Films like To Live and Die in L.A..

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) reads as Heavy, breathless, extreme neo-noir / counterfeit, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, cold. Every film below is ranked by distance across the same twelve hand-scored axes — with what it keeps, and where it walks away. Not a genre dump.

Hokuriku Proxy War (1977) poster
1. Hokuriku Proxy War1977

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Yakuza Graveyard (1976) poster
2. Yakuza Graveyard1976

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

La Femme Nikita (1990) (1990) poster
3. La Femme Nikita1990

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness; trades toward a patient, unhurried pace.

King of New York (1990) poster
4. King of New York1990

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness; trades toward a patient, unhurried pace.

Fight for Us (1989) poster
5. Fight for Us1989

Keeps the bone-dry seriousness and the heightened unreality; trades toward a patient, unhurried pace.

Hunter in the Dark (1979) poster
6. Hunter in the Dark1979

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Bullet in the Head (1990) poster
7. Bullet in the Head1990

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Yakuza Papers: New Battles Without Honor and Humanity (1974) poster
8. The Yakuza Papers: New Battles Without Honor and Humanity1974

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Hurry, Hurry (1981) poster
9. Hurry, Hurry1981

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness; trades toward a patient, unhurried pace.

City on Fire (1987) poster
10. City on Fire1987

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Street Mobster (1972) poster
11. Street Mobster1972

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Cops vs. Thugs (1975) poster
12. Cops vs. Thugs1975

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the bone-dry seriousness — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

These are To Live and Die in L.A.’s neighbours — where are yours?

Rate five posters and the same twelve axes read you — then tonight’s pick comes from your own centre of taste.

Find my film for tonight — 60 sec →