Review: Willam Friedkin’s ’80s Noir TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. Gets A Great 4K UHD Release From Arrow Films

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Niall Browne in Reviews

In an era of slick and commercial Hollywood thrillers, few films came as subversive as William Friedkin’s To Live And Die In L.A.. Friedkin’s modern noir is a cinematic shot to the face, a bold and brash thriller that grabs your expectations, shakes them to oblivion and then scatters them to the wind. If you think you’re getting Beverly Hills Cop, then you’ve got another thing coming.

To Live And Die In L.A. follows a pair of loose cannons, Secret Service agents (William Petersen and John Pankow) tracking down Willem Dafoe’s avant-garde artist turned counterfeiter through the criminal underworld of a very ‘80s Los Angeles.

Friedkin was always a filmmaker who pushed the boundaries of mainstream filmmaking. Just look at films like The French Connection, The Exorcist, Sorcerer, Killer Joe and others. Friedkin takes a film within a well worn genre and then flips it, blindsiding the audience with challenging storytelling. The lines of good and bad are blurred in To Live And Die In L.A. and Petersen and Pankow probably break more laws than they try to uphold in the film. On the surface, the film is a slick Hollywood film – a million miles away from the grit and grain of The French Connection but underneath there’s an inherent darkness that’s easy to overlook due to the bright visuals and synth score. There’s an urban legend that Michael Mann attempted to sue Friedkin for plagiarism over the similarities between the film and ‘80s TV hit, Miami Vice. That’s likely scuttlebutt and while the two share a similar aesthetic, Friedkin does things that Mann could never have managed on network television four decades ago.

To Live And Die In L.A. sees William Petersen make his screen leading man debut (ironically following a brief role in Mann’s Thief) and he comes out of the gate as a fully-fledged movie star. Swagger, machismo and gusto, Petersen’s Richard Chance is such a brash character and the actor perfectly nails every aspect. His second film was his exceptional turn as Will Graham in Michael Mann’s serial killer thriller, Manhunter, which was released the following year. Has an actor ever come out of the gate so white hot and somehow never managed to make the A-list? He’d go on to have massive success on television fifteen years later on the TV behemoth, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – but there’s an alternate reality out there where Petersen became a star on a par with the likes of Kevin Costner.

At the centre of To Live And Die In L.A. is the now legendary freeway chase, an expertly handled bravura sequence that’s breathtaking in its edge of seat tension. Friedkin wanted to surpass his car chase in The French Connection and he does that in spades. The fact that this was done in an era before digital effects makes it even more impressive. All this onscreen action is wonderfully scored by British pop duo Wang Chung and the synth-fuelled music perfectly augments the visuals captured by cinematographer Robby Müller. There’s an real synergy to the visual and aural aesthetic.

To Live And Die In L.A. was Friedkin’s follow-up to Deal Of The Century, a disastrous comedy starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines and Sigourney Weaver and it’s made with the fervour of a filmmaker with something to prove that only a box office flop can give you. It was a modest hit on release, but its reputation has only grown over the years – and its tangibility and energy make To Live And Die In L.A. an essential part of William Friedkin’s filmography.

Special Features

Arrow Films goes to town with this To Live And Die In L.A.. The 4K restoration from the original camera negative makes Robby Müller’s cinematography pop like it did back in 1985. The film also comes with a commentary from William Friedkin – a man with many opinions, who isn’t afraid to share them. He kicks things off my saying that he’s not going to be scene specific and he just keeps going. You could listen to him all day.

You also get interviews actors William Petersen, Dwier Brown and Debra Feuer as well as conversations with Wang Chung and stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker and the archival featurette about the making of the film.

There’s a brief deleted scene and a ridiculous alternative ending – which not only softens the impact of the entire movie, but removes the power of the film’s finale. Throw in the obligatory stills, trailers and radio spots and you have an essential look at William Friedkin’s neon-drenched noir.