1 / 8
ERA
Did you know
41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
To Live and Die in L.A.
"A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode."
1985 1h 56m EN
👍
7.1
SOLID
★7.1TMDB · 847
CrimeThrillerAction
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
When his longtime partner on the force is killed, reckless U.S. Secret Service agent Richard Chance vows revenge, setting out to nab dangerous counterfeit artist Eric Masters.
“A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode.”
Where to watch · US
Cast
William L. Petersen
Richard Chance
Willem Dafoe
Rick Masters
John Pankow
John Vukovich
Debra Feuer
Bianca Torres
John Turturro
Carl Cody
Dean Stockwell
Bob Grimes
Darlanne Fluegel
Ruth Lanier
Michael Greene
Jim Hart
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- William Friedkin
- Writers
- Gerald Petievich, William Friedkin
- Languages
- Arabic, English, Spanish
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
2 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, English, Spanish.
MoodPlayr · trivia#02
3 / 8
CAST
Did you know
229+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
MoodPlayr · trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by William Friedkin, shot by Robby Müller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr · trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Nick Feldman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr · trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor M. Scott Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr · trivia#06
7 / 8
CAST
Did you know
William L. Petersen and Willem Dafoe and John Pankow carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr · trivia#07
8 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode.".
MoodPlayr · trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
William Friedkin directs. Robby Müller behind the camera. Nick Feldman scores. M. Scott Smith cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Arabic, English, Spanish.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Arabic, English, Spanish.
- 3229+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
- 4Directed by William Friedkin, shot by Robby Müller. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 5Original score by Nick Feldman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 6Editor M. Scott Smith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 7William L. Petersen and Willem Dafoe and John Pankow carry the top of the cast.
- 8Marketing tagline: "A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is about to explode.".
- 9IMDB entry: tt0090180 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 10Classified under 16 themes, including "hold-up robbery", "bungee-jump", "cop", "revenge".
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Robby Müller
- Original score
- Nick Feldman
- Editing
- M. Scott Smith
- Production design
- Lilly Kilvert
- Costume design
- Linda M. Bass
- Makeup / hair
- Jeff Dawn
- Sound
- Robert Glass
- Stunt coordinator
- Pat E. Johnson
- Runtime
- 116 min · 1h 56m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $6,000,000
- Box office
- $17,307,019
- Return
- 288% of budget
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- R
Also by
William Friedkin
Stills · wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- griggs79★ 8/10
To Live and Die in L.A. is a sharp, cynical thriller where style trumps sentiment. Friedkin pairs bold visuals with a pulsing Tangerine Dream score, driving a fast, morally murky plot. Corruption spreads, rules bend, and no one stays clean. The car chase is a highlight—second only to The French Connection. Boldly killing off the lead mid-film, it bridges classic noir and modern thrillers. In this world, survival means faking it better than the rest.
Production companies
Who made it
SLM Production Group
US
- NE
New Century Productions
US
Key crew
- Sound RecordistRodger Pardee
- Sound RecordistJean-Louis Ducarme
- Executive ProducerSamuel Schulman
- NovelGerald Petievich
- ProducerIrving H. Levin
- EditorM. Scott Smith
- Additional EditingJere Huggins
- Second Unit Director of PhotographyRobert D. Yeoman
- Stunt CoordinatorPat E. Johnson
- Unit Production ManagerJohn J. Smith
- Supervising EditorBud S. Smith
- Second Unit DirectorBud S. Smith
- First Assistant DirectorCharles Myers
- Assistant Set DecorationPortia Iverson
- Second Assistant DirectorBob Roe
- Stunt CoordinatorBuddy Joe Hooker
- Assistant Set DecorationRichard K. Hummel
- Co-ProducerBud S. Smith
- Best Boy ElectricScott Guthrie
- Color TimerAubrey Head
- Assistant EditorJoe Mosca
- Assistant EditorJill Smith
- Negative CutterDonah Bassett
- Transportation CaptainRichard Brasic
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- hold-up robbery
- bungee-jump
- cop
- revenge
- counterfeit
- los angeles, california
- blunt
- secret service
- counterfeit money
- mysterious
- neo-noir
- factual
- conspiracy thriller
- audacious
- bold
- distressing
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1985-11-01R
Also known as
International titles
- Police Fédérale Los AngelesFR
- 驚天大行動HK
- Отмъщение в Ел ЕйBG
- Elää ja kuolla L.A:ssaFI
