'To Live and Die in L.A.' shows city's seedy side By WENDY JOHNSON Movie Reviewer "To Live and Die in L.A." Starring: William L. Petersen, Willem Dafoe, John Pankow Director: William Friedkin ★★★* Academy Award-winning direc tor William Friedken ("The French Connection") combines a newcomer cast, off-beat, never-before-used areas of Los Angeles and fascinat ing detail to give us a credible look at counterfeiting in L.A. Don't look for the glamorous side of L.A. in this film, this one shows us the city's "other" side.. The unfamil iar actors and seedy, unrecogniza ble settings force us to focus on the people, rather than on stars in staged surroundings. Based on a novel written by Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, head of the Fraud Division of the Los Angeles office, "To Live and Die in L.A." portrays two Secret Service agents tracking a professional coun terfeiter. William Petersen is Richard Chance, a daring and reckless agent whose long-time partner and friend is murdered when he discov ers the secret print shop of coun terfeiter Eric Masters, played by Wil lem Dafoe. Masters is an artist turned counterfeiter, a practiced criminal, a perfectionist gone wrong, who kills with ruthlessness. Chance vows revenge on his part ner's killer. His obsession with catch ing the infamous criminal soon draws him and his new partner, John Vukovich (John Pankow), a, young agent who wants to do things by the book, across the fine line di viding cop from criminal. The film's main theme deals with psychological parallels between the personalities of law enforcement of ficers and the criminals they pursue. Pitted against each other, we see similarities in Chance and Masters. They think and act alike, but are on different sides of the law.' Even their love lives are similar — they both use their women as ac complices. Debra Feuer is Bianca Torres, a nightclub dancer and Mas ters' sensual partner. She adds a haunting, hungry dimension to Mas ters. Darlanne Fluegel is Ruth Lan ier, an ex-convict Chance has forced into the role of informant and lover at the threat of parole revocation. The actual process of counterfeit ing money is shown in detail. Step by step, we watch millions of dollars in phony money being created. Care was taken not to reveal too much, however. "Anyone who sees the film will know how to make fifty dollar bills — almost," director Wil liam Friedken says. The action in the film is violent, graphic and moves fast. When peo ple get shot, they get shot in the face, and when they die, you hear their groans. Scenes switch quickly and rarely have a beginning and an end, giving a jumpy impression at first, but after assimilating all the faces and roles, it's easy to get' caught up in the rhythm. A suspenseful freeway chase scene, reminiscent of the famous ending of The French Connection, has the two agents winding through streets and back alleys of L.A. and climaxes on a freeway packed with rush hour traffic. The soundtrack, composed and performed by popular contempo rary group Wang Chung, has songs and instrumentals that match the high energy, no-nonsense action of the drama. . □ MXUM&i RATING KEY *** = Okay, but not that great. ***** = A Classic! ** = Barely watchable. **** = Excellent, but has some flaws. « = Forget it. AGNES OF GOD (PG-13): Meg Tilly ("The Big Chill") is a young nun who gives birth to a baby. It's found strangled and Sister Agnes says she doesn't remember the birth or the impregnation. Anne Bancroft and Jane Fonda also star. **** Plaza 3 BACK TO THE FUTURE (R): Michael J. Fox, (TV's "Family Ties") stars in this time-traveling comedy. Worth the second trip just to catch all the details you missed the first time. ***** Cinema 3 BETTER OFF DEAD (PG): John Cusack ("The Sure Thing") stars in this comedy about the pit falls of falling in love. Cusack plays Lane Myer, the young hero who believes that a lover is better off dead than dumped. Plaza 3 BRING ON THE NIGHT (PG-13): "A band is born." Starring Sting. Post Oak Mall CARMEN (PG): A stage version of the famous op era of passion, lust and murder. A teasing gypsy girl sets her sights on a homesick sol dier who is stationed near her Spanish vil lage. Aggie Cinema, Sunday, 7:30, Rudder Theater. DEATH WISH 3 (R): The newest Charles Bronson adventure. Cinema 3 DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN (PG-13): This comedy stars Rosanna Arquette as' Ro berta, a New Jersey housewife who gets amnesia and thinks she is a flashy punker named Susan (Madonna). Aggie Cinema, 'Friday. & Saturday, 7:30 and 9:45, Rudder Auditorium. JAGGED EDGE (R): A mystery-thriller starring Glenn Close ("The Big Chill") and Jeff Bridges ("Starman"). A beautiful and wealthy San Francisco newspaper heiress is stabbed to death and the only suspect is her husband. **** Post Oak Mall JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN (PG): A Walt Dis ney film about a girl who is separated from her father and travels across the country to find him. Manor East HI. KRUSH GROOVE (R): A young music entrepre neur dreams of building a successful record company, but on his way to the top he gets entangled in a love triangle with his brother and his girlfriend. It's the city beat of the city streets, with music from Shiela E., The Fat Boys, Run-DMC. Schulman 6. LOOSE SCREWS (R): A group of guys attend a summer detention school. Teenage T & A. Schulman 6 NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE (R): The saga continues. The first one was supposedly one of the bet ter horror movies. Schulman 6 PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (PG): This wacky comedy stars comedian Pee-Wee Herman. ** Schulman 6 REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS (PG-13): After a New York cop plunges to his death in the East River, he wakes up in the hospital the morning of his funeral with a new name (Remo Williams), a new face, and a new job as the new "enforcer" for a secret gov ernment agency. Trained by the last living master of Sinar. u, the sun source of the sur vival arts, he learns how to dodge bullets, walk through fire, run across sand and leave no footprints, etc. Manor East III REVENGE OF THE NERDS (R): Nerds unite against jocks, preps and society girls in this comedy. Aggie Cinema, Friday and Satur day, midnight, Rudder Theater. SILVER BULLET (R): A Stephen King movie about a werewolf that terrorizes a small town. Schulman 6 STOP MAKING SENSE: The critically acclaimed Talking Heads movie. Schulman 6 TARGET (R): Matt Dillon and Gene Hackman star in this mystery movie about a father and son who don't really know each other until they team up to rescue Hackman's wife, who has been kidnapped. Plaza 3 THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW (R): Emilio Es tevez stars as a street-wise teen-ager in this drama about two boys who grow up as best friends and help each other survive the tough neighborhood they live in. Estevez wrote the screenplay from S.E. Hinton's book. Cinema 3 TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (R): Two Secret Service agents track a ruthless professional coun terfeiter in this crime drama played out in the streets and back alleys of Los Angeles. Filmed on location in L.A. ***★ Manor East III TRANSYLVANIA 6-5000 (PG): A horror-spoof comedy about two reporters trying to scrounge up a story in Transylvania. Post Oak Mall.