Movies and TV shows set in los angeles

The list contains the best, new and most relevant movies set in los angeles ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out serious, realistic, cult classic, suspenseful, suspense and interesting films and TV shows about / with dialogue, police officer, violence, police, storytelling, chase, murder, brutality, gun and runaway plots mostly in Drama, Crime and Thriller genres shot in USA, UK, France and other countries.
los angeles movies
3890
TOP 10 movies tagged as los angeles: L.A. Confidential (1997), Inherent Vice (2014), Somewhere (2010), To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), Drive (2011), Knight of Cups (2015), Laurel Canyon (2002), Mulholland Drive (2001), Gangster Squad (2013), Menace II Society (1993).

List of movies set in los angeles

Type:
Year:
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min.
Story: Three detectives 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.
Style: neo noir, tense, suspense, captivating, atmospheric ...
Audience: adult
Plot: corruption, police corruption, organized crime, police, murder, police detective, twists and turns, murder mystery, police brutality, justice, shootout, gunfight ...
Time: 1950s, 50s, year 1997, 90s, 20th century ...
Place: los angeles, california, usa, arizona, persia ...
Is relevant?
 6.6
 119K
Inherent Vice (2014)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 148 min.
Story: In Los Angeles at the turn of the 1970s, drug-fueled detective Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend.
Style: detective, atmospheric, surreal, sexy, neo noir ...
Audience: adult
Plot: private investigator, investigation, private detective, marijuana, conspiracy, ex boyfriend ex girlfriend relationship, hippie, drug trade, paranoia, obsession, betrayal, teeth ...
Time: 70s, year 2014, year 1967, year 1970, 90s ...
Place: los angeles, california, southern california, usa, beverly hills
Is relevant?
 6.3
 48K
Somewhere (2010)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: UK, France, Italy, Japan, USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: A hard-living Hollywood actor re-examines his life after his 11-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit.
Style: art house, independent film, meditative, surreal, psychological ...
Plot: father daughter relationship, luxury hotel, character study, male nudity, estranged father, hotel, loneliness, parent child relationship, swimming pool, actor, obsession, family relations ...
Time: 2010s, year 2010, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, italy, europe, usa ...
Is relevant?
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story: A fearless Secret Service agent will stop at nothing to bring down the counterfeiter who killed his partner.
Style: neo noir, suspense, cult classic, suspenseful, disturbing ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: revenge, car chase, police, terrorist, investigation, murder, male pubic hair, vigilante, hitman, undercover, police investigation, vengeance ...
Time: 80s, year 1985, 20th century
Place: los angeles, southern california, usa, california
Is relevant?
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14812
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9522
 7.8
 756K
Drive (2011)
Genre: Action, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story: A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman for criminals discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.
Style: neo noir, atmospheric, tense, serious, ambiguous ending ...
Audience: boys' night, date night, adult
Plot: car chase, revenge, mechanic, loner, heist, danger, lone wolves, organized crime, tough heroes, robbery, chases and races, neighbor ...
Time: 2010s, year 2011, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, iran, usa
Is relevant?
 5.6
 32K
Knight of Cups (2015)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story: Rick is a screenwriter living in Los Angeles. While successful in his career, his life feels empty. Haunted and confused, he finds temporary solace in the decadent Hollywood excess that defines his existence. Women provide a distraction to his daily ...
Style: philosophical, talky, touching, art house, serious ...
Audience: teens
Plot: temptation, desert, storytelling, tarot card, multiple storylines, love, humanity, existentialism, visceral, mental disorder, father son relationship, decadence ...
Time: 21st century
Place: los angeles, usa, las vegas
Is relevant?
 6.4
 18K
Laurel Canyon (2002)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story: Laurel Canyon focuses on Sam and Alex, a pair of upper-middle class lovebirds from the East Coast who relocate to Los Angeles. Enter Jane, Sam's estranged mother, a successful record producer, who's more than willing to put the couple up ...
Style: sexy, sexual, psychological, erotic, independent film ...
Plot: sexual content, infidelity, psychiatry, skinny dipping, intern, relationships, culture clash, music business, lesbian, music, fish out of water, disorder ...
Time: year 2002, 21st century
Place: los angeles, usa, california
Is relevant?
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 147 min.
Story: After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesic, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality.
Style: surreal, psychological, neo noir, art house, disturbing ...
Audience: date night, adult
Plot: surrealism, twists and turns, amnesia, lesbian, obsession, dream, alternate reality, parallel universe, hollywood, filmmaking, lesbian sex, nightmare ...
Time: 2000s, year 2001, 20th century, future, 21st century
Place: los angeles, persia, usa, california, mulholland drive
Is relevant?
 6.7
 228K
Gangster Squad (2013)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story: Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and — if he has his way — every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it ...
Style: exciting, serious, suspenseful, intense, suspense ...
Audience: boys' night, manly, chick flick, teens
Plot: mafia, organized crime, gangster, mob boss, squad, tough law enforcer, undercover cop, partners against crime, law enforcement, revenge, corruption, violent ...
Time: 1940s, year 2013, 2010s, 20th century, year 1949 ...
Place: los angeles, california, israel, usa
Is relevant?
Menace II Society (1993)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: Menace II Society is a coming of age tale detailing the summer after its protagonist Caine (Tyrin Turner) graduates from high school. This is Caine's story, which details real life in today's tough inner city.
Style: stylized, bloody, serious, rough, hood ...
Audience: teens, teen drama, adult
Plot: ghetto, hip hop, friendship, african american, urban ghetto life, murder, police brutality, violence, coming of age, gangster, organized crime, street gang ...
Time: 90s, 20th century, 70s, year 1993
Place: los angeles, california, usa, south central los angeles, north america
Is relevant?
 8.4
 206K
24 (2001)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min.
TV show
Story: 24 is an American television series produced for the Fox network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method ...
Style: cliffhanger, serious, stylized, realistic, suspenseful ...
Audience: teens, boys' night
Plot: terrorism, president, political conspiracy, terrorist, terrorist plot, secret service, government agency, race against time, assassination of president, bodyguard, twists and turns, assassination attempt ...
Time: 2010s, 2000s, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, south america, new york, usa ...
Is relevant?
 6.1
 159K
S.W.A.T. (2003)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story: Hondo Harrelson recruits Jim Street to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Together they seek out more members, including tough Deke Kay and single mom Chris Sanchez. The team's first big assignment is to escort crime boss ...
Style: serious, exciting, realistic, action packed, saga ...
Audience: girls' night, chick flick, boys' night, teens
Plot: swat, squad, swat team, police, basic training, law enforcement, sniper, police brutality, tough law enforcer, criminal, corrupt cop, hostage ...
Time: year 2003, 2000s, 21st century
Place: los angeles, usa, north america, california
Is relevant?
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 7.8
 661K
Nightcrawler (2014)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story: When Lou Bloom, 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, a TV-news veteran.
Style: neo noir, psychological, disturbing, suspense, atmospheric ...
Audience: adult
Plot: character study, sociopath, journalism, obsession, cynicism, psychopath, manipulation, morality, journalist, violence, deception, ethics ...
Time: year 2014, 2010s, near future, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, usa, venice beach california, america ...
Is relevant?
 7.4
 87K
Mid90s (2018)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story: Stevie is a sweet 13-year-old about to explode. His mom is loving and attentive, but a little too forthcoming about her romantic life. His big brother is a taciturn and violent bully. So Stevie searches his working-class Los Angeles suburb for ...
Style: thought provoking, sexual, social, teen, humorous ...
Audience: teens, family friendly, teen drama
Plot: skateboard, coming of age, skateboarder, friends, teenager, underage sex, underage drinking, dysfunctional family, self harm, adolescence, mission, youth culture ...
Time: 90s, year 1996, 20th century
Place: los angeles, spain, france, paris france, florida ...
Is relevant?
 7.3
 222K
Point Break (1991)
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Country: USA, Japan
Duration: 122 min.
Story: In the coastal town of Los Angeles, a gang of bank robbers call themselves The Ex-Presidents commit their crimes while wearing masks of Reagan, Carter, Nixon and Johnson. The F.B.I. believes that the members of the gang could be surfers and send ...
Style: exciting, action thriller, cult classic, suspense, visually stunning ...
Audience: manly, kids, boys' night
Plot: bank robbery, extreme sports, extreme sport, working undercover, surfing, surfer, bank robber, gang, undercover, robbery, gangster, buddy ...
Time: 90s, 20th century, 80s
Place: los angeles, california, usa, southern california, australia ...
Is relevant?
 7.8
 512K
Training Day (2001)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 122 min.
Story: On his first day on the job as a narcotics officer, a rookie cop works with a rogue detective who isn't what he appears.
Style: neo noir, tense, realistic, harsh, suspense ...
Audience: manly, boys' night, adult
Plot: police corruption, ghetto, gang, corrupt cop, drug dealer, african american, rookie, dirty cop, mentor, twists and turns, gunfight, gang member ...
Time: year 2001, 2000s, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, south america, usa
Is relevant?
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story: Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski, a Los Angeles slacker who only wants to bowl and drink white Russians, is mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski, a wheelchair-bound millionaire, and finds himself dragged into a strange series of events ...
Style: black comedy, absurd, funny, neo noir, humorous ...
Audience: boys' night, adult
Plot: bowling, dialogue, mistaken identity, slacker, hippie, weed, marijuana, great dialogue, laziness, dream, twists and turns, heart attack ...
Time: 90s, 20th century, year 1998, year 1991
Place: los angeles, iraq, america, arizona, usa ...
Is relevant?
 7.6
 290K
End of Watch (2012)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 109 min.
Story: Two young officers are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
Style: emotional, suspense, independent film, harsh, brutal ...
Audience: boys' night, adult
Plot: gunfight, latinos, gang member, cop, fighting crime, street gang, shooting, urban ghetto, police officer, police, police investigation, police protagonist ...
Time: year 2012, 2010s, year 2011, 70s, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, south central los angeles, south america, usa ...
Is relevant?
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 7.5
 224K
Falling Down (1993)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: France, USA
Duration: 113 min.
Story: On the day of his daughter's birthday, William "D-Fens" Foster is trying to get to the home of his estranged ex-wife to see his daughter. His car breaks down, so he leaves his car in a traffic jam in Los Angeles and decides to walk. ...
Style: cult classic, psychological, rough, black comedy, philosophical ...
Audience: date night, manly
Plot: rage, vigilante, anger, midlife crisis, alienation, violence, character study, social commentary, urban decay, losing-it hero, traffic jam, road rage ...
Time: 90s, 80s, 20th century
Place: los angeles, california, persia, usa
Is relevant?
Battle Los Angeles (2011)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 116 min.
Story: The Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant and his new platoon to draw a ...
Style: futuristic, exciting, suspenseful, rough, apocalyptic ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: alien invasion, apocalypse, evil alien, alien encounter, survival, battlefield, invasion, military, heroic mission, chaos, alien attack, chaos and mayhem ...
Time: year 2011, 2010s, future, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, mojave desert, america, santa monica california ...
Is relevant?
 7.7
 461K
Crash (2004)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 112 min.
Story: Los Angeles citizens with vastly separate lives collide in interweaving stories of race, loss and redemption.
Style: touching, inspirational, sincere, sexy, gloomy ...
Audience: adult
Plot: racism, police, redemption, prejudice, plot twist, racial tension, racist, multiple storylines, sexual harassment, social injustice, class differences, interracial relations ...
Time: year 2004, 2000s, 21st century
Place: los angeles, usa, california, persia, puerto rico ...
Is relevant?
The Little Things (2021)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min.
Story: Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's ...
Style: tense, suspenseful, suspense, period piece, neo noir ...
Plot: serial killer, murder mystery, serial murder, cold case, police, police detective, investigation, murder, missing person, police station, murder investigation, crime investigation ...
Time: 2020s, 90s, year 1985, year 1990, 20th century
Place: los angeles, persia, california
Is relevant?
 8.5
 96K
Bosch (2014)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 50 min.
TV show
Story: Based on Michael Connelly's best-selling novels, these are the stories of relentless LAPD homicide Detective Harry Bosch who pursues justice at all costs. But behind his tireless momentum is a man who is haunted by his past and struggles to ...
Style: realistic, tense, detective, exciting, serious ...
Plot: police, law enforcement, coworker, determination, police detective, homicide detective, murder, murder investigation, suspicion, police investigation, father daughter relationship, danger ...
Time: 2020s, 2010s, future, 21st century
Place: los angeles, usa, south america
Is relevant?
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 5.4
 22K
Havoc (2005)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 85 min.
Story: A wealthy Los Angeles teen and her superficial friends wants to break out of suburbia and experience Southern California's "gangsta" lifestyle. But problems arise when the preppies get in over their heads and provoke the wrath of a ...
Style: sexy, sexual, erotic, disturbing, independent film ...
Audience: teens, kids, girls' night
Plot: youth, nudity, sex scene, hip hop culture, sex with a stranger, society, teenager, juvenile delinquency, hip hop, female nudity, making love, brutality ...
Time: year 2005, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, usa
Is relevant?
 8.1
 374K
Chinatown (1974)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story: Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double ...
Style: neo noir, detective, atmospheric, cult classic, clever ...
Audience: date night
Plot: private detective, corruption, femme fatale, investigation, police, whodunit, murder, twists and turns, conspiracy, murder mystery, father daughter incest, domestic violence ...
Time: 20th century, year 1937, 1930s, year 1974
Place: los angeles, california, usa, eastern europe, pacific ocean ...
Is relevant?
 6.6
 25K
Dark Blue (2002)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK, Germany, USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story: Set during the Rodney King riots, a robbery homicide investigation triggers a series of events that will cause a corrupt LAPD officer to question his tactics.
Style: tense, neo noir, detective, intense, harsh ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: police corruption, police officer, police investigation, police brutality, cop, corruption, investigation, profanity, rookie, robbery, partner, fighting the system ...
Time: 20th century, year 1992, y2k, 90s
Place: los angeles, california, usa, southern california, new jersey
Is relevant?
Escape from L.A. (1996)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story: This time, a cataclysmic temblor hits Los Angeles, turning it into an island. The president views the quake as a sign from above, expels Los Angeles from the country and makes it a penal colony for those found guilty of moral crimes. When his ...
Style: cult classic, apocalyptic, suspense, exciting, serious ...
Audience: boys' night
Plot: post apocalyptic, dystopia, race against time, post apocalypse, heroic mission, escape, dystopian future, one man army, earthquake, apocalypse, catastrophe, lone wolves ...
Time: future, 2010s, 2000s, year 2013, 21st century
Place: los angeles, california, usa, beverly hills, latin america ...
Is relevant?
 7.1
 400K
Pretty Woman (1990)
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min.
Story: When a millionaire wheeler-dealer enters a business contract with a Hollywood sex worker Vivian Ward, he loses his heart in the bargain.
Style: romantic, feel good, sweet, rom com, inspirational ...
Audience: chick flick, girls' night, date night, teens, family friendly ...
Plot: love story, love, love and romance, prostitute, fall in love, cinderella story, social differences, opposites attract, hooker, rich man poor woman, rags to riches, character change ...
Time: 80s, 90s, 20th century, year 1990
Place: los angeles, beverly hills, usa, san francisco, california ...
Is relevant?
L.A.'s Finest (2019)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min.
TV show
Story: Syd Burnett has left her complicated past behind to become an LAPD detective. Paired with a new partner, Nancy McKenna, a working mom with an equally complex past, Syd is pushed to examine whether her unapologetic lifestyle might be masking a ...
Style: suspense, humorous, entertaining, feel good, light ...
Audience: girls' night, chick flick
Plot: partners against crime, homicide detective, police investigation, female police officer, black cop, police protagonist, policewoman, betrayal, violence, sex, police, police detective ...
Time: 2010s, 21st century
Place: los angeles
Is relevant?
 7.6
 50K
Short Cuts (1993)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 188 min.
Story: Multi-storied, fish-eyed look at American culture with some 22 characters intersecting--profoundly or fleetingly--through each other's lives. Running the emotional gamut from disturbing to humorous, Altman's portrait of the contemporary ...
Style: philosophical, sexy, cerebral, talky, captivating ...
Plot: multiple storylines, marriage crisis, destruction of property, waitress, sex, redemption, bare butt, dysfunctional marriage, female nudity, cellist, earthquake, infidelity ...
Time: 20th century, 90s, year 1993
Place: los angeles, california, southern california, usa
Is relevant?
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