List of films set in Los Angeles

Below a list of films set in Los Angeles. The list is not complete, and also includes a number of movies which only have a tenuous connection to the city. For instance, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, which is set in San Dimas, a suburb that is over ten miles to the east of the city's boundaries. This may reflect a view held by many, that Los Angeles has no real boundaries and is not so much a city as a loosely defined collection of communities. The film Inception is set in locations all over the world, and mostly takes place in the imagination, but the ending is set in Los Angeles and so is included in the list. Other films have less to do with the physical city than with an imaginary or mythical Los Angeles. Bladerunner makes use of some LA locations, but is largely the invention of the film's makers. Chinatown was shot on many real LA locations, but the end result is a romantic evocation of the city which merges with our movie memories.

1920s

• Hollywood (1923)
• Souls for Sale (1923)
• Sherlock Jr. (1924)
• Show People (1928)

1930s

• What Price Hollywood? (1932)
• A Star Is Born (1937)

1940s

• Sullivan's Travels (1941)
• Saboteur (1942)

Stanwyck and MacMurray of Billy Wilder's Double Indemnity

• Double Indemnity (1944)
• Murder, My Sweet (1944)
• Mildred Pierce (1945)
• The Big Sleep (1946)
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
• The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947)
• "He Walked at Night" (1948)
• Criss Cross (1949)
• White Heat (1949)

1950s

The actual painted boulevard name was used as the opening titles of the classic film-noir drama, Sunset Boulevard

• Sunset Boulevard (1950)
• The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
• Singin' in the Rain (1952)
• The War of the Worlds (1953)
• A Star Is Born (1954)
• Them! (1954)
• Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
• Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
• The Big Knife (1955)
• Indestructible Man (1956)
• Gang War (1958)
• Girl on the Run (1958)
• The Crimson Kimono (1959)

1960s

• A Bucket of Blood (1960)
• The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
• The Exiles (1961)
• The Three Stooges in Orbit" (1962)
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
• Muscle Beach Party (1964)
• The Loved One (1965)
• Valley of the Dolls (1967)
• The Graduate (1967)
• Point Blank (1967)
• Targets (1968)
• Model Shop (1969)

1970s

• Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)
• Halls of Anger (1970)
• Alex in Wonderland (1970)
• Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
• Kotch (1971)
• Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
• The Omega Man (1971)
• Diamonds are Forever (1971)
• Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
• The New Centurions (1972)
• The Long Goodbye (1973)
• Blazing Saddles (1974)
• Chinatown (1974)
• Earthquake (1974)
• Farewell My Lovely (1974)
• Gone in 60 Seconds (1974)
• Dolemite (1975)
• Shampoo (1975)
• The Day of the Locust (1975)
• Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
• Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976)
• Car Wash (1976)
• A Star Is Born (1976)
• The Bad News Bears (1976)
• Gable and Lombard (1976)
• Gus (1976)
• Trackdown (1976) starring James Mitchum)
• Two-Minute Warning (1976)
• Welcome to LA (1976)
• Grand Theft Auto (1977)
• Killer of Sheep (1977)
• Grease (1978)
• Heaven Can Wait (1978)
• Thank God It's Friday (1978)
• Up in Smoke (1978)
• Boulevard Nights (1979)
• The China Syndrome (1979)
• Hardcore (1979)
• 1941 (1979)
• The Onion Field (1979)
• Roller Boogie (1979)
• Skatetown USA (1979)

1980s

• Airplane! (1980)
• Midnight Madness (1980)
• The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
• Mommie Dearest (1981)
• S.O.B. (1981)
• Zoot Suit (1981)
• True Confessions (1981)
• Blade Runner (1982)
• I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982)
• Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
• Frances (1982)
• Grease 2 (1982 local suburbs, e.g. Hawthorne)
• White Dog (1982)
• Blue Thunder (1983)
• Valley Girl (1983)
• The Star Chamber (1983)
• Repo Man (1984)
• Crimes of Passion (1984)
• Body Double (1984)
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
• Irreconcilable Differences (1984)
• The Karate Kid (1984)
• Night of the Comet (1984)
• Swing Shift (1984)
• The Terminator (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• Back to the Future (Universal City, California) (1985)
• Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
• Fletch (1985)
• Into the Night (1985)
• To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
• Tuff Turf (1985)
• Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
• Echo Park (1986)
• The Karate Kid, Part II (1986)
• Modern Girls (1986)
• Ruthless People (1986)
• That's Life! (1986)
• Barfly (1987)
• Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
• Born in East L.A. (1987)
• Dragnet (1987)
• The Hidden (1987)
• La Bamba (1987)
• Less Than Zero (1987)
• Lethal Weapon (1987)
• Colors (1988)
• The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years (1988)
• Die Hard (1988)
• Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
• Miracle Mile (1988)
• The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
• Stand and Deliver (1988)
• Sunset (1988)
• Tequila Sunrise (1988)
• They Live (1988)
• Twins (1988)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
• Back to the Future Part II (Universal City, California) (1989)
• Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
• The Karate Kid, Part III (1989)
• Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
• Skin Deep (1989)
• Troop Beverly Hills (1989)

1990s

1990

• Back to the Future Part III (Universal City, California) (1990)
• Predator 2 (1990)
• Pretty Woman (1990)
• To Sleep with Anger (1990)
• The Two Jakes (1990)

1991

• Barton Fink (1991)
• Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
• Boyz n the Hood (1991)
• Father of the Bride (1991)
• Grand Canyon (1991)
• L.A. Story (1991)
• McBain (1991)
• Night on Earth (1991)
• Point Break (1991)
• The Rocketeer (1991)
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

1992

• American Me (1992)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film) (1992)
• Death Becomes Her (1992)
• Deep Cover (1992)
• Encino Man (1992)
• Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)
• The Player (1992)
• Reservoir Dogs (1992)
• South Central (1992)
• Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)
• White Men Can't Jump (1992)

1993

• Blood In Blood Out (1993)
• Bound by Honor (1993)
• Falling Down (1993)
• Last Action Hero (1993)
• Menace II Society (1993)
• Mi Vida Loca (1993)
• My Girl 2 (1993)
• Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1993)
• Poetic Justice (1993 film)
• Rising Sun (1993)
• Rookie of the Year (1993) (select scenes)
• The Beverly Hillbillies (1993)
• The Sandlot (1993)
• Short Cuts (1993)

1994

• Airheads (1994)
• Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
• Clifford (1994)
• Color of Night (1994)
• Ed Wood (1994)
• Floundering (1994)
• Double Dragon (1994)
• Murder Was The Case (1994)
• Mi Vida Loca (1994)
• Pulp Fiction (1994)
• Speed (1994)
• Swimming with Sharks (1994)
• The Next Karate Kid (1994)
• The Little Rascals (1994)
• Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
• Jimmy Hollywood (1994)

1995

• Clueless (1995)
• Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
• Father of the Bride Part II (1995)
• Friday (1995)
• Get Shorty (1995)
• Heat (1995)
• Higher Learning (1995)
• Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
• My Family, Mi Familia (1995)
• The Net (1995)
• Nick of Time (1995)
• Strange Days (1995)
• Tales from the Hood (1995)

1996

• 2 Days in the Valley (1996)
• Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
• Escape from L.A. (1996)
• Get on the Bus (1996)
• Independence Day (1996)
• Kazaam (1996)
• Last Man Standing (1996)
• Mulholland Falls (1996)
• Set It Off (1996)
• Swingers (1996)
• A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996)

1997

• Air Force One (1997)
• Bean (1997)
• Boogie Nights (1997)
• Face/off (1997)
• Jackie Brown (1997)
• L.A. Confidential (1997)
• Lost Highway (1997)
• Money Talks (1997)
• One Eight Seven (1997)
• Steel (1997)
• Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
• Volcano (1997)

1998

• American History X (1998)
• A Night at the Roxbury (1998)
• Blade (1998)
• Bulworth (1998)
• Caught Up (1998)
• City of Angels (1998)
• Hurlyburly (1998)
• L.A. Without a Map (1998)
• Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
• Playing by Heart (1998)
• Rush Hour (1998)
• Slums Of Beverly Hills (1998)
• The Big Lebowski (1998)
• The Players Club (1998)
• Twilight (1998)

1999

• Blast from the Past (1999)
• Bellyfruit (1999)
• Blue Streak (1999)
• Bowfinger (1999)
• Free Enterprise (1999)
• Go (1999)
• Hot Boyz (1999)
• Magnolia (1999)
• Straight Out of Compton (1999)
• South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) (select scenes)

Sugar Town (1999)

• The Muse (1999)
• The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
• The Wood (1999)

2000s

2000

• The Anniversary Party (2000)
• Bread and Roses (2000)
• Brother (2000)
• Big Momma's House (2000)
• Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
• Hanging Up (2000)
• Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
• The Kid (2000)
• Lost Souls (2000)
• Love and Basketball (2000)
• Next Friday (2000)
• Traffic (2000)
• What's Cooking? (2000)

2001

• Baby Boy (2001)
• Bandits (2001)
• Crazy/Beautiful (2001)
• Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles (2001)
• Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
• The Fast and the Furious (2001)
• Joe Dirt (2001)
• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
• Mulholland Drive (2001)
• Rush Hour 2 (2001)
• Southlander (2001)
• Swordfish (2001)
• Training Day (2001)
• The Wash (2001)

2002

• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
• Collateral Damage (2002)
• Dark Blue (2002)
• Friday After Next (2002)
• Laurel Canyon (2002)
• Nothing So Strange (2002)
• Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
• Real Women Have Curves (2002)
• The Salton Sea (2002)
• xXx (2002)

2003

• Biker Boyz (2003)
• Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
• Confidence (2003)
• The Core (2003)
• Freaky Friday (2003)
• Holes (2003)
• Hollywood Homicide (2003)
• Honey (2003)
• Hulk (2003)
• The Italian Job (2003)
• Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood (2003)
• Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
• Matchstick Men (2003)
• Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)
• National Security (2003)
• Stuck on You (2003)
• S.W.A.T. (2003)
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
• Thirteen (2003)
• Wonderland (2003)

2004

• The Aviator (2004)
• Cellular (2004)
• A Cinderella Story (2004)
• Collateral (2004)
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
• Ray (2004)
• Soul Plane (2004)
• Starsky & Hutch (2004)
• SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 (2004)

2005

• The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)
• Be Cool (2005)
• Black Dawn (2005)
• Crash (2005)
• Dirty (2005)
• Goal! (2005)
• H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds (2005)
• Happy Endings (2005)
• Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
• The Island (2005)
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
• Lords of Dogtown (2005)
• Monster-in-Law (2005)
• The Sandlot 2 (2005)
• Shopgirl (2005)
• Torque (2005)
• xXx: State of the Union (2005)

2006

• 10.5: Apocalypse (2006)
• Belly 2: Millionaire Boyz Club (2006)
• Big Momma's House 2 (2006)
• The Black Dahlia (2006)
• Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)
• Click (2006)
• Crank (2006)
• Friends with Money (2006)
• Gridiron Gang (2006)
• Harsh Times (2006)
• Inland Empire (2006)
• Jackass 2 (2006)
• Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
• Man About Town (2006)
• Nearing Grace (2006)
• Quinceanera (2006)
• Snakes on a Plane (2006)
• Waist Deep (2006)
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

2007

• Alvin and The Chipmunks (2007)
• The Apocalypse (2007)
• Bratz: The Movie (2007)
• Dragon Wars (2007)
• Freedom Writers (2007)
• The Hammer (2007)
• Invasion of the Pod People (2007)
• Knocked Up (2007)
• Nancy Drew (2007)
• Rush Hour 3 (2007)
• The Sandlot: Heading Home (2007)
• Smiley Face (2007)
• Southland Tales (2007)
• Transformers (2007)
• Urban Justice (2007)

2008

• Ace of Hearts (2008)
• Bedtime Stories (2008)
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
• Changeling (2008)
• Drillbit Taylor (2008)
• Eagle Eye (2008)
• The Eye (2008)
• Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
• Garden Party (2008)
• Get Smart (2008)
• Hancock (2008)
• Iron Man (2008)
• Lakeview Terrace (2008)
• Quarantine (2008)
• Role Models (2008)
• Street Kings (2008)
• Sunday School Musical (2008)
• The Take (2008)
• Taken (2008)
• War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008)

2009

• 17 Again (2009)
• 2012 (2009)
• 2012: Supernova (2009)
• 500 Days of Summer (2009)
• All About Steve (2009)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009)
• Crank: High Voltage (2009)
• Crossing Over (2009)
• Fast & Furious (2009)
• Funny People (2009)
• G-Force (2009)
• I Love You, Man (2009)
• The Informers (2009)
• Land of the Lost (2009)
• My Sister's Keeper (2009)
• Notorious (2009)
• Obsessed (2009)
• The Soloist (2009)
• Spread (2009)
• Terminator Salvation (2009)
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
• The Ugly Truth (2009)
• Zombieland (2009)

2010s

2010

• The A-Team (2010)
• Beginners (2010)
• Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)
• Cyrus (2010)
• Despicable Me (2010)
• Greenberg (2010)
• Inception (2010)
• Horrorween (2010)
• Iron Man 2 (2010)
• Jackass 3D (2010)
• The Kids Are All Right (2010)
• The Losers (2010)
• Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus (2010)
• Skyline (2010)
• Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
• The Runaways (2010)
• Takers (2010)
• Tooth Fairy (2010)
• Tron: Legacy (2010)
• Valentine's Day (2010)

2011

• The Artist (2011)
• Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
• Battle of Los Angeles (2011)
• Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 (2011)
• Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)
• Born to Be a Star (2011)
• Cross (2011)
• Drive (2011)
• Fast Five (2011)
• Friends with Benefits (2011)
• From Prada to Nada (2011)
• Ghost Shark 2: Urban Jaws (2011)
• The Green Hornet (2011)
• Green Lantern (2011)
• The Hit List (2011)
• Honey 2 (2011)
• Hop (2011)
• Horrible Bosses (2011)
• Insidious (2011)
• Jack & Jill (2011)
• Just Go with It (2011)
• Larry Crowne (2011)
• The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
• Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (2011)
• The Muppets (2011
• No Strings Attached (2011)
• The Pool Boys (2011)
• Princess and the Pony (2011)
• Prom (2011)
• The Roommate (2011)
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

2012

• Caroline and Jackie (2012)
• End of Watch (2012)
• Taken 2 (2012)
• Project X (2012 film)

2013

• Despicable Me 2 (2013)
• Gangster Squad (2013)
• Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
• The Canyons (2013)
• The Bling Ring (2013)

Los Angeles destroyed on film

• The War of the Worlds (1953) (Destroyed by an alien invasion)
• Earthquake (1974) (Destroyed by an earthquake)
• The Terminator (1984) (Destroyed by artificially intelligent machines)
• The Great Los Angeles Earthquake (1990) (Destroyed by an earthquake)
• Terminator 2 (1991) (Destroyed by a nuclear bomb)
• Double Dragon (1994) (Destroyed by a major earthquake in 2007)
• Independence Day (1996) (Destroyed by an alien invasion)
• Volcano (1997) (Destroyed by a large volcano)
• Tycus (2000) Destroyed by a piece of the Moon after being hit by comet Tycus.
• The Core (2003) (Destroyed by the Earth's electromagnetic field)
• The Day After Tomorrow (2004) (Destroyed by global warming)
• 10.5: Apocalypse (2006) (Destroyed by an earthquake)
• The Apocalypse (2007) (Destroyed by a meteor shower)
• Dragon Wars (2007) (Destroyed by a giant monster attack and rampage)
• Transformers (2007) (Destroyed by the battle between the Autobots and Decepticons)
• Life After People (2008) (Disintegration)
• War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008) (Destroyed by an alien invasion)
• 2012 (2009) (Destroyed by a large earthquake)
• 2012: Supernova (2009) (Destroyed by a supernova)
• Zombieland (2009) (Destroyed by a zombie apocalypse)
• Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) (Destroyed by an epidemic)
• Skyline (2010) (Destroyed by an alien invasion)
• Battle: Los Angeles (2011) (Destroyed by an alien invasion)