Favorite Movies Set in LOS ANGELES
Several years ago, I had compiled a list of my favorite movies set in Los Angeles, California. Needless to say, some of my choices have changed over the years. So below, is a revised list of my favorite movies set in the City of Angeles:
FAVORITE MOVIES SET IN LOS ANGELES
1. "L.A. Confidential" (1997) - Curtis Hanson co-wrote and directed this Oscar winning adaptation of James Ellroy's 1990 novel about three Los Angeles Police detectives who investigate a series of murders that lead to a possible scandal involving the police, the local government and a prostitution ring. Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce and Oscar winner Kim Basinger starred.
2. "Sunset Boulevard" (1950) - Billy Wilder co-wrote and directed another Oscar winning tale about an unsuccessful Hollywood screenwriter who unexpectedly becomes the paid lover of a faded silent screen star with delusions of renewing her career. Oscar nominees Gloria Swanson, William Holden and Erich von Stroheim starred.
3. "Devil in the Blue Dress" (1995) - Denzel Washington portrayed a post-World War II veteran and recently unemployed factory worker who kick starts a career as a private investigator, when he is hired to find a missing woman. Adapted from Walter Moseley's 1990 novel, the movie was directed by Carl Franklin and co-starred Don Cheadle.
4. "Chinatown" (1974) - Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway starred in this noir tale about a 1937 Los Angeles private detective hired to investigate an alleged adulterer, stumbles into a case involving murder and corruption. Roman Polanski directed.
5. "The Nice Guys" (2016) - Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling starred in this comedy mystery about an enforcer and private detective in 1977 Los Angeles investigating the connection between a missing girl, the porn industry and the automobile industry. Shane Black directed.
6. "Speed" (1994) - Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock and Dennis Hopper starred in this action thriller about a L.A.P.D. cop who tries to rescue civilians on a city bus rigged with a bomb programmed to explode if the bus slows down. Jan de Bont directed.
7. "Bombshell" (1933) - Jean Harlow and Lee Tracy starred in this romantic comedy about the chaotic life of a Hollywood starlet and the people in her life. Victor Fleming directed.
8. "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" (1988) - Robert Zemeckis directed this adaptation of Gary Wolfe's 1981 novel, "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?", in which a 1940s private detective who must exonerate a cartoon star "Toon" for the murder of a wealthy businessman. Bob Hoskins, Charles Fleischer and Christopher Lloyd starred.
9. "Double Indemnity" (1944) - Billy Wilder co-wrote and directed (again) this adaptation of James M. Cain's 1943 novella about an insurance representative who is talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme by his married lover. Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson starred.
10. "Changeling" - Clint Eastwood directed Oscar nominee Angelina Jolie in this adaptation of the 1928 Wineville Chicken Coop Murders" case that involved a Los Angeles single mother's search for her missing son. John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan and Michael Kelly co-starred.
Honorable Mention: "Battle: Los Angeles" (2011) Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodriguez starred in this science-fiction thriller about a platoon of U.S. Marines fighting off an alien invasion in Santa Monica and Los Angeles. Jonathan Liebesman directed.