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To Live and Die in LA a review
 [Movie Reviews ]
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MOOD: Euphoric
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To live and Die in LA- A review
By Darrell J Banks
I saw this movie when it was released. I loved it then, bought the soundtrack fell in love with Wang Chung and I will admit this review is biased. I give it ten smoke stacks.
If you want to find out why keep reading. I am on my third copy of the DVD I love this movie so much. For over thirty years I wanted to move to LA, since well 1977. How does this movie reflect the city. Well on the cover it says Freidkin’s best. I believe it is. Now this is the guy who directed the Exorcist.
Friedkin directed several other great films including the French Connection. He was born in the Midwest and according to IMDB.COM worked in the mail room. I once worked in the mail room at McGraw Hill. Perhaps this is where he learned his gritty style. LA most days is full of heat. Thus, the orange hot soaked trees and mountains are used here to perfection. Lights off.
Act 1 Scene 1 We are shown a presidential motorcade, card games and a want to be terrorist. Time frame the Reagan era, mid 1980's. Friedkin also wrote the screenplay. And his words form the basis of this movie that moves at light speed. We have CSI’s William Pertersen, Platoon’s Willem Dafoe and the great John Pankow ( Mad about You). This trio of good, bad and indifferent, shifting roles as the film moves through its three act structure make this movie.
Along with a sly bi role played by the future Daphne of Fraiser fame Jane Leeaves. You have to see her in underwear. We find ourselves in a movie that focuses on fake money, love, betrayal and self righteous greed,
Act 2 The secret service agents Petersen and Pankow find themselves trapped by their own plan. They seek the destruction of Dafoe and well will use any means necessary. Here the genius of Friedkin uses the myth and reality of LA, its freeway system to perfection. The car chases, the concrete river bed, all set against the heat of the city ( no pun intended Mr. De Niro) takes on a journey between right wrong and redemption.
Act 3 All is wrong, the lies have been told, and the concept of right verses wrong, friend verses betrayer are blurred by the orange/red glow of the LA sun. I think if you rent this film you will find like the two coffee servers said when they saw me carrying the DVD case a great movie.
10 smoke stacks
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