To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) Limited Edition 4K UHD Review

4 stars, an outstanding restoration of a brutal eighties classic.

To Live and Die in L.A. is an American action/thriller film, originally released in 1985, from the fertile (and somewhat disturbing mind) of writer/director William Friedkin (The Exorcist, Cruising, The French Connection). It is based on the novel of the same name by former U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, who co-wrote the screenplay with Friedkin.

This intense and uncompromising look at law enforcement on the mean and gritty streets of Los Angeles has enjoyed a 4K restoration from the original negatives and is available to own on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 6th July 2026, courtesy of Arrow Video.

 

“Why are you chasing me?” “Why are you running?”

“Because you’re chasing me!”

Richard Chance (William Petersen – Fear, Manhunter) is a U.S. Secret Service agent whose partner Jim Hart (Michael Greene – *batteries not included) is about to retire. Unfortunately, in eighties crime thrillers only having three days left on the job is inevitably a death sentence and this proves to be the case for poor old Jim. While investigating a counterfeiting operation at a remote warehouse, he is spotted by the evil Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe – The Lighthouse, Mississippi Burning), whose bodyguard shoots him dead.

When Richard finds him dead, he embarks on a reckless campaign to take down Masters regardless of the consequences, much to the annoyance of his new partner John Vukovich (John Pankow – Mad About You, Monkey Shines) who wants to do everything by the book. He gets all of his intel from Ruth (Darlanne Fluegel – Lock Up), his informant/sexual partner.

Chance and Vukovich arrest Carl Cody (John Turturro – State of Grace, Barton Fink), Master’s mule. He should have been delivering the cash to Max Waxman (Christopher Allport – Garden Party), who throws him under the bus, claiming he never received it. They put him under surveillance, but open up a can of worms and find themselves increasingly on the wrong side of the law.

“The guy got caught holding forty grand, what does he expect? He’s gonna have to do a little, keep the prosecutor happy.”

To Live and Die In L.A. is a brutal film, which doesn’t pull any punches. The characters are flawed, they make mistakes and they pay for them and the action is fast paced and intense with some excellent stunts and featuring an award winning car chase.

This restoration really brings it to life, with noticeable improvements in both picture and sound quality from previous releases. The detail is excellent, improving the already brilliant action sequences and the brooding, drum machine heavy eighties soundtrack sounds the part too.

With lots of special features, this is well worth adding to your 4K collection.

“If you had any real balls you’d jump off that bridge. What happened to Max could happen to me you know.”

To Live and Die in L.A. is available to own now on Limited Edition 4K UHD

4K ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original stereo audio and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio option
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Audio commentary by director and co-writer William Friedkin
• Taking a Chance, an archive interview with actor William Petersen
• Doctor for a Day, an archive interview with actor Dwier Brown
• Renaissance Woman in L.A., an archive interview with Debra Feuer
• So In Phase: Scoring To Live and Die in L.A., an archive interview with composers Wang Chung
• Wrong Way: The Stunts of To Live and Die in L.A., an archive interview with stunt co-ordinator Buddy Joe Hooker
• Counterfeit World: The Making of To Live and Die in L.A., an archive featurette containing interviews with Friedkin, actors Petersen and Willem Dafoe, and others
• Alternative ending
• Deleted scene
• Stills gallery
• Trailers
• Radio spot
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Eric Adrian Lee
• Collectors’ booklet featuring writing by Anne Billson and Ric Gentry