Many such good movies have been filmed in San Francisco. However, this location seems to have turned up as one of the favorite ones of the filmmakers. San Francisco is known for its friendly hilltops, beautiful towns, and beautiful environment. Well, these points from this piece of the earth have attracted several moviemakers to work there. Many films have strengthened their magnificence after getting filmed in San Francisco. Here is a list of the movies which are set in San Francisco.
20. The Presidio (1998)
- Director: Peter Hyams
- Writer: Larry Ferguson
- Cast: Sean Connery as Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell, Mark Harmon as SFPD Inspector Jay Austin, Meg Ryan as Donna Caldwell
- IMDb Ratings: 5.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 37%
- Streaming Platform: Hulu, Amazon Prime Videos
This is one of the best San Francisco films of all time. The entire plot of the movie revolves around Jay Austin, an ex-military policeman who is currently working as a detective in San Francisco. After the death of his mate at a military base, he looks at the charge of the case in his hands and tries to solve it. However, after stepping into the crime scene, his sense lights up, and he concludes that maybe their old opponent, Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell, can help him. As the story moves, Austin falls in love with Caldwell’s daughter, Donna, and tries to unfold the mystery of the case.
19. Godzilla (2014)
- Director: Gareth Edwards
- Writer: Max Borenstein
- Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson as U.S. Navy EOD LT Ford Brody, Ken Watanabe as Dr. Ishirō Serizawa, Elizabeth Olsen as Elle Brody
- IMDb Ratings: 6.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos
Godzilla is one of the monster films set in San Francisco and depicts the arrival of a deadly monster. The story starts when a Navy bomb expert named Ford Brody goes to Japan after his family forces him to find out about his father named Joe. However, in the drama, the men fell into the destructive threat of Godzilla, who was at the peak of the end of human survival. At the edge of the movie, the protagonists try and succeed in making their way toward San Francisco by saving a lot of people.
18. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
- Director: John Huston
- Writer: John Huston
- Cast: Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade, Mary Astor as Ruth Wonderly, Gladys George as Iva Archer, Sydney Greenstreet as Kasper Gutman
- IMDb Ratings: 80/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
This is one of those San Francisco noir classic movies set on the journey of a detective named Sam Spade when he got the opportunity to spy on a beautiful woman. However, the arrival of this woman leads to several problems in Sam’s life after the death of his partner. As a result of which, Sam gets trapped in a crime that forces him to find out the valuable thing everyone wants, which is the bejeweled Maltese falcon.
17. Vertigo (1958)
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- Writer: Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor
- Cast: James Stewart as John Ferguson, Tom Helmore as Gavin Elster, Henry Jones as the coroner, Raymond Bailey as Scottie’s doctor
- IMDb Ratings: 8.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos, Vudu
This is one of those movies set in San Francisco. The story begins with talents and an ex-police officer named Scotti. He who has been appointed to prevent one’s life from committing suicide. But his fear of heights led him to trouble. Scotti got the opportunity to investigate the case of his old friend’s wife, who was known for her activities and suicidal impressions.
16. Pacific Heights (1990)
- Director: John Schlesinger
- Writer: Daniel Pyne
- Cast: Melanie Griffith as Patty Palmer, Mako as Toshio Watanabe, Laurie Metcalf as Stephanie MacDonald
- IMDb Ratings: 8.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 50 %
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Videos
The story of this psychological thriller drama is about an unmarried pair, Patty and Drake. To build up their dream world, both of them shift to their house in San Francisco. During the renovation of their house, they thought of putting the first floor of their house for rent. Their life takes a swing when a con artist, Carter Hayes, enters the house as a roomer. This con man tried to put the couple out of their own house by creating some unwanted and dramatic situations. As a result of which, the couple gets lost in their world and tries to fight back.
15. Kuffs (1992)
- Director: Bruce A. Evans
- Writer: Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon
- Cast: Christian Slater as Officer George Kuffs, Troy Evans as Captain Morino, George de la Peña as Sam Jones, Leon Rippy as Kane
- IMDb Ratings: 5.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
The story of this action comedy-drama revolves around George Kuffs, a stressed and desperate person with a pregnant girlfriend. To get some fresh air and to acquire a break from his life, George wanders to his brother’s house, which is situated in San Francisco. To take a loan from his brother, Brad, he visited San Francisco. However, George’s life fell upside down when a corrupt network murdered his brother. To unfold and expose the nasty plot behind his brother’s death, George stood up bravely.
14. 48 Hrs. (1982)
- Director: Walter Hill
- Writer: Walter Hill, Roger Spottiswoode, Larry Gross, and Steven E. de Souza
- Cast: Nick Nolte as Inspector Jack Cates, Frank McRae as Captain Haden, James Remar as Albert Ganz, David Patrick Kelly as Luther Kelly
- IMDb Ratings: 6.9/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
The story of the movie depicts a 48-hour leave of prison. Jack Cates, who is a Renegade cop, is the main protagonist of the movie, along with Reggie Hammond, a robber. To catch his mate, Ganz, Reggie helped the cop, and in return, he received a freedom of 48 hours. Despite knowing where the robbery dollars are lying, and other confidential words, Reggie moves around with the cop and enjoys his good time without unfolding the truth.
13. Blue Jasmine (2013)
- Director: Woody Allen
- Writer: Woody Allen
- Cast: Cate Blanchett as Jeanette Francis, AKA Jasmine, Sally Hawkins as Ginger, Michael Stuhlbarg as Dr. Flicker, Max Casella as Eddie, Glenn Fleshler as Hal
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos
This story is all set about a New York socialite named Jasmine who shifted to San Francisco with her sister after a broken marriage. To make the world around her good, Jasmine wanted to work, but because of a lack of job skills, she would not get one. But her sister, Ginger, manages to provide her with a job in a dentist’s office and starts putting her thoughts into action.
12. The Conversation (1974)
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Writer: Francis Ford Coppola
- Cast: Gene Hackman as Harry Caul, John Cazale as Stan, Elizabeth MacRae as Meredith, Teri Garr as Amy Fredericks
- IMDb Ratings: 7.8 /10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
- Streaming Platform: Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime Videos
This one is one of the famous mystery movies set in San Francisco where Harry Caul, a surveillance expert, received an order to have a look at Mark and Ann. This order was made by a mysterious client named Martin Stett. During his follow-up session, Caul and his assistant recorded weird conservation between the couple. However, this recorded clip brings a storm in Caul’s mind which forces him to suspect whether the couple is dangerous or not.
11. Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
- Director: John Carpenter
- Writer: Gary Goldman and David Z. Weinstein
- Cast: Kurt Russell as Jack Burton, Dennis Dun as Wang Chi, James Hong as David Lo Pan, Kate Burton as Margo Litzenberger, Donald Li as Eddie Lee
- IMDb Ratings: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 95 %
- Streaming Platform: Hulu, Amazon Prime Videos
The story of the movie starts when Jack Burton, a truck driver, entangles himself in a conflict in San Francisco’s Chinatown. An ancient Chinese prince kidnaps Jack’s best friend’s fiance in that place. The evil soul, Lo Pan, wanted to use her to finish off the ancient curse that had tied him up. However, Jack helped the lady to bring her back from the dark environment before the arrival of Lo Pan.
10. Time After Time (1979)
- Director: Nicholas Meyer
- Writer: Nicholas Meyer
- Cast: Malcolm McDowell as Herbert George Wells, Mary Steenburgen as Amy Robbins, Charles Cioffi as Police Lt. Mitchell, Patti D’Arbanville as Shirley
- IMDb Ratings: 7.1/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Videos
The movie’s storyline starts when H.G. Wells succeeds in making a time machine that he will be using for his journey to a Utopian paradise in the future. However, before executing his plan, Jack the Ripper uses his machine and traverses to 1979 to hide from the police. The movie caught interest when Wells took Amy with her to help him out in this situation and ended up falling for her.
9. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
- Director: Chris Columbus
- Writer: Randi Mayem Singer and Leslie Dixon
- Cast: Robin Williams as Daniel Hillard, AKA Mrs. Doubtfire, Sally Field as Miranda Hillard, Harvey Fierstein as Frank, Lisa Jakub as Lydia Hillard
- IMDb Ratings: 7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
- Streaming Platform: Disney + Hotstar, Amazon Prime Videos
The story of this movie is about a father who disguises himself as a housekeeper to be with his children. After a nasty divorce from his wife, Daniel Hillard did not have the environment to meet his children. However, confronting his children, he dresses and puts on makeup just like an old British woman named Mrs. Doubtfire. Daniel hatched a plan to impress his ex-wife so that she would keep him as her housekeeper and nanny. After getting this job, he started spending time with his children, and as a result, he became a good parent.
8. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
- Director: Leonard Nimoy
- Writer: Steve Meerson, Peter Krikes, Nicholas Meyer, and Harve Bennett
- Cast: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols
- IMDb Ratings: 7.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Videos
The movie depicts the hardship of Captain Kirk to save the earth. After the information of experiencing a harmful effect on the earth by some unknown space calamity, Captain Kirk and his crewmates try to solve this problem. They all travel behind time to reverse the space issue to save the world.
7. Inside Out (2015)
- Director: Pete Docter
- Writer: Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley
- Cast: Amy Poehler as Joy, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Mindy Kaling as Disgust, Kaitlyn Dias as Riley, Diane Lane as Mom, Kyle MacLachlan as Dad, Paula Poundstone as Forgetter Paula
- IMDb Ratings: 8.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
- Streaming Platform: Disney + Hotstar, Amazon Prime Videos
Inside Out is one of the prominent films that set the assortment of different kinds of emotions in one’s life. Riley, the main protagonist of the movie, is an 11-year-old Midwestern girl and a hockey lover. However, the story task turns when her entire family shifts to San Francisco. After this scene, Riley’s emotions appear in front of her and make her understand how she can cope with all her tough situations. Their varieties of sentiments try to way her out in life-the changing events of her world.
6. The Rock (1996)
- Director: Michael Bay
- Writer: David Weisberg, Douglas Cook, and Mark Rosner
- Cast: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 68%
- Streaming Platform: Disney + Hotstar, Amazon Prime Videos
This movie is one of the mystery dramas of all time. The film started when FBI chemical warfare expert Stanley Goodspeed and a former British spy named John Patrick Mason were allotted an urgent mission. They were teamed up to cease the launch of chemical weapons on Alcatraz Island into San Francisco by Gen. Francis X. Hummel.
5. Bullitt (1968)
- Director: Peter Yates
- Writer: Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleiner
- Cast: Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, Jacqueline Bisset, Don Gordon, Simon Oakland
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Videos
Frank Bullitt is the main protagonist of this movie, who kept Johnny, the criminal’s brother, under his custody in San Francisco. However, Senator Walter Chalmers planned to bring down the boss of the mob by grabbing his brother. However, the table turned, and several problems stood up in front of Frank Bullitt, which forced him to work alone in this case.
4. The Game (1997)
- Director: David Fincher
- Writer: John Brancato and Michael Ferris
- Cast: Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, James Rebhorn
- IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos
The story of the film starts with the birthday occasion of Nicholas Van Orton, who is a merchant banker. During his birthday, he accepts a voucher for a game, which seems to be weird for him. However, his brother Conrad had organized such a gift for him. The game brought trouble to Nicholas’ life when he started playing it.
3. Dirty Harry (1971)
- Director: Don Siegel
- Writer: Harry Julian Fink, R.M. Fink and Dean Riesner
- Cast: Clint Eastwood, Andy Robinson, Harry Guardino, Reni Santoni, John Vernon
- IMDb Ratings: 7.7/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
- Streaming Platform: Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos
This crime movie is set in the background, where a mysterious sniper is targeting innocent people by shooting them. After some of the killing events, a tenacious SFPD inspector started working with an inexperienced officer to save innocent people by catching the murderer. However, the inspector took everything into his hand when everyone failed to catch the criminal.
2. Crackers (1984)
- Director: Louis Malle
- Writer: Jeffrey Fiskin
- Cast: Donald Sutherland, Jack Warden, Sean Penn
- IMDb Ratings: 5.2/10
- Streaming Platform: Amazon Prime Videos
The story starts with Weslake’s efforts to gain a job in a pawn shop that stingy Garvey has owned. One day Weslake and his friends Dillard and Ramon made a plan to initiate a burglar alarm system in the shop. However, the movie gains interest when Weslake and a few others scheme to knock over Garvey’s vault.
1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
- Director: Philip Kaufman
- Writer: W. D. Richter
- Cast: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright
- IMDb Ratings: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
- Streaming Platform: Apple TV, Amazon Prime Videos
This movie is a remake of one of the classic films. The story began with Matthew Bennell’s friend’s complaints about her husband’s awkward behavior. However, they got pulled taut when many other people came up with the same issue. After these reports, Bennell gets to know the real reason for these behaviors and tries to save the world from that harmful spirit.
Hopefully, the films mentioned above will help the spectators to grab their favorite ones. However, all these movies have their essence and aroma to acquire the attention of the viewers.
