To Live and Die in L.A. (film)

To Live and Die in L.A.
To Live and Die in L.A.
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	William Friedkin
Screenplay by	William Friedkin; Gerald Petievich;
Based on	To Live and Die in L.A.; by Gerald Petievich
Produced by	Irving H. Levin
Starring	William Petersen; Willem Dafoe; John Pankow; Debra Feuer; John Turturro; Darlanne Fluegel; Dean Stockwell;
Cinematography	Robby Müller
Edited by	Bud S. Smith (sup.); M. Scott Smith; ;
Music by	Wang Chung
Production; companies	United Artists; New Century Productions; SLM Production Group;
Distributed by	MGM/UA Entertainment Co.
Release date	November 1, 1985 (US);
Running time	116 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$6 million
Box office	$17.3 million

To Live and Die in L.A. is a 1985 American neo-noir^[2]^[3] 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.

The film was released by MGM/UA Entertainment Co. on November 1, 1985. It received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its authenticity, the cinematography by Robby Müller, and its action sequences. It was a financial success, grossing $17.3 million from $6 million budget.

William Friedkin referred to the film as one of his favorites of his own works. In 2008, the film was voted by a group of Los Angeles Times staff as one of the best films set in Los Angeles in the previous 25 years.

^ Murphy, J. Kim (June 29, 2024). "Bud S. Smith, Editor of 'Sorcerer,' 'The Exorcist' and 'Flashdance,' Dies at 88". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
^ Schwartz, Ronald (2005). Neo-noir: The New Film Noir Style from Psycho to Collateral. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8108-5676-9.
^ Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; eds. (1992). Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (3rd ed.). Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-479-5

[1] Murphy, J. Kim (June 29, 2024). "Bud S. Smith, Editor of 'Sorcerer,' 'The Exorcist' and 'Flashdance,' Dies at 88". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2024.

[2] Schwartz, Ronald (2005). Neo-noir: The New Film Noir Style from Psycho to Collateral. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8108-5676-9.

[3] Silver, Alain; Ward, Elizabeth; eds. (1992). Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference to the American Style (3rd ed.). Woodstock, New York: The Overlook Press. ISBN 0-87951-479-5

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