The City of Los Angeles

My mom and sister will be leaving to sunny California next week. If all goes well, they'll be arriving at the Greyhound station in Los Angeles on Friday, April 28th. Of course, L.A. is the home to Hollywood and has been featured in many of its films. When I first visited the Big Orange in the early 90's, it was quite an experience. I was a tourist, yet the city seemed a little familiar to me. Slick action films of the era such as "Speed" and "Lethal Weapon 3" showcased the urban development of the city. And as I walked through it, I thought, "Hey! That's where Mel Gibson and Keanu Reeves chased down the bad guys".

"Speed" is one of the best L.A. action films of the 90's.

L.A. is the second biggest city in the nation and one of the things I find amusing is how it's depicted in movies. I personally like how director Michael Mann photographs the city. In his films, the City of Angels is almost a character in itself. He gives it a very vibrant and evocative look bringing to mind postcard-type pictures. This is most evident in his 2004 action-drama "Collateral" which starred Tom Cruise as an ice-cold killer and Jamie Foxx as his meek cab driver. The city's skyscrapers literally shine brightly in the background.


Tom Cruise is a white-haired assassin visiting L.A. in "Collateral".

Most recently, Los Angeles was prominently featured in "Drive", a 2011 indie action flick with Ryan Gosling as a stuntman/getaway driver. I liked how it maintains a sense of visual beauty while revealing L.A.'s less glamorous side. The film also showcases the city streets with aerial shots and close up camera angles of nighttime driving. Director Nicolas Winding Refn's portrait of the the City of Angels is startling because it revisions the city with an almost dream-like atmosphere.

Ryan Gosling drives through the streets of Los Angeles in "Drive".

There are plenty of films that show L.A.'s extreme variety of locations. 1993's "Falling Down" is a film I remember due to its effective use of the city's urban sprawl. But there are also films that give the city a very exaggerated look. For instance, in the sci-fi sequel "Predator 2", L.A. is featured as a semi-comic urban hellhole. It's not a pretty vision to say the least. I haven't visited the city in over 10 years, but I plan to this summer. And when I get there, I think I'll do a Ryan Gosling by driving through the streets with 80's-inspired music playing in my car.