of movies. Film making has been synonomous with the city since
the 1920’s black and white silent days, through Hollywood’s Golden Age,
to present day, and if you except India’s “Bollywood” and the UK,
the majority of big screen filmed entertainment seen worldwide,
originates from studios based in LA.
While many movies are shot in the city, the following is a partial
list of movies that feature, or are about, Los Angeles itself.
Top 10 Movie Lists
The Greatest Movies Ever Made
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Jeff Bridges as an ex-football player hired to track down the mistress of a sleazy nightclub owner. Includes a famous car chase scene filmed on Sunset Boulevard and the Phil Collins hit single of the same name
Beverly Hills Cop 1984.
Eddie Murphy in one of his funniest roles as a Detroit cop who moves to Beverly Hills to track the killer of his best friend.
The Big Lebowski 1998
“Dude Lebowski” (Jeff Bridges) is an LA slacker who is mistaken for a millionaire with the same last name who owes really bad people some money.
Bladerunner 1982
Ridley Scott’s 80’s masterpiece about a futuristic version of LA has stood the test of time and many directors credit its imagery for much of their inspiration. It is also one of Harrison Ford’s earliest roles. “Bladerunners” are special forces
who go after androids.
Boyz N the Hood 1991
In South Central LA, some kids succumb to gangs, drug dealing and violence, while others try to escape by getting an education.
Changeling 2008
Based on a true story set in 1920’s Los Angeles about corruption in the LAPD. Angelina Jolie’s son goes missing and the police department delivers up a child saying it’s her lost son to deflect growing media attention from them not being able to find the child. It isn’t her son, and Jolie’s ensuing protests have her being thrown in a mental institution, among other indignities.
Chinatown 1974
Roman Polanski’s classic, and one of Jack Nicholson’s best roles, which won him an Oscar for best actor as a private detective who is hired by a woman to spy on her husband, who built LA’s water supply system, and then gets pulled into a murder and corruption saga in 1950’s era Los Angeles.
Clueless 1995
Cutesy comedy about rich kids growing up in Beverly Hills, starring Alicia Silverstone.
Collateral 2004
Terrific Michael Mann film starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Cruise plays a hit-man who is on a mission to kill several people in one night, and Foxx an LA cab driver who has the misfortune of picking him up and getting pulled into it.
Colors 1988
Robert Duvall and Sean Penn at the top of their game as LA cops pitted against gang members. Duvall is the seasoned cop, Sean Penn the rookie he takes under his wing.
Crash 2004
An auto accident triggers a diverse group of people to look at their lives in LA and exposes rampant racism, violence, and lives full of tension and anxiety. Top drawer performances all round and a deserving Oscar winner for best picture in 2004.
Die Hard 1988
Bruce Willis as New York cop John McLane who is visiting Los Angeles at a Christmas party in an office high-rise that gets taken over by terrorists. Our action hero saves the day!
Down and out in Beverly Hills 1986
A wealthy family befriends a homeless man, played by Nick Nolte.
Falling Down 1993
The stresses of life in LA are getting to “D-Fens”, a divorced, unemployed engineer, played by Michael Douglas, who finally cracks, triggered by a bad traffic jam. Robert Duvall is the cop on his tail.
The Fast and the Furious 2001
An undercover cop infiltrates the sub-culture of street racing in Los Angeles.
Fast times at Ridgemont High 1982
Shot in LA’s San Fernando Valley (“The Valley”), and starring Sean Penn as stoned surfer dude Jeff Spicoli. Hilarious!
Grand Canyon 1991
Kevin Kline gets in a fix after his car breaks down at night in a really bad section of the city.
Heat 1995
Michael Mann directs Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Val Kilmer in this masterpiece of a crime drama, much of it set in Downtown LA.
Internal Affairs 1990
Richard Gere in top form as a “bad” LAPD cop.
Jackie Brown 1997
A flight attendant gets caught smuggling an illegal gun dealer’s money, but an LA cop befriends and tries to help her.
LA Confidential 1997
Excellent movie about police corruption in 1950’s LA. Starring Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce and Kim Basinger.
LakeView Terrace 2008
Samuel L. Jackson as a crooked LAPD cop. Lake View Terrace is a suburb of Los Angeles.
LA Story 1991
Steve Martin tries to make sense of his life, feeling loneliness and alienation in the sprawling metropolis that is LA. The Enya music played throughout adds to the melancholy mood of the movie. Funny and uplifting.
Less Than Zero 1987
A bleak depiction of life in the fast lane in LA, and where it can lead.
The Long Goodbye 1973
A man tries to cover up a murder in LA and all sorts of complicated events unfold.
Menace II Society 1993
Set in the rough South Central LA and Watts sections of the city, this is a gritty, violent film.
Mulholland Drive 2001
A car accident on this famous winding street in Los Angeles leads to suspense and intrigue on a grand scale. Film noir at its best.
Pretty Woman 1990
Classic love story that still plays well today with Richard Gere as the handsome and successful businessman who rescues Julia Roberts from the streets of Hollywood.
Pulp Fiction 1994
Hit-men, the mob, and the ensuing violence. Quentin Tarantino directs John Travlota, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis and Uma Therman in this classic.
Repo Man 1984
Taking cars back from irate owners in Los Angeles has its dangers, as this movie demonstrates.
Shopgirl 2004
Steve Martin is the older guy who falls for a much younger girl
(Claire Danes) working at a department store in LA.
The Soloist 2009
Robert Downey Jr. befriends a homeless musician (Jamie Foxx) on the streets of
LA. Excellent performances from both.
Speed 1994
An adrenalin rush of a movie if ever there was one! A bomb is placed on a bus and it has to maintain a certain speed through the streets of LA or it will go off.
Strange Days 1995
There is rioting in the streets, and LA is burning, in this futuristic thriller.
Street Kings 2008
Things get messy in-house when an LAPD officer is killed.
Sunset Boulevard 1950
Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, in one of the most iconic film performances ever as a faded actress who thinks she’s on the verge of a comeback but is actually headed ever closer to insanity.
S.W.A.T. 2003
Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell are part of the special weapons team of the LAPD.
Tequila Sunrise 1988.
Mel Gibson, Michelle Pfieffer and Kurt Russell star in this tale of drug dealers, cops and complicated romances.
To Live And Die in LA 1985
A Secret Service agent is tracking a counterfeiter who kills his partner. Contains one of the most memorable car chase scenes ever captured on film.
Training Day 2001
Denzel Washington is an LAPD undercover narcotics detective who is not what he appears to be, as he takes rookie Ethan Hawke along for the ride in South Central LA.
Valley Girl 1983
Nicholas Cage is from the other side of the hill who finds love with a “Valley Girl”.
