To Live and Die in L.A. Blu-ray Review & Comments

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Reviewed by Cas Harlow, 15th February 2010
To Live and Die in L.A. is a vastly underrated 80s thriller which, whilst it may seem somewhat clichéd by today’s standards, should really be remembered as the fresh, somewhat dark, and standard-setting original that it was at the time. So, much like the Director William Friedkin’s earlier classic The French Connection, this one deserves a place in anybody’s collection of classic movies, an underappreciated gem which features some taut action, a twist-ridden gutsy story, a standout car chase, and some great performances. It marks one of William ‘CSI’ Petersen’s two noteworthy ‘80s crime thrillers, and I have no idea why the guy wasn’t more successful off the back of this and the equally underrated Manhunter.

Finally hitting Blu-ray after many an unnecessary delay, this US High Definition release sports superior video and audio to its previous incarnation on DVD (even if it does not stand up to post-Millennium blockbuster standards), but is a bit of an insult when it comes to the packaging of the extras. Rather than bother to actually put them (or anything new) on the main Blu-ray, instead the Studios have just included the exact original DVD release of the movie, which means that you have to sit through the entire movie in standard definition just to listen to the audio commentary, and also endure all of the visual extras in a limited standard definition format. Still, it is a good collection of extras, and having them all here certainly makes things more clear when it comes to upgrading, as you can guarantee you’re not going to lose out on anything. And with the fairly reasonable retail price you should have no reservations about picking this classic up and adding it to your collection. Highly recommended.
Read the full review...
 
I saw this recently on MGM HD here in the UK and while the picture was decent for its age and production values, it didn't really come off as a classic. Perhaps I was expecting a lot, having never seen it before and being aware it was a Freidkin movie. It had mostly good performances and all the right ingredients but never really felt whole to me and I was let down massivley by the ending. I found it disappointing rather than shocking.

Still, each to their own. Personally I'd give it a generous 6 or 7.
 
but never really felt whole to me and I was let down massivley by the ending.

Without giving the ending away, nobody could claim it was a feel-good ending and IMO it is a stand-out ending for an 80s cop movie (most of which rely on the villain somehow acquiring the hero's GF and holding a gun to her head - LADILA doesn't go down that sad, tired route).
 
Nice review and I do love the bleakness of this film. I was blown away by the picture but then I'd never seen it since the old 'big box' Vestron Video release.

Incidentally, the Canadian version is identical to the US version but is region free.
 
Nice review and I do love the bleakness of this film. I was blown away by the picture but then I'd never seen it since the old 'big box' Vestron Video release.

Incidentally, the Canadian version is identical to the US version but is region free.

This is one of my fav movies. Loved it when I was a kid and was well pleased to enjoy it when seeing it as an adult.

Nice review Cas, its great finding a reviewer that gives this movie the credit it deserves.

KRW are you sure that the Canadian release is region free? Would love to pick this up. I'm guessing that it'll be along time before we see a UK release.
 
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Yup, def region free - Go for the one with french writing 'Police Federale Los Angeles' (?) on the cover. Back cover says Region A but plays fine in my UK BD350 and UK PS3. It'll be ages before a UK release but it was pretty cheap on Play.
 
Also saw this on MGM HD the other week having heard, but never seen it. Might well get this on BR in whatever region etc, as I loved it.

Shame about the commentary only on the dvd version!

What a joke.

What lazy git thought it'd be a good idea.

What a way to get people to rip the BR video, the commenatary and then mux them together so we can get what we deserve.
 
I first saw this on the movie channel on BSB (before it merged with Sky) may have been the very first film I saw on that channel and remember the helicopters coming over head at the star.
Although may have had some clichés in it it was a bit unlike most films I seen up to that point. And to the people I spoke to about it and knew of it, it seemed to have some sort of cult status.
 
Yeah, it's difficult to watch it these days and not think 'that's a bit of a cliché' about loads of things in it. But, in context, it was pretty fresh for its day, and still retains a very unusual ending. It even has that classic Lethal Weapon line 'I'm too old for this ****' in it, which has become a clichéd saying in and of itself. But here it was said two years before Lethal Weapon was even made.
 
I picked up the blu-ray a couple of months ago & finally got around to watching.
Zero bonus material, unless you count the trailer that's under Extras, Ha!

Hadn't seen it in a long time, it's not bad, but also not great. It's just compelling enough to keep watching.
I thought about moving on to something else a couple of times, but I wanted to see how it ended.

The price I paid was quite low, but they are selling for decent money on eBay.
 
it thinks it's an excellent film. I watched the arrow blu ray a couple of years ago and thought it was great.
 
it thinks it's an excellent film.
I would agree with that statement.
The disc is valuable, the only other in my collection with more value is Leaving Las Vegas.

Here's a thing I've been pondering on & off since watching it:

Why would Masters go through with the deal he had with Chance & Vukovich if he knew through his lawyer that they were Secret Service?
 
Because,

He thought Chances partner Vukovich was going to screw him over hence the line "Why did'nt you take the deal Grimes offered you?"
 
Oh wow, he sure waited until the last possible second, I guess he expected Vukovich to turn on Chase during their transaction, wow that's taking a huge risk.

Did anyone else notice Jane Leeves?
She was in Benny Hill a few times prior & then famously in Frasier & now in a hospital drama.

I only noticed yesterday that she was in The Hunger with Bowie, Sarandon, Deneuve, & Bauhaus.
May have to watch it again, because I cannot find photos of her from that film.

It's quite a hit among Vampire fanatics, as well as Only Lovers Left Alive with Swinton.
 
I had never heard music by the Wang Chung group before this action classic came out. Their soundtrack made me an instant fan. Upbeat hard rock intro as Reagan droned on about taxes and that superb cast promised thrills to come. The movie and musical score didn't disappoint.
 
I shipped it off to an online buyer Friday morning, & it fetched the highest price of those I sold.
Leaving Las Vegas was worth a little more, but I'm not selling that one.

They were each worth about 7 times more than the others.
Tried selling on evilBay for a week, but no bites, my account has no reviews. First time sellers, Argh!
 

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