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To Live and Die in L.A. poster

Movies that feel likeTo Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

When his longtime partner on the force is killed, reckless U.S. Secret Service agent Richard Chance vows revenge, setting out to nab dangerous counterfeit artist Eric Masters.

If you loved To Live and Die in L.A., the closest films we have are Point Blank (1967), Deep Cover (1992) and SPL: Kill Zone (2005). All three share To Live and Die in L.A.'s gritty and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Tokyo Drifter (1966).

πŸ… 89% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.3 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. William Friedkingrittytensekineticrelentlessatmospheric
9 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Amazon Prime Video Β· Criterion Channel

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If To Live and Die in L.A. hit the spot, these will too

Point Blank poster
Point Blank
1967 Β· dir. John Boorman
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.2crime Β· thriller Β· drama

Both are working the same pair: revenge, neo-noir

The difference: Takes it somewhere less kinetic than To Live and Die in L.A. does

After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.

Deep Cover poster
Deep Cover
1992 Β· dir. Bill Duke
πŸ… 87%β˜… 7action Β· thriller Β· crime

The same preoccupation in both: neo-noir

The difference: Easier on the relentlessness than To Live and Die in L.A.

Black police officer Russell Stevens applies for a special anti-drug squad which targets the highest boss of cocaine delivery to LAβ€”the Colombian foreign minister's nephew. Russell works his way up from the bottom undercover, until he reaches the boss.

SPL: Kill Zone poster
SPL: Kill Zone
2005 Β· dir. Wilson Yip
πŸ… 80%β˜… 6.9action Β· crime Β· dramaPrime Video

Both land grit and tension at once

The difference: Leans harder into drama than To Live and Die in L.A. does

Chan, an articulate senior detective nearing the end of his career, is taking care of the daughter of a witness killed by ruthless crime lord Po. Martial arts expert Ma is set to take over as head of the crime unit, replacing Chan who wants an early retirement.

Body Heat poster
Body Heat
1981 Β· dir. Lawrence Kasdan
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.4thriller Β· crime

Crime with a pulse of atmosphere, in both cases

During an extreme heatwave, a beautiful Florida woman and a seedy lawyer engage in an affair while plotting the murder of her rich husband.

Rolling Thunder poster
Rolling Thunder
1977 Β· dir. John Flynn
πŸ… 82%β˜… 6.9drama Β· thriller Β· action

Both are built on the same subject: revenge

A recently-returned Vietnam POW loses his family and his right hand during a violent home invasion, and seeks retribution against those responsible.

Tokyo Drifter poster
Tokyo Drifter
1966 Β· dir. Seijun Suzuki
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.1thriller Β· crime Β· action

Kinetic thriller, and it commits to that

After yakuza boss Kurata dissolves his own criminal empire, a rival kingpin offers a position to Kurata's top operative, Tetsuya "Phoenix Tetsu" Hondo. When the fiercely loyal Tetsu declines, Otsuka taps unstoppable Tatsuzo the "Viper", a ruthless gun-for-hire, to assassinate him. As the Viper trails his target through the countryside, the agile Phoenix Tetsu grows concerned that one of his former associates has betrayed him.

A Better Tomorrow poster
A Better Tomorrow
1986 Β· dir. John Woo
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.4action Β· crime Β· drama

One thread runs through both: counterfeit

A reforming ex-gangster tries to reconcile with his estranged policeman brother, but the ties to his former gang are difficult to break.

The Big Heat poster
The Big Heat
1953 Β· dir. Fritz Lang
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7.9crime Β· thriller

Common ground: cop

The difference: 32 years apart, and the 1950s show

After the suspicious suicide of a fellow cop, tough homicide detective Dave Bannion takes the law into his own hands when he sets out to smash a vicious crime syndicate.

One False Move poster
One False Move
1992 Β· dir. Carl Franklin
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.1crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both lean on grit more than on action

Following a series of drug deals and murders, three criminals -- Fantasia, Ray Malcolm and Pluto -- travel from Los Angeles to Houston, finally arriving in a small Arkansas town to go into hiding. Two detectives from the LAPD, who are already on the case, contact the town's sheriff, Dale Dixon, to alert him of the fugitives' presence in the area. Underestimating Dixon, the criminals have no idea what they are about to face.

New World poster
New World
2013 Β· dir. Park Hoon-jung
πŸ… 63%β˜… 7.5thriller Β· crime Β· drama

Tense crime in both cases

The difference: The critics' underdog of the pair

An undercover cop has his loyalties tested when the boss of the corporate gang he's spent years infiltrating dies.

New Police Story poster
New Police Story
2004 Β· dir. Benny Chan
πŸ… 63%β˜… 6.9action Β· thriller Β· crime

Thriller built on relentlessness, twice over

Sent into a drunken tailspin when his entire unit is killed by a gang of thrill-seeking punks, disgraced Hong Kong police inspector Wing needs help from his new rookie partner, with a troubled past of his own, to climb out of the bottle and track down the gang and its ruthless leader.

The Long Good Friday poster
The Long Good Friday
1980 Β· dir. John Mackenzie
πŸ… 97%β˜… 7.5crime Β· thriller Β· dramaMax

Action with a pulse of atmosphere, in both cases

In the late 1970s, Cockney crime boss Harold Shand, a gangster trying to become a legitimate property mogul, has big plans to get the American Mafia to bankroll his transformation of a derelict area of London into the possible venue for a future Olympic Games. However, a series of bombings targets his empire on the very weekend the Americans are in town. Shand is convinced there is a traitor in his organization, and sets out to eliminate the rat in typically ruthless fashion.

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The best-reviewed films that share To Live and Die in L.A.’s defining feeling.