Actor William Petersen has become somewhat of a household name over the past four years for playing the crusty Gil Grissom in the wildly popular TV series “C.S.I.” There are however, a handful of us who have been fans of Peterson’s work for a heck of a lot longer. I still remember when he first hit the big screen almost twenty years ago in “To Live and Die in L.A.” In “To Live and Die in L.A.”, Petersen plays Richard Chance, a Federal Agent who is hot on the trail of a murderous counterfeiter (Willem DaFoe). When Chance isn’t able to nab the ‘bad guy’ by conventional means, breaking the rules becomes an option. “To Live and Die in L.A.” is one of those movies that has stuck with me over the years, and for many reasons. First, of course is Petersen’s performance.

For being his first outing as the lead in a feature film, his intensity was amazing. He carried this intensity over into his next film “Manhunter” where he became the first actor to come up against Hannibal Lecter. (This movie was needlessly remade recently as “Red Dragon.”) Over the years, he picked his projects carefully though he always skirted the fringes of fame until hitting it big with “C.S.I.”

The rest of the film’s stellar cast also made it memorable. Willem DaFoe played the perfect foil as the insane counterfeiter, coming across as almost a force of nature. It was also one of the most powerful performances I’ve ever seen by John Pankow (“Mad About You”) as Chance’s partner, John Vukovich.

Secondly, I was immediately caught up in the film’s memorable music score. The fast paced techno-music was done by Wang Chung, and it was such a driving force in the movie that I ran out the next day to buy the soundtrack. Of course with it being 1985, I picked it up on cassette. Unfortunately that cassette has long been lost, and it wasn’t until last year that I was able to track it down on CD. (Thank God for the Internet!)

Then there was the tight direction by William Friedkin (“The French Connection”). The movie moves quickly, often shocking the audience. It is filled with some incredible camera shots and sequences, the most impressive being the car chase. Sure, every cop film has to have a car chase, but with Friedkin at the helm I guarantee you have never seen one like this.

I still consider it to be one of the most intensely harrowing ‘cop dramas’ I have ever seen. I hate to use the word intense again, but perfectly describes every aspect of “To Live and Die in L.A.” Most of my friends have never even heard of it, but that is about to change with the release of a new Special Edition DVD from MGM.

There aren’t many extras on this new DVD, but this is a case where quality wins out over quantity. The commentary by Friedkin is immensely informative. He’s so outspoken, and doesn’t care what people think about his opinion so he tells it like it is. His film commentaries and interviews are always favorites of mine.

There is also a documentary feature about the making of the film. I originally expected it to have been filmed when the movie came out, but it turned out to be a brand new feature. All of the interviews with Friedkin, Petersen, DaFoe, Pankow and various members of the cast and crew were all done specifically for this DVD release.

One of the things I was surprised to learn was that there was an alternate ending filmed for the movie. Fortunately, it is included on this DVD along with a featurette explaining the reasons for it, and why it wasn’t used. Though it is quite obvious after you see the movie, why. The original ending, love it or hate it, is the one that belongs.

Rounding out the DVD is a deleted scene and corresponding featurette, photo gallery and theatrical trailers. Again, the extras are few, but they are all great and well worth a look.

I’ve looked forward to the opportunity to see “To Live and Die in L.A.” again after so many years. I wondered if it would be as good as I remembered. Watching the new DVD release reaffirmed my memories and allows me to stand by every opinion I ever had about it. If you love good cop dramas, I highly recommend this one.

Directed by: William Friedkin
Starring: William Peterson, Willem DaFoe, John Pankow, Debra Feuer, John Turturro, Darlanne Fluegel, Dean Stockwell
Extras: Deleted Scene and Alternate Ending Featurette, Counterfeit World: The Making of To Live and Die in L.A., Commentary by Director William Friedkin, Photo Gallery, Theatrical Trailers
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, French Stereo Surround, Spanish Mono
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 12/2/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website

We'll give To Live and Die in L.A. an A.