To live and die in LA

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Movie
German title To live and die in LA
Original title To Live and Die in LA
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1985
length 116 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director William Friedkin
script William Friedkin
Gerald Petievich
production Samuel Schulman
music Wang Chung
camera Robby Muller
cut Bud Smith
Scott Smith
occupation

Live and Die in LA is an action thriller directed by William Friedkin from the year 1985 . It is based on a novel by Gerald Petievich , who also co-wrote the script. He addresses the hard police work in LA , illegal police actions with a blurred line between good and bad and points out the interchangeability of the people and positions involved.

action

The agents of the United States Secret Service , the daring young Richard Chance and the older, sunnier Jimmy Hart, recruit an Islamist terrorist who wanted to carry out an attack on the US President in Los Angeles. This blows itself up, whereupon Chance and Hart are transferred to the department that fights counterfeiters .

Hart and Chance are good friends in private too and celebrate together in a pub just before Hart is about to retire. When Hart pursues a lead, one of the helpers of the unscrupulous counterfeiter Rick Masters kills him. Chance is assigned to John Vukovich as a new partner. Chance wants revenge for Hart's murder. Chance and Vukovich manage to arrest Carl Cody, an accomplice of Masters, but fail to get him to testify against Masters. Chance puts his superiors under moral pressure to temporarily release Cody from prison, which he ultimately approves. Due to Chance's negligence, Cody escapes in a matter of hours. The investigators want to pose as customers to Masters who want to buy counterfeit money from him. Since they do not get any backing from their department for this action, Chance decides to take the necessary money from a supposed criminal. Through the informant Ruth, with whom he has a relationship, Chance found out that a Chinese gangster wants to travel to the USA to buy stolen diamonds. Vukovich initially rejects this plan, but is put under moral pressure by Chance and then decides to take part in the attack on the gangster. Vukovich and Chance kidnap the Chinese and take the money from him. His accomplices pursue the two and try to free the Chinese, but mistakenly shoot him.

Chance and Vukovich escape after a daring car chase. A day later they learned that the Chinese was an FBI agent working undercover and that his accomplices were his FBI colleagues. Chance regrets this mix-up, but wants to go ahead and bring down Masters. Fearing murder charges, Vukovich seeks out Masters' attorney, Bob Grimes, and asks if he could represent him. Grimes advises him to get into a deal with the prosecutor and betray Chance.

Chance and Vukovich go to hand over the money with Masters, but the arrest fails, Chance is shot dead by Masters bodyguard. Vukovich pursues Masters and is overwhelmed by him, after which he tells him that the lawyer had betrayed him. Vukovich manages to kill Masters. The film ends with Vukovich telling the informant Ruth that he will now take Chances' place and that she will work for him.

Reviews

The lexicon of international films wrote that the film was " furiously staged ", " well photographed " and " very exciting " in some places .

The film service judged: "Furiously staged, extremely tough police film, uncritical and cynical in the portrayal of people who have become disoriented. Well photographed and very exciting in places, the film primarily offers a cinema of effects."

The editors of Rotten Tomatoes wrote that the film, like French Connection - hot spot Brooklyn , breaks earlier conventions by making the hero ethically " reprehensible " - like his opponent.

Wesley Morris, SF Examiner: “One of the best crook-versus-crook, cop-versus-crook banter to date, and John Turturro's best cursing in a movie ... the six-lane rush-hour chase that saw Popeye Doyle roll over and catch fire ... The only problem is that Friedkin would never get better than here. "

Awards

The film won the Stuntman Award in 1986 in two categories. William Friedkin won the 1986 audience award at the Cognac Festival du Film Policier .

The German Film and Media Evaluation FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the title valuable.

backgrounds

  • The shooting took place in Los Angeles . The box office revenue in the United States was $ 17.31 million .
  • An alternative ending was filmed in which Richard Chance is shot but survives. Chance and Vukovich are transferred to Alaska after their successful assignment, while their supervisor takes credit for the work of his employees.
  • The soundtrack was contributed by the British pop band Wang Chung .
  • The title track "To Live And Die In LA" reached number 41 in the US singles charts in December 1985.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Living and dying in LA In: Lexicon of international films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ^ Living and dying in LA ( filmdienst.de [accessed November 3, 2018]).
  3. ↑ www.rottentomatoes.com
  4. ↑ Wesley Morris: "To Live and Die in LA ': Friedkin's finest hour. In: SF Examiner. April 16, 1999, accessed on April 15, 2009 (English):" Some of the best crook-on-crook, cop- on-crook banter there ever was and John Turturro's best cursing in a motion picture… the six-lane rush-hour car chase that would make Popeye Doyle crash and burn… The only problem is that Friedkin would never get any better than this "