A brilliant neo-noir film directed by William Friedkin, To Live and Die in LA is right up there with the best of his works, including The French Connection, Sorcerer, and The Exorcist. The script by Gerald Petievich, who wrote the novel, and Friedkin crackles with cynical wit as the cops use and double-cross the criminals, and the criminals return the favor to further their own ends. The action and manic energy of the film never flag, aided by Wang Chung’s propulsive score.
As is noir’s wont, To Live and Die in LA has a fatalistic ending with all of the characters trapped in their own predetermined nightmarish lives with no hope of escape, as if they are driving the wrong way on a one-way freeway ramp, a scene well depicted in the film.
Bryan Cassiday 