tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post853632633452891290..comments2024-03-28T14:49:36.133-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Friedkin Friday: To Live and Die in L.A. (1985): A Game of "Chance"John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-21386995734446587232012-02-05T01:59:55.208-05:002012-02-05T01:59:55.208-05:001985 was indeed a very good year for William Peter...1985 was indeed a very good year for William Peterson. It is a wonder why he never became a major film star, he certainly has the screen presence and charisma.<br /><br />I do think that though the film certainly looks and sounds like a Michael Mann film. Mann's characters seem less obsessive than Friedkin's, (maybe with the exception of Manhunter) Popeye Doyle and Chance seem to take law enforcement more personal, while Mann's characters, on the other hand seem to treat crime and law enforcement more businesslike, as a profession (think Heat).Trenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00419980258148279356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-53121457029103939762008-08-08T13:57:00.000-04:002008-08-08T13:57:00.000-04:00This is a great film and as others have noted cont...This is a great film and as others have noted contains strong stylistic echoes of Michael Mann's work. This is definitely Friedkin's last truly great film - altho, I think THE HUNTED has its moments.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-26385939633113976932008-07-29T00:44:00.000-04:002008-07-29T00:44:00.000-04:00John, you hit the nail on the head, buddy! Great a...John, you hit the nail on the head, buddy! Great analysis. Friedken is one of America's great directors, and very under appreciated....It seems he has fallen off the radar in a sense, unlike Scorsese who has become the darling of aging Hollywood. Anyway, great POV!- J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00354735693870313509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-29519920669623803562008-07-27T12:43:00.000-04:002008-07-27T12:43:00.000-04:00If memory serves, Mann actually sued Friedkin over...If memory serves, Mann actually sued Friedkin over "To Live and Die in L.A.," saying that Friedkin stole his idea for "Miami Vice"...Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02536096683421557320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-79664638298573379322008-07-26T14:35:00.000-04:002008-07-26T14:35:00.000-04:00It's funny that Kevin brings up the Michael Mann. ...It's funny that Kevin brings up the Michael Mann. I've always sort of associated To Live with Mann's work as well. And I've strongly associated To Live with Manhunter, likely due to the presence of Petersen. I think To Live is somewhat of a Friedkin riff on Mann. Wang Chung instead of Jan Hammer, just a tad less colorful, and a shared leading man. Great stuff all around.<BR/><BR/>Another interesting tidbit off Friedkin's commentary is how he encouraged Petersen to flagrantly violate the airport rules in an early chase scene (and hope that the authorities wouldn't bust them). What a character.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-43146882555876123772008-07-25T13:14:00.000-04:002008-07-25T13:14:00.000-04:00Nice review, John. You basically hit most of the ...Nice review, John. You basically hit most of the points that made me love the film so much. Part of my interest was in comparing it to films by the other master of crime sagas from that era (no, not Scorsese or Coppola)...Michael Mann. I think of TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. as being in the same realm as something like HEAT (1995). What you get is an oscillation between pointed realism (truth to character, to the spontaneity of life, to the complexity of choice) and incredible stylization (in TO LIVE's case and in the case of MIAMI VICE and/or MANHUNTER, the selective presentation of some of the excesses of the era, mixed with strongly symbolic color palates and a fantastic capacity to capture the living, sometimes sinister quality of the city). <BR/><BR/>I really respect Defoe's acting in this mode, as a villain not bounded by comic book hyperbole. Peterson is perfect as a loose cannon ostensibly on the side of good. <BR/><BR/>I also just managed to get a copy of the excellent Wang Chung soundtrack. I never thought I'd be using the last few words of that last sentence in tandem, but it is a great document and really makes the movie work.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14027317042801637354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-66470379858804071302008-07-25T12:39:00.000-04:002008-07-25T12:39:00.000-04:00I saw this film for the first time last year. May...I saw this film for the first time last year. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it just didn't live up to the hype. Your review makes me want to give it another day in court. I'm looking forward to your review of "Sorcerer." Like Jim, I actually prefer it to "The Wages of Fear."Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02536096683421557320noreply@blogger.com