To Live And Die In L.A. (1985) Smog Noir in the City Of Angels

Directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection (1971)), written by former U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich (novel), screenplay by William Friedkin and Gerald Petievich. Outstanding cinematography by Robby Müller (Paris, Texas (1984), Barfly (1987)) the film stars quite the cast, William Petersen (Thief (1981), Manhunter (1986)) , Willem Dafoe (Wild at Heart (1990)), John Pankow, Michael Greene, John Turturro (Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998)), Darlanne Fluegel (Once Upon a Time in America (1984)), Dean Stockwell (The Arnelo Affair (1947), (Compulsion (1959), (Paris, Texas (1984), (Blue Velvet (1986)), Robert Downey Sr., and Jack Hoar.

Beautifully bleak and highly stylistic. This film actually makes a lethally smoggy industrial West Coast/LA sunrise jaw droppingly gorgeous, perverting the normal aesthetic. Palm trees compete with power poles and high tension lines that diffuse into a yellowish soup. Rail yards and wrecking yards are bathed in golden light. All this segues into a montage of a series of varied illegal counterfeit $20 bill transactions.

(On a personal sidebar, in the late 60's early 70's, I lived in New York City and used to commute back and forth into Manhattan from Queens by elevated subway. I can vividly remember standing on the Queensboro Plaza station and watching the unearthly crazy colored polluted sunsets I saw over the Manhattan skyline violet, sea greens, fuschia, and pink.)

The tale is about three US Secret Service Agents who are headquartered in L.A. When not providing security for a visiting POTUS (President of the United States) they do field investigation work for the US Treasury, targeting counterfeiters.

Richard Chance (William Peterson)

Richard Chance (Petersen) and Jim Hart (Greene) are top notch agents. Chance the cock of the walk, is a bit reckless, a bit overconfident, a bit of a jock, a bit shady, he even shacks up in a "safe house" with a stripper Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel) that he uses as a "stoolie with benefits". He holds her probation and the ability to see her daughter as leverage.

Ruth a stollie with benefits

Ruth Lanier: What would happen if I stopped giving you information on Masters?
Richard Chance: Why?
Ruth Lanier: I'm just curious.
[pause]
Richard Chance: I'd have your parole revoked.

Agent Hart is the veteran, steadfast, partner who is almost a father figure to Chance.

Jim Hart (Michael Green)

Chance and Hart have just busted up an assassination attempt on President Reagan. The stress of the details are getting too much for Hart who is soon going to retire and go fishing. Chance unwinds by bungee jumping off the Vincent Thomas Bridge over L.A. Harbor (though in the film he calls it B.A.S.E. jumping). A day after Hart's retirement party at the Dog Run Bar, and with only a few days left on the clock, Hart heads off on one last surveillance assignment. He drives out into the desert to check on a warehouse suspected of housing counterfeiting equipment. With binoculars he checks out the site belonging to counterfeiter Rick Masters (Dafoe).

Rick Masters (Dafoe)

Hart, thinking the site is deserted approaches and jumps the fence. He starts to poke around and finds a trash bag full of cropped currancy paper in a dumpster. Masters and Jack, his bodyguard, surprize and kill Hart. Leading a team of agents to Masters desert warehouse Chance discovers a pool of blood soaking into the dirt from Hart's body lying in the dumpster.

Chance at Master's desert warehouse

Chance gets assigned a stuffy new partner John Vukovich (Pankow), a no nonsense by the book professional. Chance tells John that he is making taking down Masters a personal vendetta.

The two new partners begin putting the screws to Masters. They start by setting up a tag team surveillance post in a church across from attorney Max Waxman a well known shady shyster associate of Masters. During Vukovich's turn on watch he falls asleep, Masters shows up and whacks Waxman.

Masters after killing Waxman

Arriving at the unsecured crime scene Chance takes a notebook belonging to Waxman, which is apparently a payoff record. Vukovich tell's Chance that he's tampering with evidence but later back at headquarters the two come to an uneasy truce. Vukovich says he won't rat him out, but the agents now work two different angles. Chance uses the coded payoff book and his relationship with Ruth to get the inside skinny on underworld transactions. Vulkovich on the other hand arranges a meeting with Masters private attorney Bob Grimes (Dean Stockwell) in a downtown L.A. bar.

Vukovich and Grimes (Dean Stockwell)

Bob Grimes: I don't have a lot of time. I'm in the middle of a trial.
John Vukovich: What kind of trial?
Bob Grimes: It's a dope case. Client got busted smuggling fifty pounds of cocaine. I should be able to get him off, though. Seach warrant's weak.
John Vukovich: Weak?
Bob Grimes: Color of the house is listed as brown in the warrant, when in fact it's beige and yellow.
John Vukovich: You should be ashamed of yourself.
Bob Grimes: I don't make any apologies for being an attorney. If I didn't accept the case, somebody else would, without a doubt. Without a doubt.

Chance and Ruth

Getting info

Shipwreck Joey's stripper

 Grimes, agrees to set up a meeting between Masters and the two agents. The agents will pose as bankers from Palm Springs interested in Masters' counterfeiting services. Masters is reluctant to work with them, but ultimately agrees to print them a million worth of fake bills for $50,000. The problem is that the Treasury Department only allows payouts of $30,000. From Ruth, Chance gets the skinny that a money deal is going down and that a bag-man is coming by Amtrak from San Francisco. He tells Vukovich that they are going to steal it.

Amtrak in an homage to Bad Day At Black Rock

John Vukovich: So now you want to commit a robbery?
Richard Chance: I wouldn't call it that.
John Vukovich: What would you call it?
Richard Chance: Taking down a douche bag who's trying to break the law.

Unfortunately, the info is wrong the bag-man Thomas Ling is in reality an undercover FBI agent on a sting operation, after Chance and Vukovich abduct him they drive him to the rail yards along the Los Angeles River. There they break open the suitcase only to find a phone book. Chance knows hes carrying and finds that he has a money belt, the FBI agents that are shadowing him accidently kill Ling after a freak accident while they are trying to save him.

The bag-man indicent

high angle from the FBI sniper's POV

Chance and Vukovich not knowing what's coming down run for their car and they try to evade a swarm of FBI men. What follows is one of the greatest car chases on film easily equal to those in Bullitt (1968), The French Connection (1971), The Seven-Ups (1973), and it's also an homage the car chase after Charles McGraw in the L.A. River in the Classic Film Noir Roadblock (1951).

6th St. Downtown L.A.

warehouse district

Santa Fe freight

low angle

evasive maneuver 

homage to the Charles McGraw film Roadblock (1951)

L.A. River

By luck Chance and Vukovich manage to evade their pursuers. At their daily Treasury Dept. briefing they are read an FBI bulletin that reveals that Ling and FBI agent was kidnapped, robbed, and killed by two unidentified men driving a cream colored car. Vukovich becomes guilt ridden, but Chance is still focused on getting Masters. Vukovich concerned with saving his own skin goes back to sleazeball attorney Bob Grimes, who advises to turn himself in and rat on Chance. Vukovich refuses that advice.

Grimes

Chance and Vukovich meet Masters for the the money exchange. The agents attempt to arrest Masters when they get the evidence but Jack Pulls a shotgun and in an exchange of fire both Chance and Jack are killed. Masters escapes in the mayhem and Vukovich is stunned by his partners death.

The film has a 80's techno Wang Chung pounding beat. The cast at that time (save for Dean Stockwell) where pretty much all unknowns. The mayhem ratchets up nicely and unpredictably throughout the film. It's and anti buddy cop film.

The Noir ending, has the now jaded Vukovich visiting Ruth as she's packing up to get the hell out of Dodge.  He knows Chance gave her ten G's as her cut. Ruth used it to pay off her debts. She's his bitch now.

Gritty, flamboyant, caustic, beautifully bleak 9/10

Noirsville

Noir Image of the Week

Ditmars Terminal, RR Line, Astoria, Queens, NYC cica 1960s 

The Honeymoon Killers (1969) Lonely Heart Noir

Directors: Leonard Kastle, Donald Volkman (uncredited) written by Leonard Kastle. Stars Shirley Stoler (Seven Beauties (1975) Miami Blues (1990)), Tony Lo Bianco (The Seven Ups (1973) The French Connection (1971)), Mary Jane Higby, Marilyn Chris, Mary Breen, and Doris Roberts.

A couple of truly revolting, sleazeball, human scum prey relentlessly and mercilessly upon the most desperate, pathetic, and lonely women who are looking for love and companionship.

The film is based on a true story of Raymond Martinez Fernandez and Martha Jule Beck an American serial killer couple who are believed to have killed as many as 20 women during their murderous spree between 1947 and 1949. They became known as "The Lonely Hearts Killers" for meeting their victims through lonely hearts ads in Romance magazines. Hawaiian born Fernandez served a stint in Spain's Merchant Marine and then British Intelligence during World War II during which a steel hatch fell on top of him, fracturing his skull and injuring his frontal lobe. This injury may well have affected both his judgement and his social and sexual behavior. He eventually moved to New York City and began a lucrative con business answering personal ads posted by lonely women. He would wine and dine them, then steal their money and possessions. Most were too embarrassed to report the crimes. In 1947, he answered a personal ad placed by Martha Beck.

Martha Seabrook due to a glandular problem as a child was overweight and underwent puberty prematurely. Martha studied nursing but had trouble finding a job due to her weight. She was  undertaker's assistant and prepared female bodies for burial. She moved  to California, where she worked in an Army hospital as a nurse, there she became pregnant. The father refused to marry her, and she returned to Florida and had a child. She became pregnant again and married a Pensacola bus driver named Alfred Beck but divorced six months later. She found employment at the Pensacola Hospital for Children and found escape in the fantasy world of Romcoms, Romance mags, and novels. She placed a Lonely Hearts ad in 1947 that was answered by Raymond Fernandez.

                                                 Ray Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco)composing his letter 

In The Honeymoon Killers the story is updated to the 1960s and the film begins with an overweight, chocolate gobbling, Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler) sloging away working as a head nurse in Mobile, Alabama rather than Pensacola.  She lives alone with her mother (she has no kids in the film version). A friend, Bunny (played by Doris Roberts) writes in Martha's name to a "lonely hearts" club ad. Ray Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco) a professional con artist lothario who has been preying on lonely women for quite some time has his scam down to a science. He filters out the most susceptible women. He answers Martha's letter, writing that this is his "first" foray into the Lonely Hearts Club world, and that he has never ever done this before. This is his standard M.O., he writes the same letter to all his marks, it;s his hook.

Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler) reading Ray's letter

Mother, Bunny and Martha

Ray Seduces Martha

Ray skedaddles back to New York with Martha's money

Ray gets a call from Martha who tells him she tried to commit suicide when he left

Martha about to do something "special"

Ray visits Martha and seduces her. Ray doing his usual shtick gets some loot from Martha and skedaddles.  Martha distraught and desperate calls Ray at the of Bunny and tells him she tried to commit suicide when he left. Ray touched by such devotion tells Martha that she'll have to get rid of her mother and come to New York if she wants to be with him. Martha dumps her mother in a nursing home follows Ray to New York. Tony reveals to Martha his true profession and she begins to assist him in selecting his victims, writing his letters, and accompany him on his jobs. He passes her off as his sister. Martha smoothly slides into the grift.

While a victim bathes....

Martha and Ray steal her money and jewels

Lonely lady after lonely lady are seduced by the slick and suave attentions of Ray who promises Martha he will never sleep with any of the other women. Things get complicated when he marries a pregnant woman Myrtle Young (Marilyn Chris). Myrtle and Martha sleep in one room while Tony sleeps next door. Myrtle is a pretty horny bride and she sneaks off to the other room where Ray is sleeping to jump his bones, all the while Martha is pretending to sleep.

Myrtle, Ray, Martha

Myrtle tries to make it with Ray....

...while Martha spies on them

Martha becomes enraged and gives Tony a dose of pills to pass on to Myrtle who had earlier in the evening asked Martha if she had some "happy" pills to celebrate her wedding. The next day Tony puts a very sick and disoriented Myrtle on a bus telling her that he will drive her car and belongings to their new home. Myrtle doesn't make it, she's D.O.A.

D.O.A. Myrtle

Their next victim is the elderly Janet Fay of Albany, New York, (Mary Jane Higby). They go up to Albany and check into a hotel. They go and meet Janet and after getting acquainted for a few days they drive her to the house he shares with Martha in Valley Springs, Long Island. There Martha and Ray put their plan into action.

Ray on blank sheets of paper has Janet write "SURPRISE" and then sign her name at the bottom of the sheets. He tells her that he will mail the letters to all her friends and that when they get the letters they will all call each other to ask about what the surprise is. Later after they are married, he and Janet will call her friends and tell them that they are married and that that was the surprise. In reality they white out the Surprise and will use the signed sheets to conduct whatever business they need to.

Albany Hotel Kenmore 

Janet

Martha eavesdropping Janet and Ray

In the basement making plans while Janet is locked out upstairs

"It's OK Janet the door is stuck I'll go around to the outside basement door"

Janet also signs three checks totaling $10,000, but then becomes suspicious of the two when after Janet asks him to hide the check and he and Martha take them down to the basement to a "hiding place". When Janet has second thoughts and tries to call her friends and family, Ray and Martha become violent and  Martha hits her in the head repeatedly with a hammer while Ray strangles her to death.

Murder weapon

Hammered

Nothing like sex after murder

 

The cleanup

Janet's grave in the basement of the Valley Springs house

Ray and Martha plant Janet down in the basement tossing into the hole on top of her body the two pictures of Jesus that Janet as Martha declares sarcastically "always took with her." The two dirtbags then hop in their sled and head off to Michigan and their next victim. They spend a few months living with Rainelle Downing (Mary Breen) and her young daughter.

When Ray takes the daughter to pick up a puppy Rainelle tells Martha that she wants her to help her convince Ray to marry her as quick as possible because she has missed her period. Martha gets out her pills and tells Rainelle to take them and that it will solve her problem. Rainelle takes a few but gets sick, she runs to the bathroom and comes out telling Martha that it all was a false alarm, apparently she had her period. Martha, now openly in a jealous rage, tries to force the rest of the pills down her throat. At this moment Ray and the daughter return, the daughter sees Martha struggling with Rainelle and screams. Martha grabs the girl and takes her out of the room while Ray gets Rainelle's revolver and blows her brains out.

end of Rainelle

What do we do with the daughter

Let's go see mommy and the puppy down in the cellar

Later down in the cellar, when Ray wants to drop the daughter off at the Salvation Army, Martha nixes the idea saying that she'll blab, and that they have to get rid of her. Martha looks over at the slop sink and turns on the faucet.

Fernandez and Beck were convicted of Janet Fay's murder—the only one for which they were tried—and sentenced to death. On March 8, 1951, both were executed by electric chair in Sing Sing.

DVD is available from the Criterion Collection, 8/10.

The story was reworked again as Lonely Hearts (2006) telling the story from the police investigation angle, and placing the story back in the correct time frame, however the svelte Salma Hayek cast as Martha Beck was quite ridiculous.