To Live and Die in L.A.

Shout Select gives the deluxe treatment to William Friedkin's stylish 1985 thriller "To Live and Die in L.A."

The film -- adapted by Friedkin and novelist Gerald Petievich, the latter having had a career in the Secret Service -- follows an increasingly determined Secret Service agent named Richard Chance (William Petersen) as he pursues Rick Masters (Willem Dafoe), an artist who finances his work by printing his own counterfeit money. Masters is a meticulous sort, intolerant of disappointment and merciless in both professions: He burns many of his own canvases, and he burns just as many associates if they in any way displease or hinder him.

One such associate is Max Waxman (Christopher Allport), a lawyer who helps with the distribution of the counterfeit bills; another is Carl Cody (John Turturro), who acts as a deliveryman. One of them ends up in jail, and the other uses that development as an opportunity to rip Masters off -- with the result that Masters is out to see them both dead.

Someone else who ends up dead at Masters' behest is Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene), Chance's partner. Hart's murder triggers Chance's escalating efforts to nab the counterfeiter, and also results in his being assigned a new partner, the much more straight-laced John Vukovich (John Pankow). When Chance needs a large sum of money to set up a sting targeting Masters, he presses Vukovich into participating in a dramatic extralegal strategy. Their actions set off unexpected events -- and agents face the prospect of their lives and careers spinning out of control.

The film's visual elements are thrilling, from Lilly Klyvert's color palette to Robby M�ller's cinematography and Scott Smith's propulsive editing. The audio elements, well... let's just say I'm not a fan of Wang Chung, and overall the score (which the two-man English pop-synth band produced) has not aged well. Moreover, the dialogue is terrible -- and often has a flat, forced nature about it, as you get from post-production re-recording. This is one of those movies that might even be better if you turn the volume way down, because the action flows so relentlessly and so fast.

This release preserves M�ller's work with a gorgeous presentation. The hi-def transfer is a 4K scan done right of the negative (with Friedkin's supervision). A slate of new extras (along with a couple of pre-existing special features from the 2003 DVD release) offers plenty of added value in the form of interviews with Peterson, stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker, and Wang Chung themselves (who, like Petersen, describe an almost fairy-tale entree into the project -- Friedkin reached out to them personally -- and were encouraged to improvise).

Two other new interviews catch up with Debra Feuer and Dwier Brown. The former played Master's bisexual girlfriend Ruth; the patter had a single scene, but it was evidently memorable (for him, if not necessarily for us).

Older content includes an audio commentary by Friedkin, a deleted scene, an (infamous) alternate ending, and a fascinating featurette about the making of the film, in which Friedkin and the cast discuss the film's production and the various misadventures that result when one's making an action-packed "indie" movie about counterfeiting. (Among the larks described: One crew member's teenage son triggering interest from law enforcement after trying to make a purchase at a convenience store using one of the prop $20 notes.)

Rounding it all out is a stills gallery, a theatrical trailer, and a radio spot.

This is one of those crazed 1980s relics that you marvel at now, but it's also reliably adrenaline-fueled, complete with one of the most audacious car chases ever committed to film. Definitely worth a hi-res, crisp and colorful home viewing such as never before possible.

"To Live and Die in L.A."
Blu-ray
$24.93
https://www.shoutfactory.com/film/action-adventure/to-live-and-die-in-l-a-collector-s-edition