To Live and Die in LA: Special Edition

William Friedkin's 1985 To Live and Die in LA is one of those rare cinematic instances of style trumping substance that is still well worth watching. Laden with an inconceivable number of plot holes and clichés, there's little intrigue to the story, based on Gerald Petievich's novel, which finds a driven secret service agent (an intense William Petersen) chasing down the money counterfeiter (the spectacular Willem Dafoe) who killed his partner. Robby Muller's photography presents one of cinema's most suffocating and toxic interpretations of Los Angeles, a perfect backdrop for a tale of poisoned relationships and corruption, in which the violence is sudden and nihilistic, the sex is twisted, and every character has dirty hands. Aided by quirky supporting performances from John Turturro, Dean Stockwell, and John Pankow--as well as a legendary lengthy car chase on freeways and through the Los Angeles River in which Friedkin tries to top his own chase scene in The French Connection--this is one small oasis of quality in the director's otherwise wretched post-Exorcist career. Boasting a solid re-mastered Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (highlighting the wonderful soundtrack by Wang Chung), the image quality on this anamorphic widescreen disc is serviceable though not exceptional. DVD extras include an intelligent director's commentary, a half-hour behind-the-scenes doc (that helps fill in some of the narrative blanks), an alternate ending, and a deleted scene. Recommended. (D. Fienberg)[Blu-ray Review—Feb. 16, 2010—MGM, 2 discs, 116 min., R, $24.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1985's To Live and Die in L.A. sports a nice transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. While there are no exclusive Blu-ray extras, the two-disc set includes the standard definition DVD with previous extras including audio commentary by director William Friedkin, a “making-of” featurette (30 min.), a deleted scene and alternate ending with featurettes (14 min. total), a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a solid Blu-ray debut for one of Friedkin's better thrillers.]