To Live and Die in L.A. Movie Review

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

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Written by: Gerald Petievich (based on the novel by), William Friedkin & Gerald Petievich (screenplay by)
Directed by: William Friedkin
Starring: William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, John Turturro, Dean Stockwell
Rated:  R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.

Verdict
It's a gritty 80s action movie, but it lacks character motivations to make this more engaging. Richard Chance is the cowboy cop that will stop at nothing to catch the bad guy, and the bad guy exists just to give Chance a motivation that will generate plot. It's moody and dark, but it's also easy to see why this gets overshadowed by movies like Lethal Weapon.
Skip it.

Review
This doesn't waste any time. In the first scene Chance (William Petersen) escorts the President. In the next scene he sees something amiss and finds a guy with a bomb. This covers a lot of ground quickly to get the story going. Chance and his partner at some point were assigned to counterfeiting. Chance's partner investigates a warehouse alone, seemingly off the books, and days away from retirement. None of that makes any sense, and he gets killed to provide Chance with a mission. Chance must avenge his partner and catch Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe). Don't worry, a lack of evidence is no problem.

William Petersen plays Richard Chance

Chance pursues Masters while Masters covers his tracks and takes out anyone that knew about his operation. It's a question of how far will Chance go. Is it justice or revenge? Of course he's paired with a straight laced, by the book partner that's bothered by Chance's immoral methods. Chance sleeps with his informant to illicit information and leads.

Chance manages to get a meeting with Masters, posing as a businessman looking to launder money. They broker a deal, but the police doesn't like funding a counterfeiter. Chance is an ends justifies the means type of guy, and he finds a criminal to rob. It seems certain that Chance's impulsivity will be his downfall, possibly everyone else's too. Everything he touches turns to dust.

Willem Dafoe plays Rick Masters

The person he decides to rob isn't exactly a criminal. This leads to a chase and more heat, though Chance does make out with the money. He's a cop that robbed someone just to catch a criminal, but there's no self reflection. His partner doesn't like the situation but still goes along with it.

While the ending picks up, I wouldn't call it good. More than one character was working against Chance, and it's hinted at the end that his partner is becoming corrupt too. With a name like To Live and Die in L.A., I was expecting more. This movie all too frequently takes the easy route to further the plot. Chance's motivations are built on such an unimaginative premise. Masters could have been an interesting villain, an art forger turned to counterfeiting. Unfortunately he exists just so Chance has someone to chase.