Director Watch Podcast Ep. 32 - 'To Live and Die in L.A.' (William Friedkin, 1985)

Welcome to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema’s greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you’ve got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 32 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the latest film in their William Friedkin series, To Live and Die in L.A. (1985).

At the midpoint of the 1980s, Friedkin found himself in no man’s land, as the studios had made the full switch to more stylized, commercial vehicles that audiences would want to see, rather than blank check films made by popular directors. After failing hard with one of the worst films in his filmography in 1983’s Deal of the Century, he set his sights on an adaptation of Gerald Petievich’s novel To Live and Die in L.A., in which we follow two Secret Service agents go on a wild investigation to arrest a dangerous counterfeiter. Wild a mild success at the time, it’s influences could be traced throughout the rest of the decade, especially in the works of Michael Mann (whom Friedkin may have took a lot of ideas from). What we get in return is a lean mean neo-noir that ranks as one of the last great films from Friedkin. Ryan and Jay break down the film, the connections to Mann and other films and shows of the 1980s, the gruesome violence, the careers of William Petersen and Willem Dafoe, how cool it looks to make counterfeit money, and morality at play with the film’s ending.

You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more.

This podcast runs 1h44m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series covering the films of William Friedkin with a review of his next film, Blue Chips. Till then, let’s get into it.

Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).