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To Live and Die in L.A. (Special Edition)

William Petersen (Actor), Willem Dafoe (Actor), William Friedkin (Director, Writer) Rated:
R
Format: DVD
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,062 ratings
IMDb7.3/10.0
$19.54
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DVD
December 2, 2003
Special Edition
1
$19.54
$19.09 $5.98
Genre Action & Adventure
Format AC-3, Special Edition, NTSC, Anamorphic, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Closed-captioned, Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby See more
Contributor Debra Feuer, Darlanne Fluegel, Dean Stockwell, William Petersen, Jack Hoar, Robert Downey Sr., Christopher Allport, Willem Dafoe, William Friedkin, John Turturro, Gerald Petievich, John Pankow, Michael Greene, Steve James See more
Language English, Spanish, French
Runtime 1 hour and 56 minutes
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Product Description

Product description

A secret service agent becomes obsessed with destroying a counterfeiter responsible for his partner's death.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: R
Release Date: 8-JUN-2004
Media Type: DVD

Set Contains:

The DVD debut delivers a pristine print and excellent sound for this harried 1985 film; director William Friedkin tells us there has never been a better print of his film after he and technicians worked on the DVD. Friedkin talks up a storm on his commentary track, but everything you need to know is in the excellent 30-minute making-of short that covers all the bases very nicely. The alternate ending, which was filmed under protest, is a hoot to watch, and was correctly jettisoned. --Doug Thomas

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 2.88 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ William Friedkin
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ AC-3, Special Edition, NTSC, Anamorphic, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen, Closed-captioned, Multiple Formats, Color, Dolby
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 56 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2003
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro
  • Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ Spanish, French
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish, French
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), Unqualified
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ MGM (Video & DVD)
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00005JLJW
  • Writers ‏ : ‎ Gerald Petievich, William Friedkin
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,062 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,062 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

blueog
5.0 out of 5 stars Yikes!
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2024
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Excellent copy of a Friedkin cult favorite.
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Louis S. Menyhert
5.0 out of 5 stars Great film noir movie
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2023
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Great film noir movie set in LA. Great acting, pacing, mmany twists and turns. Never predictable. They just don't make them like they used to.
One person found this helpful
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A Forest Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars Eighties Perfection
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2012
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Bought this movie on the strengh of Amazon reviews, was not disappointed. Not the sort of movie that they'd edit for a Saturday afternoon movie on television, this is a great story with a perfect eighties soundtrack by Wang Chung.

Although I love the first Beverly Hills Cop, I think this movie was intended to be the precise opposite of that sort of film. Hard, gritty, with a deadly cast where the cops are just as determined as the criminals. This is to the world of counterfeiters and the secret service agents that track them the way that Jack Bauer and 24 is to the war on terror. Hyper-elevated reality, I guess you could say.

As you will learn from the documentary, many of the scenes of the movie were filmed after the actors were told to practice a scene. Then the director (William Friedkin) would say "cut", and they'd use that in the film!

I ended up buying the Wang Chung soundtrack to this film after seeing it, the various tracks really capture the feeling of the eighties. Wang Chung never made a movie soundtrack before, but you'd never know that from listening to this.

Besides the great retrospective documentary, the movie also includes an amazing commentary track from the director. I say amazing because he tells you this is not going to be a precise play-by-play for the film, and then gives you a great two hour lecture on how movies are made, and what went into this film. William Friedkin has such a great speaking voice you forgot he's the director, great to see the movie for itself and then to watch it with the commentary track.

Without trashing other people's work (Transporter 2 comes to mind), see this film and find out what great filmmaking is like. Not one bit of computer graphics in this one, every scene had to be filmed at the right moment. This is as real as the counterfeit world of LA gets.
12 people found this helpful
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cookieman108
4.0 out of 5 stars A sometimes uneven but highly under rated thriller.
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2003
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To Live and Die in LA is an excellent movie, despite any minor flaws I may have noticed during my recent viewing. It stars William L. Petersen (Manhunter) as federal agent Richard Chance. He's an adrenaline junky, seemingly living for that next fix, unable or unwilling to establish any real connections with other humans other than that of his long time partner and mentor, a soon to be retiring agent. Did I say 'soon to be retiring' agent? Maybe I should have said soon to be dying, as, in Hollywood, they mean the same thing...major cliché, but I got past that, as the film is really good.
Anyway, the old-timer agent gets kakked, in a particularly nasty fashion, during a solo investigation of a recent facility used by a particularly skilled counterfeiter Eric 'Rick' Masters, played by Willem Dafoe. Seems Masters has been under investigation for a while, and this agent just happened to get a little too close. (As the editorial review gives away this plot point, I didn't feel like I was spoiling anything giving it up, too...)
With the death of his friend and partner, the investigation becomes personal for Agent Chance, and the boundaries of the law and proper procedures become blurred in his quest to take Masters down. This raises some serious conflicts with Chance's new partner, John Vulovich, played by John Pankow.
The pace is a little uneven, but that wasn't a negative issue for me. Friedkin does a wonderful job in keeping the viewer drawn to the screen. Sometimes I wondered how the investigators got from point A to point B, as there was some minor muddling in the plot, but this did little to reduce my enjoyment of the movie as a whole.
One of my favorite parts of the movie was the car chase scene where agents Chance and Vukovich procure monies needed to make a deal with Masters outside of normal practices, and are subsequently pursued by a number of mysterious individuals interested in stopping them. The scene is extremely gripping and realistically portrayed, reminiscent of the chase scene from The French Connection (1971), also directed by Friedkin.
While this movie is not at the level of The French Connection, it certainly holds it's own. It was really nice to see Friedkin return close to form with this movie. Also, this movie is helped along with a strong, supporting cast including John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, and Debra Feuer.
The picture and sound quality are excellent, and there are enough special features to make this 'special edition' actually fit the label, including an alternate ending and deleted scene, commentary by the director, a making of documentary, a photo gallery, and various trailers for the movie. After watching the movie, be sure to watch the alternate ending and see how the studio almost botched the movie by trying to tack on a completely goofy ending for fear that the original ending would not sit well with audiences. It's truly hilarious and serves as an excellent example of what happens when studio executives try to get involved in the creative process.
15 people found this helpful
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Mike Ellis
5.0 out of 5 stars Suspenseful movie
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2023
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Action packed movie from beginning to end
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Rick Spell
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Movie Made Better
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2003
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I have always been a fan of this movie for its portrayal of the seedy side of LA, a place of which I am a fan. Viewed now, this is very 1980s. This DVD is probably best remembered as the starting point of the careers for William Peterson and William Defoe, two actor's actors. Both have gone on to fame but neither of who has sold out for money or fame only. And this is where the DVD is at it's best. Friedkin gives freely of his style and history of the movie for an excellent narrative that would be enjoyed by all aspiring movie making students. Of particular interest is the casting director used and how these actors were picked. I was so fascinated by Friedkin's narrative that I used the option to watch the movie in its entirety with Friedkin's tell-all voiceover. I then watched the alternate ending that I didn't like and am glad they stayed with the present version. Then I later watched the movie which I hadn't seen in years.
Another advantage of watching an aged movie like this with the director narrative is the ability to research what has happened to actors you may have enjoyed but don't remember seeing anywhere else. I always use IMDB.com to do this. In this movie the two stars both have attractive girlfriends who played interesting roles. It was interesting to hear one of them on the remake and notice how she had aged (gracefully) in 16 years and then view their film history (limited). Also, I have always liked William Peterson for this role. The description of his commitment to theater and how he got this role is a tribute to William Friedkin as well as the actor.
If you like studying movie history this is a must purchase. If you have an interest in street life in LA or like 80s culture and it's influences, this is a great review. I strongly recommend this DVD.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Alexander
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect!
Reviewed in Italy on November 21, 2023
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Best Blu Ray of this masterpiece, arrived in perfect conditions.
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Yogbog
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Crime Film
Reviewed in Canada on January 17, 2021
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I've loved this film since it was first released and this Special Edition is amazing. The film looks fantastic, it has a bunch of great extras, including the thankfully unused alternate ending, and you can never go wrong listening to William Friedkin talking about making films. Highly recommended!
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ウルトラマン
5.0 out of 5 stars さらば！ハリウッドの ラストアゲンスト・フィルムメイカー！　（暴れん坊将軍 マジギレのやりたい放題！）
Reviewed in Japan on September 9, 2023
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DHM（ダーティーハリー・メンタリティー）を、ここまで強烈に描いた作品は、「深作欣二監督作品 県警対組織暴力」のテイストが、炸裂し、「どんな正義も、悪を倒す為なら、道を外す」と言った「現実感」が、半端ない描写で、「マンガチックな、ポリス・アクション映画」に、「惜別」するエポック・メイキングとして、自分の中に、刻まれている。

娼婦を「飼い犬」として、「ネタ集め」するくだり、偽造紙幣の工場の割り出し、マスターズとの対面（逮捕の為の偽装工作）FBIアンダーカバーの誤殺　相棒の弁護士による裏工作（弁護士とマスターズは裏でコネクト）追い詰めながらの容赦ないチャンス捜査官の射殺　相棒ジョン・ヴコヴィッチの変貌

警官が「道を外す」描写に「手加減なし、マジギレ」の演出は、ある意味「マグナム・フォース」の現実か「私刑警察または黒い警察」の容認の必要性を意味していないだろうか？

※ ウィリアム・フリードキンは、2023年８月７日に、「鬼籍に入った」が、最後まで、「自分の信念を貫き妥協しない」フィルム・メイカー として、自分の中に、鮮明に記憶として、残る。
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Ken W
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gem
Reviewed in Australia on November 5, 2021
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This is a superlative crime drama by great director William Friedkin - made over thirty years ago - yet has not dated - and is as fresh and exciting as if it were made yesterday - particularly the almost unbelievable car chase scenes - and in every wonderfully constructed episode - shot throughout in Los Angeles.
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Mr. Jean Philippe Ollier
5.0 out of 5 stars VIVRE ET MOURIR A LOS ANGELES
Reviewed in France on September 26, 2013
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"Vivre et mourir à Los Angeles" tel est le titre original de To Live And Die in L.A., bêtement traduit en France "Police Fédérale Los Angeles", il est désolant que ce chef d'oeuvre indépassable du polar des années 1980 soit quasiment inconnu en France.
Oubliez définitivement, l'Arme Fatale, 48 Heures, le Flic de Beverly Hills.
William Friedkin signe un polar sans concession stylisé à l'extrème, une photo magnifique, une musique de Wang Chung qui a très bien vieilli, des parsonnages complexes sans manichéisme primaire, des acteurs peu connus du grand public qui font preuve d'une rare implication.
Film sans concession, le titre original en témoigne, Friedkin, sans compromis évite le happy end grotesque (que l'on peut voir sur la fin alternative en bonus du DVD US, heureusement écartée) sans spoiler le film, l'épilogue est une claque !

C'est Quentin Tarantino qui lors d'une interview au magazine Première vers 1995, me l'a fait découvrir.
J'ai pu le voir sur ARTE France la même année, et ce fut un choc.

Un film à revoir en boucle.
La scéne de poursuite en voiture est d'anthologie, souvent imitée, mais jamais égalée.

Au TOP 5 de mes films inoubliables.
4 people found this helpful
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