The 1985 crime thriller To Live and Die in L.A. may have only earned $17 million at the worldwide box office, but well-known film critic, the late Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the movie, directed by William Friedkin, four out of four stars. The movie will stream for free on Tubi starting on April 1.

Although its box office take may seem low, To Live and Die in L.A. did turn a profit as its budget was just $6 million. The movie follows the story of two Secret Service agents who are given the task of arresting a counterfeiter. Currently, the film has an 88% critic score and a 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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A CSI Veteran Stars in the Film

William Petersen, best known for his starring role as Dr. Gil Grissom, in the CSI franchise, plays Secret Service agent Richard Chance. Willem Dafoe portrays the criminal Eric “Rick” Masters, who kills Chance’s partner Jimmy Hart (Michael Greene). Chance is then teamed up with a new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow), who vows to take down Rick any way he possibly can.

Ebert, in his review, said, “The movie is also first-rate. The direction is key. Friedkin has made some good movies…and some bad ones. This is his comeback, showing the depth and skill of his pictures.” He also called out Petersen’s performance, comparing him to Steve McQueen, saying that in the film he “comes across as tough, wiry, and smart.”

To Live and Die in L.A.

To Live and Die in L.A. Comes from an Oscar-Winning Director

Friedkin, who won an Oscar for directing 1971’s The French Connection and was nominated again for The Exorcist (1973), co-wrote the script for To Live and Die in L.A. with Gerald Petievich, based on the novel of the same name by Petievich. John Turturro, who can currently be seen in the hit Apple TV+ series Severance, plays Carl Cody, Rick’s “mule.” Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap), Debra Feuer, Darlanne Fluegel (Once Upon a Time in America), and Robert Downey Sr. round out the cast of the film.

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Dafoe Will Next be Featured in a Family Film

Dafoe, a four-time Oscar nominee, recently appeared in Robert Eggers’ vampire horror film Nosferatu as Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz. He’s also appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), in which he reprised his role as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, and in 2023’s Poor Things and 2024’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. He will soon be seen in the family adventure film, The Legend of Ochi, from A24, which hits theaters on April 25.

To Live and Die in L.A. hits Tubi on April 1.

Source: Tubi

To Live and Die in L.A.

Release Date

November 1, 1985

Runtime

116 minutes

Director

William Friedkin

Writers

Gerald Petievich, William Friedkin