To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

Directed by: William Friedkin
Screenplay by: William Friedkin and Gerald Petievich

Genre: Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller
Running Time: 116 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Viewed: Owned DVD

A federal agent is dead. A killer is loose. And the City of Angels is
  about to explode.

[IMDb]

Comments: I had a bit of a mixed reaction to To Live and Die in L.A. I've wanted to watch the film for quite some time, as it's generally praised as one of William Friedkin's better films (behind The Exorcist and The French Connection, of course). The first half was alright, but not as good as I had hoped. It's overly "'80s" in certain scenes, and I just wasn't all that impressed. However, the second half of the film is completely bad ass. It's much more engrossing and has both excellent action and twists. But my biggest issue was Gil Grissom (aka William Peterson). I don't like C.S.I. at all, and I don't particularly care for Grissom. In To Live and Die in L.A., he annoyed the shit out of me most of the time. It felt as though Grissom was "posing" moreso than acting in the film (granted, this was his first starring role and second film). Still, I found watching him to be distracting, and I thought it was completely unnecessary that Friedkin felt the need to show his junk. Still, there's a lot to like in the film, including the awesome car chase and the final showdown. There's just some annoyances along the way.