Anyone seen To Live and Die in L.A.?

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I got it in a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack last month. Having watched it, I'd say it's one of William Friedkin's best movies, if not the best. And this is coming from a sixteen year-old who hasn't seen The Exorcist or The French Connection. What really drew me in was the story; it's not a typical eightie's crime thriller like the advertisements want you to believe. In my opinion, it's a story of how reckless and self-centered people can be, like William Petersen's character, Chance. He thinks that, because of his Secret Service badge and gun, he's "above life and death", and he sticks with that belief to the bitter end. He even goes so far as to bribe a female parolee with sex in exchange for information. A far cry from the traditional "clean" protagonist, don't you think?

What really turned people off from seeing this movie back in the day was it's seedy, Miami Vice-type tone, with characters some may consider to be unlikeable or even downright disgusting. However, this is central to the movie's theme of counterfeit personas. For example, in the opening scene of the film, where Chance and his partner stop a suicide bomber, you get lulled into believing that Petersen's character is going to be a typical hero. Half an hour later, he's doing a parolee to keep her out prison.

I highly recommend it for Friedkin fans, and to those who are new to the crime thriller genre.

Does Willem De Foe play the bad guy? Or do I have my movies mixed up?

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer