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Best Movies Set in San Francisco, Ranked

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It’s frequently stated of great movies that the setting—the location where the action takes place—becomes just as significant as the characters. Of course, the typical suspects—New York, London, Chicago, L.A., etc.—are among the truly renowned cinema cities. These cities are the settings for many of the greatest movies ever made, and they offer much more than simply a lovely setting for the protagonists to romp around in. A good film city breathes life into the script by giving the characters’ words a concrete setting and replacing their objectives with a place we can feel and see.

San Francisco is one city that frequently serves as a backdrop for movies but doesn’t exactly get the credit it deserves. San Francisco is not frequently mentioned as a famous film location, but it is the birthplace of many excellent movies, from comedies to action blockbusters to moving indie tragedies. There are many things to appreciate about the city by the bay, including the famous landmarks and the uphill residential streets. Here is a ranking of the top films with San Francisco as the setting.

48 Hrs

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In 48 Hours, one of the best buddy police movies that isn’t The Nice Guys or Lethal Weapon, Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte team together to thwart a crime that is about to happen. Murphy, who played a criminal who is released from prison for 48 hours to assist Nolte’s investigator in catching a crime boss who is ready to set up a major score, was just 21 years old when he starred in this Bay Area classic. The location of this movie feels very real, and it makes excellent use of San Francisco as a backdrop to properly describe its set pieces. Compared to buddy police movies like Lethal Weapon, it’s noticeably gritty, but everything works because of Murphy’s enduring charm and Nolte’s harder-edged portrayal.

Big Trouble in Little China

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The action film by John Carpenter Big Trouble in Little China combines mysticism, martial arts, and a hint of terror with other unusual and eccentric elements. In this movie, Kurt Russell established himself as an action legend as truck driver Jack Burton, creating one of his most recognizable appearances. Jack Burton learns that there is always more going on beneath the surface when he is charged with saving his fiancée from a martial arts gang in the center of San Francisco’s Chinatown. It’s a fantastically entertaining action movie that makes the most of its distinctive setting.

Dirty Harry

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Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry, one of only two movies on this list that specifically addresses the long-term effects of the still-unapprehended Zodiac Killer, makes excellent use of the Bay Area locale. Inspector Harry Callahan is hired to track down and stop the Scorpio Killer after he begins killing defenseless bystanders. It’s a dramatized description of how the hunt for the Zodiac killer unfolded, despite the fact that the culprit was never apprehended in reality. The city of San Francisco really shines in Dirty Harry because it cares so deeply about the welfare of its surroundings and supporting cast members. It’s a genuinely captivating mystery/thriller movie that gains confidence from how deeply ingrained it is in its setting’s city and culture.

Mrs Doubtfire

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Mrs. Doubtfire is a role-swapping comedy that was a cable regular for years, and it features one of Robin Williams’ most well-known performances. Williams portrays a devoted father who, following his divorce, wants to spend time with his kids. He does this by disguising himself as a woman and submitting an application to work as the kids’ nanny, which enables him to spend time with his children while avoiding detection. Williams delivers one of his best performances of his career, matching a specific level of physicality and consistently delivering each punchline with the most laughter possible. Even if it isn’t among the most ostentatious San Francisco movies, it is a classic.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco

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The Last Black Man in San Francisco is deeply embedded in the culture of its titular town, which may be clear given that the city’s name appears in the title. The movie addresses problems that San Francisco has been dealing with for a long time, including gentrification, white flight, urban sprawl, and the demise of urban cores. The story that this movie is attempting to tell is all the more effective because it is unquestionably one with its surroundings. Jimmie Fails plays a fictionalized version of himself who is preoccupied with renovating a vacant home in a now-gentrified neighborhood that he claims once belonged to his family.

The Maltese Falcon

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In John Huston’s directorial debut, Humphrey Bogart—always dependable and unbelievably cool—is utilized to even greater effect. The Maltese Falcon is the pinnacle of what a noir can be, full of witty but tough speech that gradually twists and turns the story into a ball of half-truths and double crosses. Bogart, who is appropriately above all the dross and chaff, is ultimately brought low by a femme fatale and an unexpected turn of events. The movie is not only among the best noirs ever created, but it is also among the best American movies ever made.

The Pursuit of Happyness

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The central theme of this tale, which is based on Chris Gardner’s true story, is triumph over adversity. In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, Will Smith and his son Jaden play characters who are trying to find some kind of comfort and success while wandering the streets of San Francisco. When the city is viewed by the audience via the protagonists’ eyes, it appears to be a place where anything is conceivable. The splendor of the city is illustrated by using San Francisco icons including Glen Park Station, Golden Gate Park, Ross Alley, Taylor Street, and Pine Street.

The Rock

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Alcatraz Island must be featured in at least one film if we’re talking about San Francisco. The Rock, directed by Michael Bay, is one of the best action films ever made. It is centered on the city of San Francisco and stars Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery in the key roles. The action really picks up when our heroes are charged with breaking into the impenetrable jail. The film is a fast-paced thriller about a disgraced general who holds the city of San Francisco prisoner from Alcatraz Island by the threat of nuclear warfare and demands a ransom of $100 million. The Rock is not only regarded as one of Michael Bay’s best movies, but also as one of the best San Francisco-based films.

Vertigo

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The reason Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece—or one of his many masterpieces—tops this list is because it is simply one of the greatest movies ever made. the mystery starring Jimmy Stewart Since so much of Vertigo’s impact and notoriety have been reduced to phrases that can only be compared to what Hitchcock achieved with this picture, the film can only properly be characterized in superlatives. It goes without saying that Vertigo deserves to be at the top of any list on which it appears, but it also earned a spot on this one since it makes the best use of the San Francisco setting of any movie on this list. Nothing else has to be said that hasn’t already been said.

Zodiac

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The other movie on this list, David Fincher’s Zodiac, tells the tale of the Zodiac killer and does so in a much more accurate manner than Dirty Harry does. Follow San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Robert Greysmith as he unexpectedly becomes involved in the hunt for the Zodiac, running across police officers and others of interest while trying to figure out what’s going on in the Bay Area. Zodiac depicts a large community engulfed in unrest and despair at what is happening around them, with everyone searching for answers as to who is responsible and why. It’s an intriguing detective story that you won’t soon forget.

 

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