Movies Like To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

To Live and Die in L.A. is a 1985 action, crime, thriller film from William Friedkin with a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi and Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know.

Action Crime Thriller

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

2016

An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

7.3

MagicScore

Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know

2020

Black holes stand at the limit of what we can know. To explore that edge of knowledge, the Event Horizon Telescope links observatories across the world to simulate an earth-sized instrument. With this tool the team pursues the first-ever picture of a black hole, resulting in an image seen by billions of people in April 2019. Meanwhile, Hawking and his team attack the black hole paradox at the heart of theoretical physics—Do predictive laws still function, even in these massive distortions of space and time? Weaving them together is a third strand, philosophical and exploratory using expressive animation. “Edge” is about practicing science at the highest level, a film where observation, theory, and philosophy combine to grasp these most mysterious objects.

6.6

MagicScore

Marley & Me

2008

A newly married couple, in the process of starting a family, learn many of life's important lessons from their trouble-loving retriever, Marley. Packed with plenty of laughs to lighten the load, the film explores the highs and lows of marriage, maturity and confronting one's own mortality, as seen through the lens of family life with a dog.

7.2

MagicScore

Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

2011

A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.

8.1

MagicScore

Beverly Hills Cop III

1994

When his boss is killed, Detroit cop Axel Foley finds evidence that the murderer had ties to a California amusement park called Wonder World. Returning to sunny Beverly Hills once more, Foley reunites with Detective Billy Rosewood to solve the case. Along with Billy's new partner, Detective Jon Flint, they discover that Wonder World is being used as a front for a massive counterfeiting ring.

5.9

MagicScore

Bullitt

1968

Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses. This thriller includes one of the most famous car chases ever filmed.

7.2

MagicScore

Drive

2011

Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.

7.6

MagicScore

The Negotiator

1998

The police try to arrest expert hostage negotiator Danny Roman, who insists he's being framed for his partner's murder in what he believes is an elaborate conspiracy. Thinking there's evidence in the Internal Affairs offices that might clear him, he takes everyone in the office hostage and demands that another well-known negotiator be brought in to handle the situation and secretly investigate the conspiracy.

7.1

MagicScore

American Gangster

2007

Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by Newark Detective Richie Roberts.

7.6

MagicScore

#10

Memento

2000

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

8.2

MagicScore

#11

Dark Blue

2002

Set during the Rodney King riots, a robbery homicide investigation triggers a series of events that will cause a corrupt LAPD officer to question his tactics.

6.2

MagicScore

#12

Eternity

2025

In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with and her first love, who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive.

7.0

MagicScore

#13

Tropic Thunder

2008

A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film ever. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

6.7

MagicScore

#14

The Moment

2026

A rising pop sensation navigates fame and industry pressures while preparing for her arena tour debut, revealing the transformation of underground culture into mainstream success.

6.4

MagicScore

#15

A Better Tomorrow II

1987

A restauranteur teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to avenge the death of a friend's daughter.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

The Little Things

2021

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

6.3

MagicScore

#17

The Exorcist

1973

When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life.

7.7

MagicScore

#18

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

2026

Handed the reins to resurrect a dying slasher franchise, an enthusiastic young director visits the original film's reclusive star, only to be dragged into a blood-soaked world of obsession, desire, and delirium.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Taxi Driver

1976

Suffering from insomnia, disturbed loner Travis Bickle takes a job as a New York City cabbie, haunting the streets nightly, growing increasingly detached from reality as he dreams of cleaning up the filthy city.

8.1

MagicScore

#20

Sicario

2015

An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

7.4

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like To Live and Die in L.A.?

The top films similar to To Live and Die in L.A. by MovieMagicScore are 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (7.3), Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know (6.6), Marley & Me (7.2). Each shares action/crime/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is To Live and Die in L.A. worth watching?

To Live and Die in L.A. holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10 from 717 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is To Live and Die in L.A.?

To Live and Die in L.A. (1985) is a action, crime, thriller film directed by William Friedkin, starring William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow.

Where can I find more recommendations like To Live and Die in L.A.?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more action recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Movies like Black Holes: The Edge of All We Know Movies like Marley & Me Movies like Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair Movies like Beverly Hills Cop III Movies like Bullitt

About movies like To Live and Die in L.A.

This ranked list pairs To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), a action and crime and thriller film from William Friedkin, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of William Petersen take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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