@@reeltimegamer7708 not to change the subject,but I always remember Dennis Farina as Cousin Avi in Snatch. I've heard that Get Shorty is good. Never seen it though. Is Danny Devito in that? I FEEL like he is.
I remember seeing this WAY before I was old enough to. Seeing a main character get killed before the film was over and having another character take over as the main protagonist blew my mind. Still kinda does to this day.
Yeah and having Pankow's character give up his innocence and transform/surrender into Petersens's to the point of taking over his babe, truck and clothes !
I don't understand how this movie wasn't a hit?! For me, it’s one of the best action movies in general. Real action, great choice of actors, one of the best car chases, soundtrack is amazing... It should be a far bigger hit.
It made 3 times it's money back. Problem was that the 80s were the era of black and white feel good flicks. Folks couldn't appreciate a bleak film like this back then
have it on DVD and watch it at least once a year. The great Roy Scheider and directed by Friedkin and it is still a cult hit? I don't get it. The entire supporting cast and setting is dead on perfect. When I watch it, I feel like I am in the movie. There is nothing to remind you that there is a camera, it is a story, and it is from Hollywood.
@@Redmenace96 lol, same here. I have it on hard disc. It's getting hard to find those classics on dvd and keep it affordable. Just the other day i tried to find 'Tin Men' by Barry Levinson.... i believe it would cost about 50 euros... i was baffled. It's getting quite expensive to grow a collection of classics.
The French Connection, To Live and Die LA, and The Hunted. A trio of films directed by William Friedkin that feature some of the best car chases in film history.
@@matthewdaley746 The irony of The Hunted is that it's the closest we will ever get to a loyal adaptation of David Morrell's First Blood. The Stallone films turned Rambo into an audience friendly action hero.
You failed to mention a then unknown John Turturro, who gave a terrific performance as a drug mule who gets caught at the airport by Petersens caracter. I saw this movie in the theater and loved it.
Young Petersen was insanely charismatic and intense. Mesmerizing, one of the hottest actors ever IMO, and so talented. Sexiness isn't about looks, it's about overall confidence, charisma--he's got it in spades.
So I read that they got an actual counterfeiter to consult, and they did in that scene actually makes them bills that were quite convincing. Supposedly copies were still floating around in LA for about 10 years afterwards.
Not trying to be pretentious but in this case i gotta say: "watch the original!" "Le Salaire de la peur" (The Wages of Fear) is an incredible good movie and is still absolutely worth watching even nearly 70 years after being created!
@@richtifilmpalast5373 Sorcerer is superior to Wages of Fear. I am not saying Wages is bad. It is good. But it lacks the atmosphere, the feeling of out right despair of Sorcerer. The decision to add the opening vignettes was a brilliant choice on the part of Friedkin. In Wages, with the exception of Luigi, the men are just bums looking to scam the system. In Sorcerer they are truly desperate. Mario actually seemed to be living quite well, that was not the case in Sorcerer.
So, my deceased father was a Secret Service Agent, and I rented this movie for him and the family to see. He was severely pissed about how accurate they depicted the counterfeiting of money. People did say that the counterfeiting consultant was placed back in prison for violating his parole to make this movie.
Yeah they had a lot of issues with the counterfeiting sequence in this movie. Friedkin talks about it in the DVD (or Blu-Ray) I can't remember which. There were some parts that they filmed that they had to remove because the SS told them that they could not show them in the movie. I think they had a problem with the "movie money" that they were using too. "Movie money" has to have a noticeable difference from actual currency. Friedkin did not want to use "movie money" and made it look like actual currency, and that's a big no no. The movie just shows the off-set aspect of the printing process, intaglio printing is the part that actually impregnates the currency and gives it that "real money" look.
Speaking of William Petersen, Manhunter is also a great movie you'd probably never saw. It was Michael Man's first feature film and it was about Hannibal Lecter.
I finally saw this film about ten years ago and that shot gun scene near the end, I almost crap my pants. Didn't see that coming at all, especially for an 80s action film. Definitely one of the best and underrated thrillers of that decade.
@@unclepatrick2 I wouldnt call it a remake though, because both movies have different themes. Wages of fear was a book first. So you could say both movies are adaptations of the book.
Agreed. If you really want a great double feature, try this film backed up with Manhunter. This film features Bill Peterson in the lead role with Brian Cox as (the best IMO) Hannibal Lecter. This is one of Friedkins' best movies. I put it up there with The French Connection.
I think this was possibly William Petersen's finest role. This movie seemed to define him as a star in my opinion, he's got it, whatever it is. Top notch acting across the board and a compelling pace that kept you engaged.
I agree. He was great in this as well as everything else I’ve seen him in. I especially liked him in Fear & Young Guns 2. Fun fact: Petersen was the original choice to play Sergeant Barnes in Platoon but he turned it down.
I think he does a little bit of over acting, because of that i don't think he's such a great actor but somehow it doesn't seem to really bother me much when watching him play. There's probably other actors of which the same thing could be said.... Some actors know they can only play themselves and aren't shy to admit. I would be more awestruck by John Torturro's work. Now there's a guy who can play characters. I actually think he's a bit underrated.
The Wang Chung music placed the viewer in the mindset of both the William Petersen and William Dafoe. Men who did not see beyond the future and were doomed to self destruction.
I am 4th gen LA and what pops is the look, light and location work. It is the City I grew up in, not the whitewash version glammed up so often. Beautifully photographed and produced...
One of my favorite scenes too. Supposedly he had to cut some bits out because the Treasury dept was furious he was showing the process in such detail; but it really shows that Dafoe's work is just beyond anyone else. I also love the little bit where Dafoe is giving one of his distributors grief about getting some of it back and he stops him and asks what's the big deal - it's just paper, and I think it's the only time Dafoe genuinely laughs in the film because the guy is right. To him, it's his true art, but to them it is just printed paper.
This is a very welcome reminder of just how good this film is. I remember seeing this at Cinema City in Norwich in 1986 and was blown away by it. Deeply conflicted characters, fine acting, superb action scenes, no light relief plus the Wang Chung soundtrack is a bit special. One of the great films of the 1980's.
I really liked this movie. You spend the whole movie following, identifying with and loving William Petersen's character, and then he gets blanked at the end. So unexpected and shocking. I haven't seen the movie in 20+ years but that scene still resonates with me today.
Great film, had the pleasure of attending a Q&A with William Friedkin after a Killer Joe screening and despite his rather crazy reputation, was an absolute gent and gave some really cool anecdotes about To Live & Die in LA in particular.
I think it's the greatest movie in history. I can't fault it. Casting. And the rest. An impeccable film in every sense. Score. Cutting. I like my films and I simply cannot crib about this film in any way. It saddens me that more people aren't aware of its presence. Love love love this film.
that first sequence of dafoe making the money is my favorite in the entire film. we know who he is and the world he works in without having to have dialogue.
I saw this already in the mid-80:s in Finland. Have it on DVD and have watched it several more times since. On top of everything else some of the best things about this movie is the footage of the box Impala and all the R-body Mopars. Wish I could see more of the latter. Great movie for sure!
I had a Ferrari 308GTS and the tape was constantly on while I cruised in the 80's. There was a black 308GTS in the movie. Yes, the popup headlights shake just like when he left the print facility that night in the desert.
Hey there, This is fantastic. I love this movie very much, and I saw it in the theatre. "Dance Hall Days" came out in '83. Friedkin liked the album Points On The Curve very much and asked the band to score the soundtrack. The Soundtrack was released in 1985, and it remains a classic. I am a huge Wang Chung fan, and just so it is known, the music was in between Dance Hall Days ('83) and Everybody Have Fun Tonight ('87).
William Peterson doing his own stunt work in this film had to be in great shape at the time. This and Sorcerer among my Friedkin favorites to go along with his other more popular hits, Exorcist, French Connection. Jade was another film of his that I like that I feel was underrated.
The point is, if you can’t come up with the front money... you ain’t for real. How many times I came home from a night out and put this on to quote the night away.
I loved this movie, it just had the balls to *Go There* in a big bold way. Also the title track is written from the point of view of his informant who is trapped in this world by Peterson, and then later by Pankow.
I love how you do these videos to show us a movie we should watch just to fucking spoil it with clips, including the final fucking scene of the movie and all main characters' deaths.
This isn't just a great movie. It's one of the best movies made in the entire decade of the 80's. It has aged extremely well and even the 80's soundtrack is fantastic (including the title track). Best car chase of all time. Super stressful!!
Clouzot's "Wages of Fear" is a classic, great movie indeed. Though in Friedkin's remake I feel the spirit of cinema of the 70s, especially in the first act where we see the background of each character. The episodes in Jerusalem and especially in Paris are fascinating.
Just rewatched this in the wake of Friedkin's death and it still mesmerizes. Just a masterful mix of 80s excess with that bleak Friedkin cynicism. And the ending is still as shocking as the first time I watched it 30 years ago.
Watched it many times while working on a graphic novel in 2017-8. Peterson is intense, and Pankow is a great partner. That car chase is epic. Never bettered.
@@Scotkhuncap I saw manhunter long before silence of the lambs and I like the movie for the hunt for the killer. the few words said by Brian Cox as Lecktor are enough to know that this guy can get into your head even behind bars and still almost gets Will even in jail just by a phone call. Thats enough to know how smart Lecktor is and that is better than him just going rampage to see how brutal he is, in my opinion. I like silence of the lambs but you almost forget they are out to catch a killer as he seems secondary compared to the killer in manhunter and I always thought the more evil guy got away and this other mixed up not so intelligent killer is killed rightly so but at a price which seems worse. it ends with this very intelligent evil man just strolling away at the end away to go kill the doctor which your obviously meant to hate and thats a bit confusing as your thinking, well they caught that nutter but now that even more dangerous guy is on the loose.
I've practically memorized this film. You can't have an 80s action film like this without those of the 70s (e.g., this vs The Seven-Ups), etc. Each decade owes its predecessors, even if novel.
I love this part where Chance is driving to the informant's house and the track Lullaby transitions from verse to chorus as he enters the house. It's perfect.
Good point. Mann answered a year later with 'Manhunter', also starring William Pedersen, which is actually a better Silence of the Lambs movie than any of the Demme versions (although I'm a Demme fan). Check it out.
One of the few examples of a movie being better than the book. William Friedkin specifically instructed Wang Chung NOT to write a theme song with lyrics to the movie. They did anyway, and when they played it for Friedkin, he went and filmed an opening scene to go with it.
This movie is vastly underrated. The acting is terrific, the action scenes are expertly filmed (especially the freeway chase) & a real good subversion of which hero makes it 😉
I saw this masterpiece when I was 12 when it came out. It has remained my fav crime drama of all time. Along with the soundtrack. Wang Chung put that soundtrack together in two weeks!
The production of this film is a story in itself. It's a shame you haven't mention: a. How two DOJ agencies almost shut this film down for both violating security measures during the airport shoot and how surprisingly accurate the counterfeiting scenes were b. How the car chase scene was shot in real time during la's busiest hours. c. How this film was about to be X-rated by the MPAA d. That there are strangely two versions of the film which does NOT include the date and times of some scenes. e. Michael Mann sued William Friedkin for plagiarism over the concept of Miami Vice but was overturned.
For once I can say I've heard of this movie and I'm a huge fan of it! I rented it back in the day and really didn't like it that much, but there was something about it that called me back. One of my favorite crime dramas now.
"To Live and Die in LA" is very good. I always enjoy watching this movie. William Peterson also stars in another movie that falls into this same category of "Best movie you never saw". "Long Gone". One of my favorites, and a very underrated baseball movie, It also co-stars Dermot Mulroney, and a hot looking Viginia Madson. Worth checking out.
Seen it in the 80's and was pretty much awed by Petersen frustrated cop character and the wily Willrm Dafoe. I love this film. The soundtrack by Wang chung is epic!
This is my favourite cop film. I discovered it about 15 years ago. William Peterson is amazing in it. Clearly you can see how it influenced such films as Lethal Weapon. The main protagonist's intensity, his partner days off from retirement. Even (possibly?) Coining the phrase 'i'm too old for this shit'. Just blew my mind that it went under my radar for so long.
Cruisin' was not a bad film. It was a companion to Looking for Mr. Goodbar. What that film was pointing out was the dangers of cruising in straight bars, while Cruisin' dealt with the same topic but in gay bars. It has become clear over time--not just with Cruisin' but with films like Song of the South, Gone With The Wind, Westside Story and others--is that any film that shows minorities in a light different from the modern light is somehow phobic, ism, or ist. The people who lived in the 1970s and went to gay bars know that the depiction--if unflattering--is accurate. Just as films made before Roots that dealt with slavery and depicted the slaves as anything but HOSTILE to the condition are unflattering and must be erased. Not because the films are inaccurate--those living in the days of the slaves wrote diaries--yes other people than Alex Hailey's family kept diaries--and in those pages we can see references to house slaves (like Mammy in GWTW, and Chicken George in ROOTS) who were content living as slaves. That fact does not make slavery good, nor does it make it bad, it is just a fact. So, whenever you see someone crying out from the modern day about depictions of something from the past, research it, and see IF that depiction is accurate (and thus unflattering) to the whiner, or if it is false. The more you know.
Dafoe turned the role down despite being highly interested. My guess is Warner Bros would’ve wanted someone of Nicholson far more than a character actor
Never saw? Huh? I saw this movie for $1.50 at the theater. Boy, I am old. Willem Dafoe as the bad guy, probably the best casting choice ever done, and has been repeated alot since,LOL. Peterson was a great call too.
I watched this for the first time last month and loved it. However I must make note that it is not streaming anywhere and both Blu-rays are out of print
@@NeverSaySandwich1 Go to the TH-cam channel Redux Visions, click his video ‘To Live and Die In L.A. is a Masterpiece’, and in the video description is a link to the whole movie
This movie was great, very underrated. William Petersen an underrated actor never got the credit he deserved, who BTW also was in the first Red Dragon serial killer epic ( which was much better than the 2002 one).
Having been an LA resident at the time, I saw this in the theater and was satisfied and impressed. I didn't really follow directors at the time so finding out about Friedkin's pedigree was great. To Live and Die in LA is unique, because there's not many films about the enforcement arm of the US Treasury.
Can’t count how many towns me and my buddy watched this on VHS in the eighties....great movie, great actors, great soundtrack! It was eerie, when I finally re-connected with him a few years back we watched and realized the last time we’d both seen it was when we were fourteen and watched it together!
Well I saw it years ago on C4. Peterson explodes off the screen with the sort of physical energy that most actors would kill for. During the car chase I nearly fell out of my chair when the car crossed in front of the train! I can't believe they did that. Mueller's photography is sensational. Worth getting on Blu ray.
All time favourite! Not best, but fav. I remember watching this on the big screen in 1985, in disbelief at what Friedkin had gotten away with. A studio movie without a single redeemable soul. Still amazes me!
I've seen this movie about 20 times since it released; an instant classic in my opinion. I like the Wang Chung soundtrack instead of mixed artists from the 1980''s and from the opening I'm drawn back in time. The movie has such great ambiance, action, and actors. Your review is 100%
The movie had great reviews and word of mouth but casting lesser known actors kept it from drawing in viewers. I saw for the first time on cable last week and it lived up to the hype, and then some. The casting was excellent.
I first saw this movie about 10 years ago flipping channels. I stopped what I was doing and watched the rest of the movie. I think by the next day I had ordered the DVD. It's such a great movie for so many reasons. I'll always have a bias about that since it's one of my top 5. I was pleasantly surprised to find out Friedkin directed it, as my dad introduced me to The French Connection early on, and that movie is a favorite of mine as well.
I really dig this movie . William Petersen is great in it. He’s also good in Michael Mann’s Manhunter.
That IS the guy who played Will Graham in Manhunter,isn't it!? I would have never made that connection.
Two of my favorite movies!
Right? F CSI!
If you're a fan of this channel, highly recommend Manhunter. Dennis Farina (from Get Shorty) is great in it too.
@@reeltimegamer7708 not to change the subject,but I always remember Dennis Farina as Cousin Avi in Snatch. I've heard that Get Shorty is good. Never seen it though. Is Danny Devito in that? I FEEL like he is.
This is one of the best films ever made. I saw this in 85 it was way ahead of it's time. Still holds up well today.
I remember seeing this WAY before I was old enough to. Seeing a main character get killed before the film was over and having another character take over as the main protagonist blew my mind. Still kinda does to this day.
It gave it an existentialist spin. Totally off the wall but brilliant.
Yeah and having Pankow's character give up his innocence and transform/surrender into Petersens's to the point of taking over his babe, truck and clothes !
I don't understand how this movie wasn't a hit?!
For me, it’s one of the best action movies in general. Real action, great choice of actors, one of the best car chases, soundtrack is amazing... It should be a far bigger hit.
Casting of lesser known actors kept the mobs away. Seeing a well cast film with unknowns amped up the suspense and made for a more interesting movie.
It made 3 times it's money back. Problem was that the 80s were the era of black and white feel good flicks. Folks couldn't appreciate a bleak film like this back then
no star quality, give me pacino or de niro
@dealerovski82 for me, this cast did a superb job.
Classic. Perfect companion piece to the French Connection. Even the Secret Service was impressed by it.
PLEASE do an episode on Friedkin's Sorcerer! A masterpiece that so few folks have seen
Riveting thriller from start to finish. RIP fingernails.
have it on DVD and watch it at least once a year. The great Roy Scheider and directed by Friedkin and it is still a cult hit? I don't get it. The entire supporting cast and setting is dead on perfect. When I watch it, I feel like I am in the movie. There is nothing to remind you that there is a camera, it is a story, and it is from Hollywood.
@@Redmenace96 Sorcerer was released about a month after Star Wars, and got lost in the shuffle.
I haven't seen it but first heard about it from The Simpsons episode "Mr. Plow". 🤣
@@Redmenace96 lol, same here. I have it on hard disc. It's getting hard to find those classics on dvd and keep it affordable. Just the other day i tried to find 'Tin Men' by Barry Levinson.... i believe it would cost about 50 euros... i was baffled. It's getting quite expensive to grow a collection of classics.
The car chase sence is the most crazy I've ever seen.
The French Connection, To Live and Die LA, and The Hunted. A trio of films directed by William Friedkin that feature some of the best car chases in film history.
Yeah, incredibly, it's not even the best he's ever done, The French Connection, which was over a decade earlier, remains the greatest.
@@ricardocantoral7672 The Hunted was another underrated film that suffered the most from being a mishmash of, The Fugitive, and, First Blood.
@@matthewdaley746 The irony of The Hunted is that it's the closest we will ever get to a loyal adaptation of David Morrell's First Blood. The Stallone films turned Rambo into an audience friendly action hero.
@@matthewdaley746 I dare say that the fourth film, the director's cut, is the best.
You failed to mention a then unknown John Turturro, who gave a terrific performance as a drug mule who gets caught at the airport by Petersens caracter. I saw this movie in the theater and loved it.
LAX forbid him to run on top of the moving walkway. They did it anyway.
What's all the fusses about that greaseball anyway?
I think the actress who plays Janice Soprano on The Sopranos is related to him.
I think the actress who plays Janice Soprano on The Sopranos is related to him.
Young Petersen was insanely charismatic and intense. Mesmerizing, one of the hottest actors ever IMO, and so talented. Sexiness isn't about looks, it's about overall confidence, charisma--he's got it in spades.
And with a full frontal nude scene to boot. Blimey.
You should have seen his theatre work. Wow!
You're not a fan of 80's Action Films, if you HAVEN'T seen this yet.
I agree. Great movie.
Agreed !
Ton 10 80's movie.
Ehh, aren't you pushing it a little too far?
TO Live and Die in LA is one of the many underrated thrillers of the 1980s.
This was supposed to have had the most accurate depiction of counterfeiting in a movie.
So I read that they got an actual counterfeiter to consult, and they did in that scene actually makes them bills that were quite convincing. Supposedly copies were still floating around in LA for about 10 years afterwards.
Willem Dafoe has admitted in interviews that he was actually able to pass some fake bills he "borrowed" from the set. 😃
True, but it doesn't seem like they got the linen paper right.
As the Old counter feiter saying goes; " The best way to make money....... is to make money.."
Sorcerer is a Hell of a movie. Absolutely engaging story and direction.... best kept secret!!
It is real esotericism !
Beautiful flick, stunning. And a reboot of an older noir.
The bridge scene is worth the entry fee alone, so to speak.
Not trying to be pretentious but in this case i gotta say: "watch the original!"
"Le Salaire de la peur" (The Wages of Fear) is an incredible good movie and is still absolutely worth watching even nearly 70 years after being created!
@@richtifilmpalast5373 Sorcerer is superior to Wages of Fear. I am not saying Wages is bad. It is good. But it lacks the atmosphere, the feeling of out right despair of Sorcerer. The decision to add the opening vignettes was a brilliant choice on the part of Friedkin. In Wages, with the exception of Luigi, the men are just bums looking to scam the system. In Sorcerer they are truly desperate. Mario actually seemed to be living quite well, that was not the case in Sorcerer.
So, my deceased father was a Secret Service Agent, and I rented this movie for him and the family to see. He was severely pissed about how accurate they depicted the counterfeiting of money. People did say that the counterfeiting consultant was placed back in prison for violating his parole to make this movie.
Yeah they had a lot of issues with the counterfeiting sequence in this movie. Friedkin talks about it in the DVD (or Blu-Ray) I can't remember which. There were some parts that they filmed that they had to remove because the SS told them that they could not show them in the movie. I think they had a problem with the "movie money" that they were using too. "Movie money" has to have a noticeable difference from actual currency. Friedkin did not want to use "movie money" and made it look like actual currency, and that's a big no no. The movie just shows the off-set aspect of the printing process, intaglio printing is the part that actually impregnates the currency and gives it that "real money" look.
Freidken actually used the fake money in restaurants because it was so real looking.
Sounds like your father just may be a True American.
The film is based on a book by the same name that was written by Gerald Petievich. Petievich was in the Secret Service.
Lies. Proof or he wasn’t really a SS agent and I’m not talking about in Germany. Also, the rest is all lies too. Proof please.
One of the most underrated films of the 80s!!
nah, I reckon that's The Hidden, or maybe Buckaroo Banzai?
@@shorebreak69 THE HIDDEN was cool - I've seen BUCKAROO BANZAI twice... and both times I wondered what all the fuss is about.
Kinda like Black Rain..... probably not underrated but seemingly lost in time, no one takes time making a video about that one.
Speaking of William Petersen, Manhunter is also a great movie you'd probably never saw. It was Michael Man's first feature film and it was about Hannibal Lecter.
That movie is a gem. A total love letter from the '80s.
Actually Michaeal Mann directed a picture called "Thief " with James Cann and a very young Jim Belushi that film came out before "Manhunter"
@wildvet1 Hah, thank you. I actually thought it was Band of the Hand for a long time, but then found out it was Starsky.
Thank you.
I finally saw this film about ten years ago and that shot gun scene near the end, I almost crap my pants. Didn't see that coming at all, especially for an 80s action film. Definitely one of the best and underrated thrillers of that decade.
In all honesty I'm not a huge fan of the movie on the whole, but that scene alone is such a wild move, it's definitely something special.
Did you forget the titls ?
I first saw it on VHS in 1987. I was just as surprised as you were.
Sorcerer needs a Best Movie You Never Saw treatment as well
As does "Wages of Fear" the French Film that Sorcerer is a remake of.
@@unclepatrick2 I keep meaning to catch Wages of Fear, I thought Sorcerer was great and have always wanted to see the original also
The Tangerine Dream soundtrack is incredible
@@unclepatrick2
I wouldnt call it a remake though, because both movies have different themes. Wages of fear was a book first. So you could say both movies are adaptations of the book.
Sorcerer is one of the best films ever. To Live and Die in L.A. is good but Sorcerer is perfection.
This movie’s pairs well with Michael Mann’s “Thief” If you want a double-Bill.
Agreed! Love the soundtracks to both (so had the LPs to both).
I was just about to watch that last night but ended up watching tightrope instead I think I will check it out tonight
Also pairs nicely with Mann’s Manhunter for a great William Petersen 1-2 punch!
Agreed. If you really want a great double feature, try this film backed up with Manhunter. This film features Bill Peterson in the lead role with Brian Cox as (the best IMO) Hannibal Lecter. This is one of Friedkins' best movies. I put it up there with The French Connection.
@@haileygrey5047 what you think of “tightrope”? Underrated film inmo
I think this was possibly William Petersen's finest role.
This movie seemed to define him as a star in my opinion,
he's got it, whatever it is.
Top notch acting across the board and a compelling pace that kept you engaged.
Yes he does, absolutely. I'm always mesmerized by him.
I agree. He was great in this as well as everything else I’ve seen him in. I especially liked him in Fear & Young Guns 2.
Fun fact: Petersen was the original choice to play Sergeant Barnes in Platoon but he turned it down.
I think he was better in Manhunter
I think he does a little bit of over acting, because of that i don't think he's such a great actor but somehow it doesn't seem to really bother me much when watching him play. There's probably other actors of which the same thing could be said.... Some actors know they can only play themselves and aren't shy to admit.
I would be more awestruck by John Torturro's work. Now there's a guy who can play characters. I actually think he's a bit underrated.
@@alainvosselman9960 agreed.
Sorcerer bombed at the box office but it is a truly brilliant movie. One of the all time best. If you haven't seen it, watch it.
The Wang Chung music placed the viewer in the mindset of both the William Petersen and William Dafoe. Men who did not see beyond the future and were doomed to self destruction.
It's Willam DeFoe, not William!!! People always screw his name up..
@@raysmith7543 It's Willem on the credits so you screwed his name up too.
@@Inquieto87 haha..its clearly willem.
@@raysmith7543 It's Willem* Dafoe* and to be fair, his original name is William.
This film is far better than any episode of CSI
that's setting bar low.. yikes
@@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394 Right. CSI was trash.
I am 4th gen LA and what pops is the look, light and location work. It is the City I grew up in, not the whitewash version glammed up so often. Beautifully photographed and produced...
The sequence showing how counterfeiting was accomplished at the time is some of the most compelling moments in the film.
They show that sequence at the Secret Service training academy, apparently
I only saw this film once when I was a kid and that scene still sticks out in my mind.
One of my favorite scenes too. Supposedly he had to cut some bits out because the Treasury dept was furious he was showing the process in such detail; but it really shows that Dafoe's work is just beyond anyone else. I also love the little bit where Dafoe is giving one of his distributors grief about getting some of it back and he stops him and asks what's the big deal - it's just paper, and I think it's the only time Dafoe genuinely laughs in the film because the guy is right. To him, it's his true art, but to them it is just printed paper.
In a decade known for its OTT film montages, this sequence is just about the best there is.
This is a very welcome reminder of just how good this film is. I remember seeing this at Cinema City in Norwich in 1986 and was blown away by it. Deeply conflicted characters, fine acting, superb action scenes, no light relief plus the Wang Chung soundtrack is a bit special. One of the great films of the 1980's.
The Sorcerer is brilliant, one of the most downbeat endings in cinema.
Exactly was really underrated. The bridge scene is excellent
It felt European, in that regard. Fuck Hollywood, this is real life.
I really liked this movie. You spend the whole movie following, identifying with and loving William Petersen's character, and then he gets blanked at the end. So unexpected and shocking. I haven't seen the movie in 20+ years but that scene still resonates with me today.
Yeah at a certain point in the movie it really sinks in Peterson is a full blown psycho with a badge...
Great film, had the pleasure of attending a Q&A with William Friedkin after a Killer Joe screening and despite his rather crazy reputation, was an absolute gent and gave some really cool anecdotes about To Live & Die in LA in particular.
I’m pretty sure he’s an actual psychopath, but damn if he isn’t the most interesting guy to hear talk about movies. And a damn good director
I think it's the greatest movie in history.
I can't fault it.
Casting.
And the rest.
An impeccable film in every sense.
Score.
Cutting.
I like my films and I simply cannot crib about this film in any way.
It saddens me that more people aren't aware of its presence.
Love love love this film.
Saw it while living in L.A. in 1986. Quite a time to be there. Seen it about 20x, great movie.
that first sequence of dafoe making the money is my favorite in the entire film. we know who he is and the world he works in without having to have dialogue.
0h this is a great movie, Glad you guys are covering it. Wang Chung opening theme during the credits is Fire
I saw this already in the mid-80:s in Finland. Have it on DVD and have watched it several more times since. On top of everything else some of the best things about this movie is the footage of the box Impala and all the R-body Mopars. Wish I could see more of the latter. Great movie for sure!
The sound track for "To live and die in LA" really fit the movie.
I had a Ferrari 308GTS and the tape was constantly on while I cruised in the 80's. There was a black 308GTS in the movie. Yes, the popup headlights shake just like when he left the print facility that night in the desert.
Hey there, This is fantastic. I love this movie very much, and I saw it in the theatre. "Dance Hall Days" came out in '83. Friedkin liked the album Points On The Curve very much and asked the band to score the soundtrack. The Soundtrack was released in 1985, and it remains a classic. I am a huge Wang Chung fan, and just so it is known, the music was in between Dance Hall Days ('83) and Everybody Have Fun Tonight ('87).
I was lucky enough to see this at theater when it came out. One of my favorites still.
William Peterson doing his own stunt work in this film had to be in great shape at the time. This and Sorcerer among my Friedkin favorites to go along with his other more popular hits, Exorcist, French Connection. Jade was another film of his that I like that I feel was underrated.
YES, YES, YES
The point is, if you can’t come up with the front money... you ain’t for real. How many times I came home from a night out and put this on to quote the night away.
Saw it as a first run movie in Amsterdam. It was at the time the best action film I ever saw. That freeway scene is awesome.
I loved this movie, it just had the balls to *Go There* in a big bold way. Also the title track is written from the point of view of his informant who is trapped in this world by Peterson, and then later by Pankow.
It's the best Michael Mann movie not made by Michael Mann
I love how you do these videos to show us a movie we should watch just to fucking spoil it with clips, including the final fucking scene of the movie and all main characters' deaths.
For freaking real.
have to agree.. i was enjoying this recommendation..
then boom!.. ending ruined
This isn't just a great movie. It's one of the best movies made in the entire decade of the 80's. It has aged extremely well and even the 80's soundtrack is fantastic (including the title track). Best car chase of all time. Super stressful!!
The Sorcerer is such underapreciated movie considering the quality of production. Thankfully, Blu-Ray edition allows to discover it and admire.
I prefer the earlier French Film "Wages of Fear" of which Sorcerer is a remake.
Clouzot's "Wages of Fear" is a classic, great movie indeed. Though in Friedkin's remake I feel the spirit of cinema of the 70s, especially in the first act where we see the background of each character. The episodes in Jerusalem and especially in Paris are fascinating.
@@unclepatrick2 The original tries way too hard to be serious and anti-American.
Has one of the best car chases ever filmed..william peterson is criminally underrated.
This and Shakedown are two gems I never get tired of watching.
Shakedown is a fun movie.
Shakedown is awesome.
Yeah, you drive, I’ll shoot. NO, I shoot, YOU DRIVE! Peter Weller to Sam Elliott. from Shakedown.
You're BUSTED
Just rewatched this in the wake of Friedkin's death and it still mesmerizes. Just a masterful mix of 80s excess with that bleak Friedkin cynicism. And the ending is still as shocking as the first time I watched it 30 years ago.
Watched it many times while working on a graphic novel in 2017-8. Peterson is intense, and Pankow is a great partner. That car chase is epic. Never bettered.
This movie and manhunter were the reason I started watching CSI for a while.
Man Hunter was better than
The silence of the lambs..
Much more believable movie.
Not many have seen that movie either..
@@Scotkhuncap I saw manhunter long before silence of the lambs and I like the movie for the hunt for the killer. the few words said by Brian Cox as Lecktor are enough to know that this guy can get into your head even behind bars and still almost gets Will even in jail just by a phone call. Thats enough to know how smart Lecktor is and that is better than him just going rampage to see how brutal he is, in my opinion. I like silence of the lambs but you almost forget they are out to catch a killer as he seems secondary compared to the killer in manhunter and I always thought the more evil guy got away and this other mixed up not so intelligent killer is killed rightly so but at a price which seems worse. it ends with this very intelligent evil man just strolling away at the end away to go kill the doctor which your obviously meant to hate and thats a bit confusing as your thinking, well they caught that nutter but now that even more dangerous guy is on the loose.
*NO spoilers, that ending..
'I didn't see that coming ."*
- Quicksilver
Man I absolutely loved this movie. 80’s classic.
I've practically memorized this film. You can't have an 80s action film like this without those of the 70s (e.g., this vs The Seven-Ups), etc. Each decade owes its predecessors, even if novel.
I love this part where Chance is driving to the informant's house and the track Lullaby transitions from verse to chorus as he enters the house. It's perfect.
"to live and die in L.A" feels like the movie that Michael Mann never made
Good point. Mann answered a year later with 'Manhunter', also starring William Pedersen, which is actually a better Silence of the Lambs movie than any of the Demme versions (although I'm a Demme fan). Check it out.
@@dvdny Manhunter is a fine film but Mann discarded the crucial substance of the book.
@@ricardocantoral7672 That could very well be, I didn't read it. Thanks for the heads up.
The sequence showing the process of counterfeiting money and aging the bills was a standout in an already amazing film.
One of the few examples of a movie being better than the book.
William Friedkin specifically instructed Wang Chung NOT to write a theme song with lyrics to the movie. They did anyway, and when they played it for Friedkin, he went and filmed an opening scene to go with it.
You finally got around to it. This is one of the all-time underrated movies, particularly of its era.
This is a really good movie. Petersen's fate really makes it work for me. It's a good change of pace from the predictable.
This movie is vastly underrated. The acting is terrific, the action scenes are expertly filmed (especially the freeway chase) & a real good subversion of which hero makes it 😉
That was a suprise for me, found it on TH-cam and man.... William is beautiful in this movie
Yes, and those legs❤️. I just have a thing about bowlegged men🥰
“You’re workin’ for me now...”
I saw this movie when it was new. I still really like it, 80's were cool as hell.
I saw this masterpiece when I was 12 when it came out. It has remained my fav crime drama of all time. Along with the soundtrack. Wang Chung put that soundtrack together in two weeks!
Loved this movie from day one!!! Always had a Miami vice feel to it!!! MIAMI VICE FOREVER!!
To live and die in L A is one of my favorite songs.
The whole Soundtrack is great.
Same, I own the soundtrack on vinyl and CD.
To bad Wang Chung didn't last longer. The music they did for To Live was fantastic.
to me this film is one of the best action films of all time.
The production of this film is a story in itself.
It's a shame you haven't mention:
a. How two DOJ agencies almost shut this film down for both violating security measures during the airport shoot and how surprisingly accurate the counterfeiting scenes were
b. How the car chase scene was shot in real time during la's busiest hours.
c. How this film was about to be X-rated by the MPAA
d. That there are strangely two versions of the film which does NOT include the date and times of some scenes.
e. Michael Mann sued William Friedkin for plagiarism over the concept of Miami Vice but was overturned.
One of the first VHS we rented when we got our first VCR 🎄 1986. Gritty ass movie amd everybody I show it to loves it.
Couldn't wait to rent it back then.
Another great 80s cop movie was "Year of the Dragon" with Mickey Rourke
The endings fantastic
That movie is one of the best Mickey rourke movies
For once I can say I've heard of this movie and I'm a huge fan of it! I rented it back in the day and really didn't like it that much, but there was something about it that called me back. One of my favorite crime dramas now.
This movie is damn near impossible to stream in the US
"To Live and Die in LA" is very good. I always enjoy watching this movie.
William Peterson also stars in another movie that falls into this same category of
"Best movie you never saw".
"Long Gone".
One of my favorites, and a very underrated baseball movie,
It also co-stars Dermot Mulroney, and a hot looking Viginia Madson. Worth checking out.
I fucking love this movie, it’s criminally underrated
Seen it in the 80's and was pretty much awed by Petersen frustrated cop character and the wily Willrm Dafoe. I love this film. The soundtrack by Wang chung is epic!
This is my favourite cop film. I discovered it about 15 years ago.
William Peterson is amazing in it.
Clearly you can see how it influenced such films as Lethal Weapon. The main protagonist's intensity, his partner days off from retirement. Even (possibly?) Coining the phrase 'i'm too old for this shit'.
Just blew my mind that it went under my radar for so long.
Cruisin' was not a bad film. It was a companion to Looking for Mr. Goodbar. What that film was pointing out was the dangers of cruising in straight bars, while Cruisin' dealt with the same topic but in gay bars. It has become clear over time--not just with Cruisin' but with films like Song of the South, Gone With The Wind, Westside Story and others--is that any film that shows minorities in a light different from the modern light is somehow phobic, ism, or ist. The people who lived in the 1970s and went to gay bars know that the depiction--if unflattering--is accurate. Just as films made before Roots that dealt with slavery and depicted the slaves as anything but HOSTILE to the condition are unflattering and must be erased. Not because the films are inaccurate--those living in the days of the slaves wrote diaries--yes other people than Alex Hailey's family kept diaries--and in those pages we can see references to house slaves (like Mammy in GWTW, and Chicken George in ROOTS) who were content living as slaves. That fact does not make slavery good, nor does it make it bad, it is just a fact. So, whenever you see someone crying out from the modern day about depictions of something from the past, research it, and see IF that depiction is accurate (and thus unflattering) to the whiner, or if it is false. The more you know.
This is a great movie, loved it!!! It holds up really really well and the Ending is shocking, I'm pretty sure Scorsese copied it for Departed.
After this and Streets of Fire I hoped Dafoe would have played Joker but they picked Nicholson instead
Dafoe turned the role down despite being highly interested. My guess is Warner Bros would’ve wanted someone of Nicholson far more than a character actor
I would hate to see anyone but Jack in that film !
Never saw? Huh? I saw this movie for $1.50 at the theater. Boy, I am old.
Willem Dafoe as the bad guy, probably the best casting choice ever done, and has been repeated alot since,LOL.
Peterson was a great call too.
I watched this for the first time last month and loved it. However I must make note that it is not streaming anywhere and both Blu-rays are out of print
I want to see it so much but can't find it anywhere 🥺
@@NeverSaySandwich1 You can get it from Arrow video in the UK. Don't know if that is any help to you.
@@nordvox I'm an American, so it doesn't. Thanks though 😥
@@NeverSaySandwich1 Go to the TH-cam channel Redux Visions, click his video ‘To Live and Die In L.A. is a Masterpiece’, and in the video description is a link to the whole movie
One of the greatest movies ever made.
This movie was great, very underrated. William Petersen an underrated actor never got the credit he deserved, who BTW also was in the first Red Dragon serial killer epic ( which was much better than the 2002 one).
Having been an LA resident at the time, I saw this in the theater and was satisfied and impressed. I didn't really follow directors at the time so finding out about Friedkin's pedigree was great. To Live and Die in LA is unique, because there's not many films about the enforcement arm of the US Treasury.
Can’t count how many towns me and my buddy watched this on VHS in the eighties....great movie, great actors, great soundtrack! It was eerie, when I finally re-connected with him a few years back we watched and realized the last time we’d both seen it was when we were fourteen and watched it together!
5:14 - loved this movie but did not remember that this, like Die Hard and Lethal Weapon, was yet another cop movie taking place around Christmas. 😃
A superb film, the score in particular by Wang Chung is incredible.
Got to see them do the theme song live a few years ago.
@@JoBloOriginalsWould love to seem them live myself, such a shame they never quite got the success they should have had though.
Well I saw it years ago on C4. Peterson explodes off the screen with the sort of physical energy that most actors would kill for. During the car chase I nearly fell out of my chair when the car crossed in front of the train! I can't believe they did that.
Mueller's photography is sensational. Worth getting on Blu ray.
I saw it back in the day and always remembered it. It should be considered a classic.
Lots of 80s action looks really dated and cheesy now though classic or not even the original Terminator compared to T2.
All time favourite! Not best, but fav. I remember watching this on the big screen in 1985, in disbelief at what Friedkin had gotten away with. A studio movie without a single redeemable soul. Still amazes me!
I've seen this movie about 20 times since it released; an instant classic in my opinion. I like the Wang Chung soundtrack instead of mixed artists from the 1980''s and from the opening I'm drawn back in time. The movie has such great ambiance, action, and actors. Your review is 100%
Underrated film and it would be great to see a sequel. It's cousin the original "Point Break" is another one that deserves a sequel. Great video.
How did Willem Defoe age like 40 years between this and Platoon????
Cruising wasn’t homophobic it was an accurate depiction of the gay S&m scene in the 70s.
The "Psychemagik" remix of Dance Hall Days is awesome btw. That's all. Just a shoutout.
This is my favorite film of all time.
The kids these days always say "Oh, like the Tupac song."
No. It's the other way around.
City Of The Angels is my favorite track from this movie
I saw this as a kid and still stuck with me, I dug it then and now
The movie had great reviews and word of mouth but casting lesser known actors kept it from drawing in viewers. I saw for the first time on cable last week and it lived up to the hype, and then some. The casting was excellent.
I first saw this movie about 10 years ago flipping channels. I stopped what I was doing and watched the rest of the movie. I think by the next day I had ordered the DVD. It's such a great movie for so many reasons. I'll always have a bias about that since it's one of my top 5. I was pleasantly surprised to find out Friedkin directed it, as my dad introduced me to The French Connection early on, and that movie is a favorite of mine as well.
The car chase scene is UNBELIEVABLE ! That was the best part of the movie.
This is one of my all-time favorite crime films it’s ridiculously underrated it has a Miami Vice vibe to it Which I see you as a compliment.