Welcome to Director Watch! In his AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuaid and Jay Ledbetter dissect and ultimately try to understand the minds of some of cinema's greatest directors. In doing so, they examine their filmography and explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision-making process so fascinating. Add in some silly anecdotes and fun games at the end of each episode, and you've got a podcast you'll absolutely love. On Episode 32 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys discuss the latest film in his William Friedkin series. Living and dying in LA (1985).
In the mid-1980s, Friedkin found himself in no man's land. The studio was making a complete switch to more stylized commercial vehicles that audiences would want to see, rather than blank check movies made by popular directors. After flopping in one of the worst films in his filmography in 1983, deal of the centuryhe turned to an adaptation of Gerald Putjevic's novel. Living and dying in LAfollows two Secret Service agents as they go on a wild manhunt to arrest a dangerous counterfeiter. Although a huge success at the time, its influence could be traced over the next decade, particularly in the work of Michael Mann (from whom Friedkin may have taken many ideas). What you get in return is a lean, mean neo-noir that ranks as one of Friedkin's last masterpieces. Ryan and Jay discuss the film, its connections to Mann and other 1980s films and shows, the gruesome violence, the careers of William Petersen and Willem Dafoe, the coolness of counterfeit money, the morality involved in the film, and more. Explain. ending.
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This podcast lasts 1 hour and 44 minutes. They'll be back next week to continue our series covering William Friedkin's films and review his next film. blue chip. Until then, let's get down to business.
Music: “B-3” by MUSICALIFE, Pond5 (Intro) and BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (Outro)
