"French Drug Network" is closely linked to the case and the persistent pursuit of the criminals. I have observed that almost no purely empty shots can be found in the whole film. It used "people" to shoot New York of that era. As the title suggests, "L.A. Life and Death" is more about the "air" of a city. Robby Müller, who has chosen to leave the film with a true and unique way of "seeing the United States" many times, makes sense. He is incompetent. Critically capture the sensitivity and beauty of the environment, and once again get to the fullest. For example, here, the camera patiently follows the protagonist and turns this unique corner of the strip club. I can't think of the mid-to-early Wenders movie "just because the scenery is interesting and I included it in the movie."
Director Friedkin said that because of the small investment in this film, he wanted a team that could adapt to the fast and economical way of filming. Robby Müller, who was born in a small-cost independent film, met the requirements. The mirror movement in this film is definitely artistic, inconspicuous but often in motion. Please pay attention to the scene of William Petersen Airport chasing the counterfeit banknote criminal John Turturro. The camera followed all the way to stop at the toilet aisle. A close-up of a character is formed, and then the former rushes to the distance and disappears into the door on the right, reappears under the surprised gaze of the lady at the door, and disappears in the door directly in front-the position remains unchanged but it has become a distant view, what a great rhythm Feeling and considerate to the audience, changing to some stupid action movies and indie movies, I must continue to run wildly and chase Petersen into the toilet. In the nearly 20-minute no-sounding car chase scene that vowed to surpass "French Drug Network", this film retains the tension brought by the vertical latitude of the previous car chasing the light rail and expands it to the three latitudes of elevated, road and river bed. , It also increases the proportion of first-person photography in the car, not only shooting the front straight, but also changing the line of sight from the front to the driver’s seat and other directions, bringing a more intimate observation perspective that is more in line with the sight of the people present. The truck unloading yard shuttle and highway reverse driving scenes have benefited a lot, but the best part of this part is actually the plot setting-when the protagonist thinks that the chase has been thrown away, the cars suddenly come out from all directions to block and start. Now many uncles stopped and ran out and started aiming with rifles. Finally, there was a big traffic jam on the road. Accompanied by the cordial voice of the traffic station female anchor, there were n uncles standing on the roof of the car brandishing long spears and shouting. This seemed absurd. An unexpected and reasonable explanation was obtained at the end of the plot, and a careful person would find that the rapid montage of the opening showing the rampant counterfeit currency trading had already laid the groundwork for this.
Another exciting thing about "L.A. Life and Death" is its chaotic morality. In my opinion, it made an evaluation of the 1980s that I agree with: dazzling, eye-catching, and false. Everything loses the norm and becomes ambiguous. The dumb anti-climax climax paragraph near the end is simply saying that even the plot itself has a kind of "pseudo". The young Willem Dafoe created a master of counterfeit banknotes, a ruthless and capable criminal leader and self-doubt painter Masters. He is truly the most beautiful devil. Robby Müller took a beautiful picture of the counterfeit banknote manufacturing process and the makers wearing kimonos working hard.
Around the character of Masters, the director arranged a lot of "photographic traps", such as using a male dancer with his back to the camera and walking towards him and kissing, and then photographing the dancer from the opposite direction. At this time, the actor has replaced his girlfriend; In the scene, I thought the camera was set up in front of the door to face him and walked into the room, only to realize that the camera was actually facing the floor mirror facing the door. The relationship between Masters and the criminal accomplices is false, and the relationship between him and his girlfriend is also false-her conversation with the lawyer shows that she and Masters are nothing more than an unsentimental business.
The level of ambiguity on the police side is also comparable. I don’t watch CSI, so William L. Petersen to me is quite similar to the Martin Riggs prototype in Leathel Weapon. With the same 80s skinny jeans, curly head and leather jacket, it’s just more red. Guoguo's nihilism is very exciting.
At the beginning, this younger brother named Chanse had a veteran grandfather who was nearly retired as his partner. Although this combination only existed for 10 minutes, it did not affect the film’s deep care and trust between the two. Chanse gave his grandpa’s retirement. The gift is a fishing rod, and it is even more doubtful whether Richard Donner can learn from it. At first, after repelling the terrorists, they held hands silently, so loving!
Because the grandfather was brutally killed by the Masters when he was investigating clues alone, the actor embarked on a road of unscrupulous revenge. Male No. 2 debuts as a volunteering new partner. John Vukovich, played by John Pankow, is a mediocre and lacking charm. He has a set of investigative methods that are completely different from Chanse, relying on stable connections and intelligence in exchange for benefits. In time, these two may be able to reconcile each other as the pair of partners in the "French Drug Network"-I love to accompany Popeye like a nanny very much, and I have already accepted his drunkenness and disorderly behavior. However, shooting heroic domestic men who are still fierce at critical moments Officer Cloudy, Roy Scheider's helpless expression is really charming. The one I remember most is that Popeye deadlifted Cloudy to the bar after work when he was about to go home, and said "I invite you!". In the bar, workaholic Popeye only watched the movements of the criminal gang, and Cloudy complained quietly: "I thought we I came here to buy me a drink.” (So it turned into working overtime with you...)
However, the role of John didn’t wait until the day when the nanny’s charm could be played out. The second half of the road to mental breakdown is full of critical anxiety, depicting a tragic life from order to disorder. However, he is too small and manly, not cute. Chanse has a blond beauty informant who he uses both in intelligence and physicality. His attitude towards her is as big as a scumbag. The relationship between the two people's mutual use corresponds to the relationship between Masters and his girlfriend. In the end, John, whose outlook on life has changed dramatically, enters the life of a blonde beauty as a new Chanse. The beauty looks at this little man who is about to die, and the figure of Chanse that she likes with herself emerges in her mind. She can understand her need. The sorrow of asking for help...
It’s not clear why, this movie has an indifferent bisexsual atmosphere. It may be due to the feminine and virulent Masters, it may be due to his girlfriend’s public girlfriend, it may be due to the many unnecessary male nudity scenes-3 The probability that the male protagonist will be naked (and not because of funny) is not common in police movies. Petersen also did the frontal nudity that is usually taboo in American movies. Friedkin said that for a long time Hollywood movies did not allow gays to be made gay, but if you imagine a female character as a man or a male character as a gay, the plot makes sense. Well, I personally feel that if the two male protagonists in this book are bi, although there is no basis, they can all make sense: the relationship between Chanse and his former partner, Masters stuffing his pistol into the population he wants to threaten, and talking with Chanse A flirting behavior during the transaction, etc., not to mention the strange setting of Masters talking about transactions with people in the gym and the sauna. I guess this strange ambiguity probably serves the theme of "ambiguity".
In this way, William Petersen had a great start in film career. In addition to this show, he also starred in another police film that was not well-circulated but had a good reputation, which was released in 1986: Manhunter directed by Micheal Mann. ): The first time the story of Dr. Hannibal was made into a movie is the content of "Red Dragon". I personally don’t like Director Mann’s lens, but the film’s plot twists are reasonable, the colorful and terrifying abuse scenes are good, and it ended up with Iron Butterfly’s most famous psychedelic single, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. The indiscriminate shooting of the gunfight is even more refreshing. Dr. Hannibal, played by Brian Cox, talks like an elusive, clean and elegant British male student. This hidden perversion is very much to my taste. In the light comedy "Cousins" in which two couples exchanged love in 1987, Petersen played a silly face ("I sell a BMW! It's just that the stall is behind the subaru car"). & The petty citizen is quite fun. In the film, he is very lucky. His wife Isabella Rossellini is a rare woman from such a good family and she is shy and cute. The new lover Sean Young (the heroine of "Blade Runner") is also very youthful and beautiful in a cake dress.
I’m just surprised that there are two cult movies about police and gangsters, especially the "L.A. Life and Death". How does Chanse’s brother still have a sturdy face, a face, a body, and a figure. How can Mel Gibson’s Riggs? After ten years of acting, has this side been silent? Did the anti-hero type really lose its popularity in the 1980s?
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