A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 1 nomination
William Petersen
- Richard Chance
- (as William L. Petersen)
Jane Leeves
- Dancer
- (as Jane Leaves)
- …
Cherise Bates
- Dancer
- (as Cherise Bate)
Michael Higgins
- Dancer
- (as Michael W. Higgins)
Chris Latanzi
- Dancer
- (as Chris Lattanzi)
Darlanne Fluegel
- Ruth Lanier
- (as Darlanne Fleugel)
Robert Downey Sr.
- Thomas Bateman
- (as Robert Downey)
Valentin de Vargas
- Judge Filo Cedillo
- (as Val DeVargas)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring the opening, when Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe) is printing money, the film crew was actually creating counterfeit bills. A convicted counterfeiter was on set showing them how it's done. They were filming out in the desert, and Dafoe said that every time a helicopter flew over the building, they were sure it was the police coming to arrest them all.
- GoofsAt conclusion of the chase, a dark brown van with a multicolor horizontal stripe is part of the gridlock, but as agents drive away, the van is seen approaching on opposite lanes.
- Quotes
Eric 'Rick' Masters: You have my word you won't have to do the whole nickel.
Carl Cody: What does that mean?
Eric 'Rick' Masters: Grimes is the best lawyer in the state. It'll either be an appeal bond or a sentence reduction.
Carl Cody: And the check is in the mail, and I love you, and I promise not to come in your mouth...
- Crazy creditsRight at the end, after the credits, there is a shot of William Petersen's face
- Alternate versionsGerman theatrical and VHS versions were cut by 25 seconds to secure a "Not under 16" rating. DVD release is uncut with the same rating.
- ConnectionsEdited into Counterfeit World: Making 'to Live and Die in L.A.' (2003)
Featured review
Shamefully misunderstood by the critics
One of the very best films of the 1980s this was shamefully neglected and misunderstood by the critics. The problem is: on the surface it's just like an ordinary action crime thriller (and thus won't appeal to the arthouse crowd), except that it makes it difficult to identify yourself with any of the characters. In other words: it violates its genre rules. But this very fact makes it so unpredictable and thrilling, and a proper movie as opposed to a mere genre clone.
The good guys are flawed. This isn't really new, since the mid 1960s there were plenty of flawed heroes in Westerns or police thrillers. The difference is that not only their characters are flawed, they are vulnerable, destructible, they make mistakes. And they pay for their mistakes. Similarly the villains: yes, they are formidable and glamorous, but they are not in the league of the Blofelds or Sentenzas of moviedom. They make mistakes too. And they pay too.
A surprising asset is the film music by Wang Chung, a one-hit-wonder pop obscurity of the era. Their sound perfectly melts with the cinematography, especially in the stylish opening sequence.
The good guys are flawed. This isn't really new, since the mid 1960s there were plenty of flawed heroes in Westerns or police thrillers. The difference is that not only their characters are flawed, they are vulnerable, destructible, they make mistakes. And they pay for their mistakes. Similarly the villains: yes, they are formidable and glamorous, but they are not in the league of the Blofelds or Sentenzas of moviedom. They make mistakes too. And they pay too.
A surprising asset is the film music by Wang Chung, a one-hit-wonder pop obscurity of the era. Their sound perfectly melts with the cinematography, especially in the stylish opening sequence.
helpful•22045
- SMK-4
- Apr 29, 1999
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Leben und sterben in L.A.
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $8,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $17,307,019
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,551,761
- Nov 3, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $17,307,108
- Runtime1 hour 56 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content