To Live and Die in L.A. (December 16/03)

Though To Live and Die in L.A. is essentially entertaining throughout, the film's reliance on 1980s flourishes (the soundtrack's by Wang Chung, for crying out loud) and underlying element of sleaze keeps it from becoming the biting and gritty thriller director William Friedkin clearly wants it to be.

After his partner is brutally murdered, Federal Agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) becomes a man on a mission and begins breaking all the rules just to nab the guy that did it. When Chance discovers the identity of the counterfeiter responsible for the hit, he starts putting together the pieces for a bust that will put the man away for good - much to the consternation of his new partner, a straight-laced agent (played by John Pankow).

To Live and Die in L.A. is undeniably very well made - from the performances to the more technical aspects - but the bottom line is, it's just not all that compelling. Though it's easy enough to identify with Chance's mission, illegal as it may be, the screenplay (written by Friedkin and Gerald Petievich) never allows us to identify with the man. Friedkin would undoubtedly argue that that's precisely the point; Chance isn't the sort of person most of us would ever want to emulate. But given that he's meant to be the protagonist of this story, we need to be able to root for him on some level; hoping that he doesn't get busted or killed simply isn't enough.

The underlying realism of the film is often negated by laughable '80s touches (Chance actually calls someone "righteous," in addition to using the term "man" far too much), although some might say this is actually a positive thing. Perhaps the film captures what life was like for an agent in 1985, and that's just the way such a person would speak. But even if that's the case, there's just something overly theatrical about some of the speeches and off-the-cuff moments of dialogue.

As an action movie, though, To Live and Die in L.A. excels. The highlight of the film is, without a doubt, a car chase that occurs towards the end. It probably helps that Friedkin likely felt a lot of pressure to top the legendary chase from The French Connection, because this one is far more adventurous and exciting (at one point, the pursuit winds up on the wrong side of the freeway). The film is also incredibly violent, especially when compared to the toned-down, PG-13 antics of today's action flicks. There's certainly a heightened sense of authenticity that comes into play when the violence is this gritty and unexpected; any number of these characters could be shot in the face at any time.

The film marked CSI star Petersen's first film, and his electrifying performance goes a long way towards keeping things interesting. With better-than-expected supporting turns from Dafoe and Pankow, the film is certainly one of the more entertaining failures of Friedkin's career - and hey, considering he also made the execrable Jade, that's a good thing.