To Live and Die in L.A.
To Live and Die in L.A. is a 1985 American neo-noir action thriller film directed and co-written by William Friedkin. It is based on the 1984 novel of the same name by former U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay with Friedkin. It stars William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel and Dean Stockwell. Wang Chung composed and performed the original music soundtrack. The film tells the story of the lengths to which two Secret Service agents go to arrest a counterfeiter.
Plot
After foiling an assassination attempt by an Islamic jihadist on President Reagan, Secret Service agents Richard Chance and Jimmy Hart are assigned as counterfeiting investigators in the Los Angeles field office. Days away from retirement, Hart stakes out a warehouse in the desert used by artist-turned-counterfeiter Eric "Rick" Masters and is killed by Masters and his bodyguard, Jack. Chance, who has earned a reputation for impulsive behavior, vows to his new partner, John Vukovich, that he will take Masters down by any means necessary.
More details
| author | Gerald Petievich William Friedkin |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | Los Angeles |
| director | William Friedkin |
| editor | access-date=2024-08-07 Bud S. Smith date=2024-06-29 first=J. Kim last=Murphy magazine=[[Variety url= Variety |
| events | United States Secret Service |
| genre | action crime thriller |
| keywords | assassination attempt betray brief burn car chase counterfeit down payment extortion fbi fbi agent federal bureau of investigation follow front money kill meet mule murder offshore bank palm springs president president of the united states reagan ronald reagan secret service sixth street viaduct spring surveillance union station |
| musicBy | Wang Chung |
| producer | Irving H. Levin |
| productionCompany | New Century Productions SLM Production Group United Artists |
| publisher | MGM/UA Entertainment Co. |
| recordedAt | Malibu |
| theme | chase independent neo-noir |