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

★ 7.1 1h 56m 750 votes IMDb
Action Thriller Crime
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When his longtime partner on the force is killed, reckless U.S. Secret Service agent Richard Chance vows revenge, setting out to nab dangerous counterfeit artist Eric Masters.

To Live and Die in L.A.

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Cast

William Petersen
William Petersen as Richard Chance Age 73 · Evanston, Illinois, USA William Louis Petersen is an American actor and producer, best known for playing Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom on the hit CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Richard Chance in the film To Live and...
Willem Dafoe
Willem Dafoe as Rick Masters Age 70 · Appleton, Wisconsin, USA William James "Willem" Dafoe (born July 22, 1955) is an American actor. Known for his prolific career portraying diverse roles in both mainstream and arthouse films, he is the recipient of various acc...
John Pankow
John Pankow as John Vukovich Age 71 · St. Louis, Missouri, USA ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John Pankow (born April 28, 1954) is an American film and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for a supporting role on the sitcom Mad About You (1993-1999)....
Debra Feuer
Debra Feuer as Bianca Torres Age 67 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Debra Feuer is an American actress. She starred in the movies including Moment by Moment, The Hollywood Knights, To Live and Die in L.A., MacGruder and Loud, in...
John Turturro
John Turturro as Carl Cody Age 69 · Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA John Michael Turturro (born February 28, 1957) is an American-Italian actor, writer and filmmaker, known for his association with the independent film movement. He has appeared in over sixty feature f...
Dean Stockwell
Dean Stockwell as Bob Grimes Died 2021 · North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA Robert Dean Stockwell (March 5, 1936 – November 7, 2021) was an American film, television and stage actor with a career spanning over 70 years. As a child actor under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,...
Director William Friedkin
Cast William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, Darlanne Fluegel, Michael Greene, Steve James, Robert Downey Sr.

Audience Reviews

griggs79 8/10 Jun 23, 2025
_To Live and Die in L.A._ is a sharp, cynical thriller where style trumps sentiment. Friedkin pairs bold visuals with a pulsing Tangerine Dream score, driving a fast, morally murky plot. Corruption spreads, rules bend, and no one stays clean. The car chase is a highlight—second only to _The French Connection_. Boldly killing off the lead mid-film, it bridges classic noir and modern thrillers. In this world, survival means faking it better than the rest.

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