7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
When his partner is murdered just days before retirement, Secret Service Agent begins an obsessive hunt for the killer counterfeiter and all-round psychopath.
Starring: William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John TurturroDrama | 100% |
Crime | 56% |
Film-Noir | 42% |
Action | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin (Traditional)
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
To Live and Die in L.A. occupies a strange place in director William Friedkin’s wildly uneven canon. After back-to-back success with The French Connection and The Exorcist, two films that still feel unconfined by their respective genres, Friedkin was seen as a talented fixture in the New Hollywood establishment. But then came a string of creative, critical, and financial failures—including Sorcerer, a big-budget remake of French director Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 thriller, The Wages of Fear—that had him on the outskirts for over a decade. In 1985, with the release of To Live and Die in L.A., Friedkin seemed to be making a triumphant return to the cops and criminals genre that first made him famous. And while the film was a modest hit, and would go on to find cult status on home video, it was only a stopgap for Friedkin, whose subsequent films, with the minor exception of 2007’s pyscho-horror freakout Bug, have been largely forgettable. (Was anyone else surprised when Lionsgate announced Jade for an April, 2010 Blu-ray release?) Live and Die finds Friedkin briefly recapturing some of the magic of The French Connection, but shake away the film’s peculiarities and it’s nothing more than a dated, good-cop-gone-bad caper with a tense but long- since surpassed car chase.
Willem Defoe blows...
To Live and Die in L.A. makes its first U.S. appearance on Blu-ray with a good but never great 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that makes a modest improvement over the DVD, a copy of which is also included with this release. The 1.85:1 framed image has a softened-with-age look that's characteristic of the film's time period. Even in tight close-ups most fine detail goes unresolved, leaving textures indistinct and background objects hazy around the edges, even when they are in focus. Compared to Criterion's recent renovation of Paris, Texas—a film from the same era that was also shot by cinematographer Robby Muller—To Live and Die in L.A. has a blander, flatter appearance throughout. Colors are very natural—there's no stylization here at all— and aside from the strong red and green lighting inside a strip club, there's nothing that stands out as particularly vivid. Neither are the colors wishy washy, however, which is something that I can't say for the film's inconsistent black levels. Sometimes murky, sometimes deep, sometimes gray— daylight scenes look best but nighttime interiors suffer frequently under crushed shadows. A heavy spackling of grain buzzes over the image, with additional noise joining the mix during some of the darker sequences. Aside from some minor color pixilation I didn't spot any overt technical troubles through, and there's none of the pesky edge enhancement that plagues the DVD.
My feelings are conflicted on the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. On one hand, the mix is much more engaging than I had expected it to be, especially for a film that was shot before multi-channel mixing was the norm. Ambience fills out the soundfield when called for, giving us crackling embers, barroom chatter, and L.A. traffic congestion, while channel movements are less than impressive but at least present, with cars, trucks, and trains all roaring through the rear speakers with relative frequency. On the inevitable other hand, however, the track seems brittle dynamically. Bass response is flat, the mid-range sounds slightly squashed, and the high end is at times cringingly brash. Just try to listen to Wang Chung's piercing electro-snare hits or the mechanical clatter of Master's printing press without either wincing or turning the volume down. Dialogue is properly prioritized, though, and aside from a few obvious ADR moments, everything sounds natural and convincing. All in all, the films both sounds its age and doesn't sound its age, if that makes sense.
Okay, prepare to be mildly annoyed. This release of To Live and Die in L.A. recycles all of the bonus material from the 2003 DVD, but instead of being ported over to the Blu-ray disc—which includes only a Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:06)—the material was kept right there on the included DVD, where it's always been. If you want to check out any of the supplements, you've got to swap discs. And this is especially obnoxious if you want to listen to William Friedkin's excellent commentary track—you'll have to watch the film again, but in standard definition. The DVD also includes Counterfeit World: The Making of To Live and Die in L.A. (SD, 29:51), a typical but informative documentary with lots of interviews, production stills, and B-roll footage, as well as an Alternate Ending Featurette (SD, 8:40), a Deleted Scene Featurette (SD, 4:26), and a Still Gallery that contains around 60 photos. You can also choose to watch Alternate Ending Only and Deleted Scene Only, but since this footage is already included at the end of each featurette, I don't really see the point.
Someone broke the freshness seal on To Live and Die in L.A. and the film is way past its expiration date. There are splotches of 1980s mold all over the thing, but if you're willing to eat around the fuzzy patches, there's a decently filling cop drama to be had. Personally, I can't get into it—too many clichés, too much forced dialogue—but I can understand why the film's fans like it. If you're one of them, you'll probably be satisfied but not wowed by the audio/video presentation on Blu-ray, and it's more than likely that you'll be annoyed by having to swap discs to watch the supplementary features. Is the upgrade worth it? It's a trade-off, really, but if you like the film, I'd say pick up the Blu-ray and sell your old DVD copy—there's one included anyway.
1985
Collector's Edition
1985
1985
4K Restoration
1985
2011
2014
1981
2014
The Dirty Harry Collection
1976
Fifty Dead Men Walking
2008
Warner Archive Collection
1972
Limited Edition
2015
1955
1990
4K Restoration
1973
1968
2004
The Dirty Harry Collection
1983
Filmmakers Signature Series | Remastered
1971
1950
Limited Edition to 3000
1961
2013
Import
1978
1984