To Live & Die In L.A. - on DVD 12/2/03
At last, William Friedkin's 1985 corrupt-cop caper is being released on DVD. Starring William L. Petersen (as the edgy cop) and Willem Dafoe (brilliant as usual as a counterfeiter/art dealer), L.A. also has one of the coolest car chases ever, both in action and in discovering who's chasing who, and why. The film oozes with 1980s excessivity, but that's definitely one of the reasons it's so cool. Or maybe it's because parts of it were filmed in Pasadena, where I grew up.
Nah, it's gotta be the perfect Wang Chung soundtrack! :)
Great cinematography & acting, a very interesting & surprising plot with a somewhat disturbing ending, and tons of cool action make this a crime favorite of mine.
The disc is widescreen and has commentary by Friedkin, deleted scenes/alternate ending, and a making-of doc.
It also stars John Pankow, Dean Stockwell, Robert Downey Jr. and John Turturro.
I can finally store my VHS copy!