To Live and Die in LA

Almost 25 years ago this movie introduced bungee-jumping to a very wide audience in the US. It also brought a very hip soundtrack to life, and gave outsiders a glimpse of what living in the LA basin can be like. Angelinos and tourists alike should enjoy this fast romp through the streets and hills of SoCal. Fun fun fun.

Willem Dafoe is young here, pre-Platoon even, and shows why he had been a powerful screen presence for the last 3 decades. Here he plays a Secret Service agent tasked with catching counterfeiters. His partner is played by William Petersen of CSI fame. While the two look a bit older and wider now, their chemistry on screen makes this story well worth watching.

Some other now-familiar names here you might recognize here are John Turturro, Robert Downey Jr, and Dean Stockwell.

The soundtrack is a fun flashback to 80's rock. Remember Wang Chung? Otis Rush? Junior Wells? How about Rank & File? If your 80's party needs a good compilation, choose this one. Put on some polyester and flex-out!

Watch this movie with someone who has lived in or visited LA often.