To Live and Die in L.A. (film): Difference between revisions

1985 film by William Friedkin

To Live and Die in L.A. is a 1985 American neo-noir^[1][2] action crime thriller film directed and co-written by William Friedkin and based on the 1984 novel by former United States Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay with Friedkin. The film features William Petersen, Willem Dafoe and John Pankow among others. 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.

After foiling an assassination attempt on President Reagan, Secret Service agents Richard Chance and Jimmy Hart are assigned as counterfeiting investigators in the Los Angeles field office. Chance has a reputation for reckless, impulsive behavior and, unbeknownst to his superiors in the Service, is also corrupt. Hart is three days away from retirement. Alone, Hart stakes out a warehouse in the desert thought to be a print house of counterfeiter and artist Eric “Rick” Masters, and is killed by Masters and his bodyguard, Jack. Chance proclaims to his new partner, John Vukovich, that he will take Masters down no matter what.

The two agents attempt to get information on Masters by putting one of his criminal associates, attorney Max Waxman, under surveillance. Vukovich falls asleep on watch, which allows Masters to murder Waxman, who had crossed him. While Vukovich wants to go by the book, Chance becomes increasingly reckless and unethical in pursuit of Masters. He relies on his sexual-extortion relationship with parolee/informant Ruth for information, while Vukovich meets privately with Masters’ associates, including attorney Bob Grimes, whom he attempts to flip. Grimes, acknowledging a potential conflict of interest that could ruin his legal practice, agrees to set up a meeting between his client and the two agents, who pose as doctors from Palm Springs interested in Masters’ counterfeiting services. Masters is reluctant to work with them, but ultimately agrees to print them $1 million worth of fake bills.

In turn, Masters demands $30,000 in front money, which is three times the authorized agency limit for buy money. To get the cash, Chance persuades Vukovich to aid him in robbing Thomas Ling, a man whom Ruth previously told Chance is bringing in $50,000 cash to purchase stolen diamonds. Chance and Vukovich intercept Ling at Union Station and seize the cash in an industrial area under the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Ling’s cover people follow them and, while observing the robbery, open fire and accidentally kill Ling. Chance and Vukovich try to evade them through the streets, freeways and even one of the flood control channels, before a final escape by going the wrong way on the freeway.

The next day, the end of their daily briefing includes a bulletin that Ling was an undercover FBI agent who was killed while engaging in a sting operation. Only a generic description of the assailants and their vehicle is given. While Chance and Vukovich did not kill Ling, Vukovich is nonetheless consumed by guilt, while Chance is apathetic and focused solely on getting Masters. Unable to persuade Chance to come clean about their role in Ling’s death, Vukovich meets with Grimes, who advises him to turn himself in and testify against Chance in exchange for a lighter sentence. Vukovich refuses to implicate his partner. Chance sets up the buy with Masters, who seems to hint that he is aware of the heist.

Chance and Vukovich meet with Masters for the exchange. After inspecting the counterfeit million, the agents attempt to arrest Masters and Jack, but Jack pulls a shotgun. Jack and Chance fatally shoot each other, and Masters escapes. Vukovich gives chase, going to a warehouse a previous informant had told him about. By the time he arrives, Masters has set fire to everything inside, destroying all evidence. Vukovich confronts Masters and during a brief struggle, Masters asks Vukovich why he did not take Grimes’ advice to turn his partner in, revealing that Grimes was working on Masters’ behalf all along. While Vukovich is stunned at the revelation, Masters grabs a board and knocks him unconscious. Masters then covers Vukovich with shredded paper and is about to set him on fire when Vukovich comes round and shoots Masters. Masters drops his lighter and accidentally sets himself ablaze. Vukovich shoots the burning man, continuing to pull the trigger of his empty gun as Masters burns alive.

Dressed more casually, Vukovich visits Ruth as she packs up to leave Los Angeles. He mentions Chance’s death, suggesting she had known all along that Ling was an FBI agent and she had played Chance. He knows Chance left her with the remaining cash, which the agency now wants back, but Ruth says she needed it to pay debts. Vukovich declares that Ruth is now working for him, turning into the same “whatever it takes” agent that Chance had been, and stopping her efforts to escape her shady life.