say "Lethal Weapon" but good for a film made in 1985!!
Rating:
Summary: An 80's Classic (they didn't "get" in the 80's)
Review: I'm glad this movie is getting special treatment on DVD and, from reading the reviews here, that there are a lot of people who feel the same way. TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. was a challenging thriller when it came out in 1985. With a cast of relative newcomers, William Friedkin blurs the lines between good guys and bad guys to such an extent that anything is possible--even as to who gets to "live and die" in the end! The car chase is outstanding in its stunts and dramatic execution (you realize something is up when guys with M-16s keep popping up EVERYWHERE). Friedkin's vision of L.A. wipes the gloss off most 80's thrillers and the Wang Chung soundtrack gives an electric pulse throughout the film. I loved Friedkin's commentaries for THE FRENCH CONNECTION and THE EXORCIST and he doesn't let up here. The "alternate ending" is a good example of what happens to most Hollywood movies (corporate decisions wrecking story creativity) but TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. didn't share that fate.
It still lives.
Rating:
Summary: William Friedkin last masterpiece!
Review: From the academy award winner director of The french Connection and The Exorcist, William Friedkin, comes one of the greatest cop dramas of recent memory. I hate to make reviews, but I will give you a little synopsis. Dectective chance (William Petersen) lost his partner in a conterfit heist and now he seeks revenge...and he doesn't care if he has to break the law or put innocent people in danger in order to get what he wants. This violent and odd film has gathered a huge cult status around the world for one particular reason...the twist at the end of the film is one of the most surprising and breathtaking scenes in american motion picture history. The acting is top notch and you couldn't expect any less from a master like William friedkin or actors William Petersen and Willen Dafoe. The cinematography, well, it has a little resemblance with Dante Spinnoti's earlier work in Michael Mann's "Manhunter", but not quite as effective as Spinnoti's masterwork. In fact, the whole film has a bit of Manhunter all around. The plot is terrific, the acting is thought-provoking, the violence and persecution scenes are magnificent just like in every Friedkin film and the twist at the end is worth the price of the DVD alone. My only two negative aspects to the film are the outdated and horrible synth soundtrack/score and the pathetic and laughable early 80's fashion, but besides that everything else is quite amazing. So do not think twice about bying this copper...if you love TRUE cop dramas, then To live and die in L.A. will definetly make your day.
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