Moviefone Editorial

Tag: chinatown

25 Best Movies of All Time Set In Los Angeles

A scene from 1988’s ‘Die Hard’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.

Los Angeles, also known as the “City of Angeles’, has appeared in many classic movies.

From comedies like ‘Swingers‘ and ‘Fletch‘, to heist movies like ‘Den of Thieves‘ or ‘Heat‘, noir films such as ‘Chinatown‘ and ”The Long Goodbye‘, futuristic sci-fi like ‘Blade Runner‘ or ‘They Live‘, and even holiday films such as ‘Die Hard‘ (Yes! ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie!), LA has a long history of being featured in Hollywood movies.

The latest film to be set in Los Angeles is ‘Crime 101‘, which stars Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry, and opens in theaters on February 13th.
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In honor of the new film and Tinseltown, Moviefone is counting down the top 25 movies of all time that are set in Los Angeles.

Let’s begin!

Related Article: Chris Hemsworth and Halle Berry Talk New Crime Thriller ‘Crime 101’

25. ‘They Live‘ (1988)

(L to R) Roddy Piper and Keith David in ‘They Live’. Photo: Universal Pictures.

A lone drifter (Roddy Piper) stumbles upon a unique pair of sunglasses that reveal aliens are systematically gaining control of the Earth by masquerading as humans and lulling the public into submission.
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24. ‘Swingers‘ (1996)

After 6 years together, Mike’s (Jon Favreau) girlfriend leaves him, so he travels to LA to be a star. Six months on, he’s still not doing very well— so a few of his friends try to reconnect him to the social scene and hopefully help him forget his failed relationship.
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23. ‘Mulholland Drive‘ (2001)

Blonde Betty Elms (Naomi Watts) has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia (Laura Harring). Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman’s identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux) runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.
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22. ‘Hail, Caesar!‘ (2016)

When a Hollywood star (George Clooney) mysteriously disappears in the middle of filming, the studio sends their fixer (Josh Brolin) to get him back.
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21. ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin‘ (2005)

Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) has a pleasant life with a nice apartment and a job stamping invoices at an electronics store. But at age 40, there’s one thing Andy hasn’t done, and it’s really bothering his sex-obsessed male co-workers: Andy is still a virgin. Determined to help Andy, the guys make it their mission to de-virginize him. But it all seems hopeless until Andy meets small business owner Trish (Catherine Keener), a single mom.
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20. ‘La La Land‘ (2016)

(L to R) Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in ‘La La Land’. Photo: Lionsgate.

Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
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19. ‘Yes Man‘ (2008)

Carl Allen (Jim Carrey), a guy whose life is going nowhere, signs up for a self-help program based on one simple covenant: say yes to everything…and anything.
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18. ‘Collateral‘ (2004)

Cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) picks up a man (Tom Cruise) who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.
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17. ‘Blade Runner‘ (1982)

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
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16. ‘L.A. Story‘ (1991)

With the help of a talking freeway billboard, a “wacky weatherman” (Steve Martin) tries to win the heart of an English newspaper reporter (Victoria Tennant), who is struggling to make sense of the strange world of early-90s Los Angeles.
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15. ‘Nightcrawler‘ (2014)

(L to R) Jake Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo in ‘They Live’. Photo: Open Road Films.

When Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina (Rene Russo), a TV-news veteran.
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14. ‘The Long Goodbye‘ (1973)

In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe (Elliot Gould) tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.
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13. ‘Training Day‘ (2001)

On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop (Ethan Hawke) works with a rogue detective (Denzel Washington) who isn’t what he appears.
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12. ‘Boyz n the Hood‘ (1991)

In the middle of the Los Angeles ghetto, drugs, robberies and shootings dominate everyday life. During these times, Furious tries to raise his son Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) to be a decent person. Tre’s friends, on the other hand, have little regard for the law and drag the entire neighborhood into a street war…
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11. ‘Fletch‘ (1985)

When investigative reporter Irwin “Fletch” Fletcher (Chevy Chase) goes undercover to write a piece on the drug trade at a local beach, he’s approached by wealthy businessman Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson), who offers him $50,000 to murder him. With sarcastic wit and a knack for disguises, Fletch sets out to uncover Stanwyk’s story.
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10. ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang‘ (2005)

(L to R) Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.’ Photo: Warner Bros.

A petty thief posing as an actor (Robert Downey Jr.) is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl (Michelle Monaghan) and a detective (Val Kilmer) who’s been training him for his upcoming role.
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9. ‘L.A. Confidential‘ (1997)

Three detectives (Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey) in the corrupt and brutal L.A. police force of the 1950s use differing methods to uncover a conspiracy behind the shotgun slayings of the patrons at an all-night diner.
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8. ‘The Big Lebowski‘ (1998)

Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a Los Angeles slacker who only wants to bowl and drink White Russians, is mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), a wheelchair-bound millionaire, and finds himself dragged into a strange series of events involving nihilists, adult film producers, ferrets, errant toes, and large sums of money.
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7. ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood‘ (2019)

Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt), his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha).
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6. ‘Beverly Hills Cop‘ (1984)

Fast-talking, quick-thinking Detroit street cop Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) has bent more than a few rules and regs in his time, but when his best friend (James Russo) is murdered, he heads to sunny Beverly Hills to work the case like only he can.
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5. ‘Den of Thieves‘ (2018)

(L to R) Maurice Compte and Gerard Butler in ‘Den of Thieves’. Photo: STXfilms.

A gritty crime saga which follows the lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank.
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4. ‘Die Hard‘ (1988)

NYPD cop John McClane’s (Bruce Willis) plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her offices Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.
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3. ‘Drive‘ (2011)

Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he’s been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene (Carey Mulligan) and her young son, Benicio (Kaden Leos). When Irene’s husband (Oscar Isaac) gets out of jail, he enlists Driver’s help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.
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2. ‘Chinatown‘ (1974)

Private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite (Faye Dunaway) to investigate her husband’s (Darrell Zwerling) extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.
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1. ‘Heat’ (1995)

(L to R) Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer in 1995’s ‘Heat.’

Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.
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February 22, 2026
Movie Icon Diane Ladd Dead at 89
(L to R) Diane Ladd and Laura Dern pose with the Oscar® for Actress In A Supporting Role during the live ABC Telecast of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Beloved actress, director, and author Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89, her family has confirmed.

Best known for several Academy Award–nominated turns including in ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’, Ladd was a fixture of American film and television — a performer of rare grit and grace whose warmth illuminated every screen she graced.
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With her honeyed voice, fierce intelligence, and unmistakable presence, Ladd brought a depth of humanity to characters that might otherwise have been forgotten — mothers, dreamers, survivors, and women with something to prove.

Related Article: Diane Keaton, Iconic Star of ‘Annie Hall’, Passes Away at the Age of 79

Diane Ladd: Early Life

(L to R) Ellery Harper, Jaya Harper, Diane Ladd, and Oscar® nominee, Laura Dern arrive on the red carpet of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Born Diane Lanier Ladner on November 29, 1935, in Meridian, Mississippi, Ladd grew up with a passion for storytelling. After studying drama at the University of Southern Mississippi, she made her way to New York, working in theater before transitioning to film and television.

Her early screen roles in the 1950s and 1960s established her as a versatile talent, but it was Martin Scorsese’s ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’ — where she played the tough yet tender waitress Flo — that earned her an Oscar nomination and catapulted her to stardom.

Diane Ladd: A Life in Film

(L to R): Diane Ladd and Ellen Burstyn in ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’.

Across the decades, Ladd built one of the most respected careers in Hollywood, with acclaimed performances in ‘Chinatown,’ ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes,’ and David Lynch’s ‘Wild at Heart.’ Her work earned her three Academy Award nominations, three Emmy nominations, and a Golden Globe win.

She often shared the screen with her daughter, actress Laura Dern, in projects such as ‘Rambling Rose’ — for which both were nominated for Oscars — and HBO’s ‘Enlightened.’ Their artistic bond became one of the most celebrated mother-daughter collaborations in film history.

Diane Ladd: Offscreen and Personal

Diane Ladd in ‘Hush Little Baby’.

Beyond her work on camera, Ladd was a writer, director, and environmental advocate. She published several books and, in later years, collaborated with Dern on the memoir “Honey, Baby, Mine,” reflecting on love, loss, and resilience.

She was married three times, including to actor Bruce Dern, with whom she shared daughter Laura. Ladd was known among friends and colleagues for her faith, humor, and boundless curiosity about life.

Diane Ladd: Legacy

(L to R) Virginia Madsen, David O. Russell and Diane Ladd attend the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards in The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, November 14, 2015. Credit/Provider: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Ladd is survived by her daughter Laura, several grandchildren, and a legacy of cinematic excellence.

A Southern storyteller with a spirit as fierce as it was kind, Diane Ladd transformed every role into something unforgettable. Her artistry spanned generations, and her influence will continue to ripple through the worlds of film and television for years to come.

She will be remembered not only as an actress of extraordinary power, but as a woman who lived her life — and her art — with courage, compassion, and conviction.

(L to R) Diane Ladd, Oscar® nominee, Laura Dern, Jaya Harper and Ellery Harper arrive on the red carpet of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Nick Argo / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Movies Starring Diane Ladd:
- ‘The Wild Angels’ (1966)
- ‘The Reivers’ (1969)
- ‘Chinatown’ (1974)
- ‘Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’ (1974)
- ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ (1983)
- ‘Black Widow’ (1987)
- ‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ (1989)
- ‘Wild at Heart’ (1990)
- ‘A Kiss Before Dying’ (1991)
- ‘Rambling Rose’ (1991)
- ‘Primary Colors’ (1998)
- ‘Charlie’s War’ (2003)
- ‘Inland Empire’ (2006)
- ‘The Last Full Measure’ (2019)
- ‘Gigi & Nate’ (2022)
Buy Diane Ladd Movies & TV on Amazon
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November 3, 2025
‘Chinatown’ Screenwriter Robert Towne Dies Aged 89
Jack Nicholson in ‘Chinatown’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Preview:
- Writer and director Robert Towne died Monday at the age of 89.
- He was most famous for writing ‘Chinatown’ and two of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies.
- Towne also went uncredited for work on many other projects.
Robert Towne, the scriptwriter for one of the most famous crime thrillers in history, ‘Chinatown’, died on Monday at his home aged 89.

In addition to his many notable credits, he also helped with a variety of other movies and TV series without receiving any mention.

Here’s what he told Creative Screenwriting about his career:

“The only benefit your experience gives you is, when you’re stuck on the story point: ‘Well, hell, I got through it before, I guess I’ll get through it again.’ It’s that dumb faith in the fact of your own history. ‘I must be able to do this. I did it before’ But it’s just as hard every time.”

Related Article: Donald Sutherland, Star of ‘M*A*S*H’, ‘Klute’ and More Dies at 88

Robert Towne: early Life and Career

(L to R) Julie Christie and Warren Beatty in ‘Shampoo’. Photo: Columbia Pictures.

Born Robert Bertram Schwartz in 1934, Towne grew up in the Los Angeles port town of San Pedro. His blue-collar upbringing would later infuse his work with a gritty realism.

Yet despite his renown as a writer, Towne’s initial foray into Hollywood wasn’t behind the scenes, but in front of the camera. He landed roles in Roger Corman’s early films such as ‘The Last Woman on Earth’ (though even there, he also wrote the screenplay, showcasing his dual talents.)

He also wrote on shows such as ‘The Outer Limits’, ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ and ‘The Lloyd Bridges Show’.
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It was his association with Corman, however, that truly launched Towne’s writing career. Corman, known for nurturing young talent, provided Towne with a platform to hone his craft. While these early scripts leaned towards genre fare like sci-fi and horror, they displayed a sharp wit and a knack for dialogue that would become Towne’s signature.

The late 1960s saw Towne emerge as a key figure in the New Hollywood movement. He penned the scripts for Hal Ashby’s acclaimed films ‘The Last Detail’ and ‘Shampoo’, earning Oscar nominations for both. These films explored the moral complexities of a changing America, showcasing Towne’s ability to blend humor and pathos.
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Robert Towne and Chinatown

(L to R) Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in ‘Chinatown’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

It was his collaboration with Roman Polanski on ‘Chinatown’ (1974) that cemented Towne’s place in cinematic history. The movie, a scathing indictment of the times via an exploration of Los Angeles’ dark underbelly, won Towne an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The film’s layered narrative and iconic characters, particularly Jake Gittes played by Jack Nicholson, continue to be studied and revered.
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Robert Towne: Other Work

Tom Cruise in ‘Mission: Impossible’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

Elsewhere, Towne scored praise for his work on the first ‘Mission: Impossible’ and, to a lesser degree, its immediate follow-up. His movie resume includes ‘Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes’, ‘The Firm’ and ‘Days of Thunder’.

Towne’s career wasn’t without its stumbles. He directed several films throughout the 1980s and 1990s with mixed results including ‘Personal Best’, ‘Tequila Sunrise,’ ‘Without Limits,’ and a misguided attempt to follow up ‘Chinatown’ with 1990’s ‘The Two Jakes’, which Nicholson took over directing.

Yet none of that takes away from Towne’s impact on American cinema. He leaves behind a body of work that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.
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Billy Crudup in ‘Without Limits’. Photo: Warner Bros.

Robert Towne Movies and TV Shows:
- ‘Last Woman on Earth‘ (1960)
- ‘The Outer Limits‘ (1963 – 1965)
- ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.‘ (1964 – 1968)
- ‘Bonnie and Clyde‘ (1967)
- ‘The Last Detail‘ (1973)
- ‘Chinatown‘ (1974)
- ‘The Yakuza‘ (1975)
- ‘Shampoo‘ (1975)
- ‘Personal Best‘ (1982)
- ‘Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes‘ (1984)
- ‘The Pick-up Artist‘ (1987)
- ‘Tequila Sunrise‘ (1988)
- ‘The Two Jakes‘ (1990)
- ‘Days of Thunder‘ (1990)
- ‘The Firm‘ (1993)
- ‘Love Affair‘ (1994)
- ‘Mission: Impossible‘ (1996)
- ‘Without Limits‘ (1998)
- ‘Mission: Impossible II‘ (2000)
- ‘Ask the Dust‘ (2006)
Buy Robert Towne Movies On Amazon
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July 2, 2024
11 Great Jack Nicholson Roles From His Illustrious Career

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April 22, 2019
23 Great Movie Endings That Are Dark AF

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March 28, 2018
Faye Dunaway’s 5 Best Movies

Happy birthday to Faye Dunaway, who was put on this Earth 75 years ago (on January 14, 1941) for a reason: to play grand, old-school divas, aristocrats whose diction is as perfect as their cheekbones, women whose icy exteriors often crack to reveal volcanic passions beneath.

In recent years, she’s been relegated to bit parts, but in her prime, she commanded the screen in a way that harkened back to the glamour goddesses of old Hollywood. Here are the five movies you need to see to grasp the full Faye.

‘Bonnie and Clyde‘ (1967)Dunaway became a star and a fashion icon as beret-wearing bank robber Bonnie Parker. Arthur Penn‘s true-crime saga is a landmark in American film history, a turning point in Hollywood’s depiction of adult content, and a film whose brutal ballet of violence still has the power to shock, but at its heart is the oddly tender romance between Dunaway’s Bonnie and Warren Beatty‘s Clyde Barrow, Depression-era outlaws who play up to their reputation as media sensations. Even then, Dunaway was making art out of layers of self-aware theatrical artifice.

‘The Thomas Crown Affair‘ (1968)Dunaway played Pierce Brosnan‘s shrink in a winking cameo in the not-bad 1999 remake, but for a stylish heist thriller/cat-and-mouse romance, you can’t beat the original “Crown,” where Dunaway matches wits with dashing playboy/thief Steve McQueen. The King of Cool had a lot of screen love interests over the years, but Dunaway was the only one who looked like she could eat him for breakfast and be back on the prowl by lunchtime.

‘Chinatown‘ (1974)Dunaway gives her most romantic and tragic performance as the femme fatale who pulls private eye Jack Nicholson into a morass of unspeakable evil. Actually, she tries to rebuff his chivalry with the icy facade she’s built to hide her horrifying secrets, but he can’t help himself. Her brittle beauty and inner torment haunt him, as they will you.

‘Network‘ (1976)Dunaway won a Best Actress Oscar as the soulless TV executive who’ll stop at nothing to drive up ratings. She could have been a cardboard villain, but she’s wilier than that. Like other Dunaway characters, her Diana knows how others perceive her and smartly plays to their preconceptions. Besides, in this bleak, prescient satire of TV sensationalism and corporate shamelessness, she’s just one villain among many, a symptom of a corrupt system for which there’s plenty of blame to go around.

‘Mommie Dearest‘ (1981)Dunaway went full diva in this Joan Crawford biopic, giving a performance so unrestrained that it all but ended her career as an actress whom viewers could take seriously. But it’s really not fair to dismiss Dunaway’s Crawford or the movie itself as mere camp excess. After all, she’s playing Crawford as a woman who lived her life like she was the tragic, misunderstood heroine of a Crawford movie. If she occasionally turns into a gargoyle (as in the infamous wire-hanger sequence), well, so did Crawford. Dunaway’s many layers of artifice prove essential here. At any rate, it’s a performance that has to be seen to be believed.

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January 14, 2016