To Live and Die in L.A.

A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.

• Director: William Friedkin
• Genre:Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller
• Runtime:116 minutes

Cast

William Petersen: Richard Chance (as William L. Petersen)
Willem Dafoe : Eric ‘Rick’ Masters
John Pankow : John Vukovich
Debra Feuer : Bianca Torres
John Turturro : Carl Cody

Richard Chance and Jimmy Hart are United States Secret Service agents with the Treasury Department, assigned as counterfeiting investigators in its Los Angeles field office. Chance has a reputation in the department for reckless behavior while his partner is three days away from retirement. After a near-fatal stint with the Presidential Protection Detail, Hart admits he is “getting too old for this shit,” but takes on one last mission to apprehend master counterfeiter Rick Masters. After Hart is killed by Masters’ bodyguard, Chance is outraged and seeks revenge. Chance explains his outlook to his new partner, John Vukovich this way:

Let me tell you something, amigo. I’m gonna bag Masters, and I don’t give a shit how I do it.

The two T-men try to track down Masters, to no avail. Chance and Vukovich finally engage Masters by posing as potential counterfeiting clients interested in Masters’ services.

Chance and Vukovich eventually break the law in their relentless pursuit of Masters. In order to get enough cash to convince Masters that they are “real” clients, they kidnap and rob the money from a man who, unbeknownst to them, is an undercover F.B.I. agent wearing a wire. The F.B.I. agent is accidentally shot to death by other agents, leading to a wild chase through the streets and freeways of Los Angeles.

Later, Chance once again meets with Masters, and pays him the “front money” that Masters has requested. Chance arranges the transaction, and Masters implies that he knows they stole the money from the F.B.I. undercover agent. During the transaction, when the agents move to arrest Masters and his bodyguard, the bodyguard pulls a shotgun from a locker and threatens Vukovich. Chance shoots the bodyguard in the chest, but is shot in the face at the same time. They both die. Masters escapes, but Vukovich quickly gives chase, following Masters to a warehouse Masters uses to produce his counterfeit money. At the time of Vukovich’s arrival, Masters has already set fire to the contents of the warehouse. Vukovich confronts Masters and during a brief struggle, Vukovich is knocked unconscious. Masters covers Vukovich with shredded paper and just before Masters sets Vukovich on fire, Vukovich recovers and shoots him. Masters drops the torch and sets himself ablaze in the process. Vukovich survives and Masters perishes in the blaze. Read more

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