81
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertIn the hierarchy of great movie chase sequences, the recent landmarks include the chases under the Brooklyn elevated tracks in "The French Connection" down the hills of San Francisco in "Bullitt" and through the Paris Metro in "Diva." Those chases were not only thrilling in their own right, but they also reflected the essence of the cities where they took place. Now comes William Friedkin, director of "The French Connection," with a new movie that contains another chase that belongs on that short list.
- 100Slant MagazineSlant MagazineTo Live and Die in L.A. exhibits a remarkable degree of kineticism, evident in several memorable chase sequences, the film’s headlong momentum abetted by Wang Chung’s dynamic score.
- 100Village VoiceBilge EbiriVillage VoiceBilge EbiriA near-masterpiece. The fashions and music and attitudes on display might have been interpreted at the time as opportunistic stabs at au courant stylization, but the film is nevertheless overpowering and otherworldly rather than quaint or kitschy. It feels like a transmission from a different planet. To Live and Die in L.A. is so of its time that you can only be captivated by it.
- 100San Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisSan Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisTo Live and Die in L.A. is as urgent and exhilaratingly paced as anything William Friedkin's done.
- 90The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinTo Live and Die in L.A. is Mr. Friedkin at his glossiest, a great-looking, riveting movie without an iota of warmth or soul. On its own terms, it's a considerable success, though it's a film that sacrifices everything in the interests of style.
- 90Time OutTime OutFriedkin plays it as brutal and cynical as he ever did with The French Connection; and this time the car chase takes place on a six-lane freeway at the height of the rush hour, going against the traffic.
- 88TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineAn astonishing, brilliantly edited car chase--with pursuer and pursued speeding the wrong way along the LA Freeway--is one of many pleasures in this darkly stylish crime film, director William Friedkin's best effort since "The Exorcist."
- 80IGNIGNFor those who enjoy indulging in an exciting, moody, stylized cop drama molded from the best of templates and carved out of '80s pop art, To Live and Die in LA is a truly great way to spend an evening.
- 60EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanThe main problem is that the supposed good guys are all such reprehensible toads it’s impossible to care whether they get to bring down Willem Dafoe’s charismatic, polo-necked super-crook.