“Overpowering and otherworldly…It feels like a transmission from a different planet.” -Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice

Celebrate the life and legacy of renegade New Hollywood auteur William Friedkin, who passed away on August 7, 2023. Though best known for the one-two punch of The French Connection and The Exorcist, Friedkin continued to do brilliant, hard-hitting work throughout his decades-long career. Arkadin is presenting one of his greatest underseen masterpieces, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. A neon-soaked action-thriller starring Willem Dafoe as a brilliantly slimy counterfeiter and William Petersen (future C.S.I. star in his first major film role) as the arrogant Secret Service agent on his trail, To Live and Die is the perfect complement to Friedkin’s Oscar-winning French Connection, the synthetic, suntanned West Coast cousin to that film’s gritty Noo Yawk realism. To Live and Die even features an epic wrong-way-on-the-freeway car chase that not only rivals but outdoes the clammy-hands tension of The French Connection‘s legendary vehicular pursuit. Powered by Wang Chung’s driving synth-pop score and virtuoso DP Robby Müller’s neon-sunset cinematography, To Live and Die is the ultimate in pulsing, high-style ’80s action and one of the absolute finest demonstrations of Friedkin’s unmatched ability to grab an audience, throw them into a richly realized world and absolutely run them through the ringer through the pure force of his filmmaking skill.

“We spent six weeks on the chase scene in “To Live and Die.” [William Friedkin] sent everybody home. It was me and [co-star] John Pankow and all the stunt guys. We were all over the city. We were down by the train, around the L.A. River — we were just running, gunning, getting shots. He shut down a whole freeway for two weekends so we could drive on the wrong side of it. Billy wouldn’t even have to look through the lens. Today, directors all sit by the monitors. They can be 200 yards from the scene you’re doing. Billy was there with us. He was a visceral filmmaker, period.” -William Petersen, star of To Live and Die in L.A.

THEATER POLICIES

All seats are first-come, first-served.

The theater opens 30 minutes prior to showtime, except for “Happy Hour” events and pre-shows when the theater opens at the listed start time.

All ages are welcome at Arkadin except for Drinkolas Cage events, which are restricted to 21+. We follow the MPAA rating guidelines for all other films.

Tickets can be purchased using the BUY TICKETS link above. Upon ordering, you will receive a confirmation email from Square. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the show at the concession counter.

If you’ve purchased advance tickets, when you arrive, please give your name at the concession counter to check in.

Tickets are returnable by sending a request through the contact form located on our About Us page prior to showtime.

When an event is sold out, we reserve the right to release open seats to customers on the waitlist. If you have a pre-purchased ticket and arrive late and there is no seat for you, your ticket will be refunded.

All screenings are held in our indoor theater unless indicated otherwise in the event description above.

Please respect your fellow movie-goers by remaining quiet and refraining from using your cell phone throughout the screening.