History Trivia / ToLiveAndDieInLA

* NamesTheSame: Modern-day viewers see "Robert Downey" in the credits and wonder why they don't spot [[Creator/RobertDowneyJr Tony Stark]] - when the Downey in question is his ''dad.''

** As early as the day he cast Petersen, Friedkin thought about killing off Chance towards the end of the film, but according to editor Bud Smith, Vukovich was supposed to be the one who was killed. The climactic scene in which Chance is killed was not very well received by Creator/{{MGM}} executives, who found it to be too negative. To satisfy the studio heads, he shot a second ending, in which Chance survives the shotgun blast and, presumably as an internal punishment, he and Vukovich are transferred to a remote Secret Service station in Alaska, and watch their boss, Thomas Bateman, being interviewed on television. Friedkin previewed the alternate ending and kept the original

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: The movie is pretty much every [[TheEighties '80s]] cop movie trope/cliche one could see in ''Film/LethalWeapon'' and ''Series/MiamiVice'' and eventually parodied in ''Film/LastActionHero'' and the [=McBain=] movies-within-the-show on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', with the soundtrack by Wang Chung being the cherry on top.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Why William Petersen took the role; he loved the idea of playing a rule-breaking RabidCop. This also happened during the shoot; before filming the sequence where Chance runs atop the airport people-mover, the facility's police told the crew not to do the proposed stunt as such a thing in an airport is an illegal violation. However, Petersen REALLY wanted to do it as he felt Chance would in pursuit of a suspect; they quickly did the stunt as soon as the police left the area.
* CaptainObviousReveal: It's pretty obvious it's Feds on Chance and Vukovich backs by the time they hit DownLADrain during the car chase sequence, as nobody else would have that kind of manpower and resources. Especially not after two lousy thieves.
* DeletedRole: This would have been Creator/KristySwanson's movie debut, but her scenes were cut.
* EnforcedMethodActing: During the wrong-way chase scenes on the Los Angeles freeway, Vukovich's panicky reactions were genuine. According to the DVD commentary, this was more in effect when Petersen was driving instead of the stunt double.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Friedkin's earlier ''Film/TheFrenchConnection''.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Friedkin's earlier ''{{The French Connection}}''.

* NamesTheSame: Modern-day viewers see "Robert Downey" in the credits and wonder why they don't spot Tony Stark - when the Downey in question is his ''dad.''

* SpiritualSuccessor: To Friedkin's earlier ''{{The French Connection]]''.

-->'''Chance:''' That's real funny. *hurls phone book at agent*
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The film looked and felt enough like MiamiVice that Michael Mann tried to sue for plagiarism. He wasn't successful. Ironically, William Petersen's performance in the film is what convinced Mann to cast him in ''{{Film/Manhunter}}''.
** If you watch a double-bill of this and ''Film/RepoMan'', you'll notice that both films feature (a) cinematography by Robby Müller and (b) car chases in the LA storm drains.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: This would have been Creator/KristySwanson's movie debut, but her scenes were cut.

** If you watch a double-bill of this and RepoMan, you'll notice that both films feature (a) cinematography by Robby Müller and (b) car chases in the LA storm drains.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The film looked and felt enough like MiamiVice that Michael Mann tried to sue for plagiarism. He wasn't successful.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Why William Petersen took the role; he loved the idea of playing a rule-breaking CowboyCop. This also happened during the shoot; before filming the sequence where Chance runs atop the airport people-mover, the facility's police told the crew not to do the proposed stunt as such a thing in an airport is an illegal violation. However, Petersen REALLY wanted to do it as he felt Chance would in pursuit of a suspect; they quickly did the stunt as soon as the police left the area.

* EnforcedMethodActing: During the wrong-way chase scenes on the Los Angeles freeway, Vukovich's panicky reactions were genuine. According to the DVD commentary, this was more in effect when Petersen was driving instead of the stunt double.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Why William Petersen took the role; he loved the idea of playing a rule-breaking CowboyCop. This also happened during the shoot; before filming the sequence where Chance runs atop the airport people-mover, the facility's police told the crew not to do the proposed stunt as such a thing in an airport is an illegal violation. However, Petersen REALLY wanted to do the stunt and they quickly did the stunt as soon as the police left the area.

* AwesomeDearBoy: Why William Petersen took the role; he loved the idea of playing a rule-breaking CowboyCop.

* EnforcedMethodActing: During the wrong-way chase scenes on the Los Angeles freeway, Vukovich's panicky reactions were genuine.

** If you watch a double-bill of this and RepoMan, you'll notice that both films feature (a) cinematography by Robby Muller and (b) car chases in the LA storm drains.
* EnforcedMethodActing: During the wrong-way chase scenes on the Los Angeles freeway, Vukovich's panicky reactions were genuine.

** If you watch a double-bill of this and RepoMan, you'll notice that both films feature (a) cinematography by Robby Muller, and (b) car chases in the LA storm drains.