When you’re actually trying to figure out which titles you should prioritize on a given streaming service, it can feel almost impossible. Speaking for myself, I know that trying to pick a single thing to watch from among the vast array of titles available on services like Prime Video can feel almost impossible.
What I often do, then, is pick something that won’t be available for long. Prime Video has plenty of titles coming and going all the time, and if you’re looking for one to watch this month, I’d start with To Live and Die in L.A. Here are three reasons you should check it out:
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on HBO Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
It’s a dark, moody action movie
Although To Live and Die in L.A. is in some ways a standard cop action movie of the 1980s, in others it’s much stranger and more nihilistic than that description makes it sound. The film follows a rogue cop who, after losing his partner to a master counterfeiter, becomes hellbent on revenge.
As he pushes the boundaries of his job, we find ourselves wondering whether he’s gone way too far in the pursuit of justice. It’s a nervy movie that you might walk away from hating both the hero and the villain, which remains one of the reasons why it’s aged well.
It’s rarely available to stream
This is a slightly unusual reason, but one of the best reasons to check out To Live and Die in L.A. is that the movie is actually usually pretty hard to watch on streaming. This is a rare window where the movie’s available, and given that it’s one of the definitive action movies of the 1980s, it’s well worth your time.
Given the uncertainty of licensing rights, you can never tell when a movie is going to pop up on streaming and when it might disappear for years at a time. While streaming isn’t the only way to watch movies, it’s often the most convenient, so take advantage of this convenience while you can.
It features Willem Dafoe at his villainous best
While the entire ensemble of To Live and Die in L.A. is doing excellent work, the movie’s true standout performer is almost undoubtedly Willem Dafoe, who plays the master counterfeiter. Dafoe is not known for playing nice guys, but his performance as the villain at the center of this movie is particularly unsettling because he’s so cold and calculating.
Dafoe can be big and hammy, but here, he underplays almost every scene in a way that makes him seem deeply real and just as malevolent as you would want him to be. It’s a great early turn from one of our best actors.
You can watch To Live and Die in L.A. on Amazon Prime Video.
