Our 20 favorite films set in New Orleans

Bette Davis and Henry Fonda helmed the 1938 film “Jezebel,” which originated from a 1933 play written by Owen Davis. Set in New Orleans a decade prior to the Civil War, “Jezebel” is a complicated romantic drama about a strong-willed Southern woman whose hard-headedness only worked to her disadvantage (keep in mind this was 1938) and it earned five Academy Award nominations, including wins for Best Actress (Davis) and Best Supporting Actress (Fay Bainter). More than 70 years after its release, “Jezebel” was selected for inclusion in the National Film Registry.

In the 1950 neo-noir thriller “Panic in the Streets,” police and health officials rush to contain an outbreak of the pneumonic plague — and keep the media and public in the dark — before it contaminates all of New Orleans. For “Panic in the Streets,” veteran director Elia Kazan eschewed the biggest stars of the time in favor of a lesser-known cast of Richard Widmark, Paul Douglas, Barbara Bel Geddes, Jack Palance and Zero Mostel, who all excelled and helped the thriller earn positive reviews, an International Award at the Venice Film Festival and a Best Writing Oscar win for screenwriters Edna and Edward Anhalt.

If we had to pick one quintessential New Orleans film, it would be “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Like the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tennessee Williams play on which it is based, the entire movie is set in the Big Easy, specifically the French Quarter. Although heart-wrenching and oftentimes difficult to watch, “A Streetcar Named Desire” is a classic piece of American cinema, and it turned Marlon Brando from an unknown actor into a household name virtually overnight. He earned his first of four consecutive Best Actor Oscar nominations for the drama, which tallied a dozen nods in all, winning Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Supporting Actor (Karl Malden), Supporting Actress (Kim Hunter) and Art Direction.

Two ordinary citizens mistakenly blast off in a rocket and believe themselves to have landed on another planet but instead have settled in New Orleans in the midst of Mardi Gras. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello turn out another side-splitting comedy with the 1953 slapstick-filled “Abbott and Costello Go to Mars” despite no one actually going to Mars in the film. Interestingly, although it didn’t feature Mars as a setting, the movie did feature a young boy played by a 9-year-old Harry Shearer, now a veteran actor known for starring in “This Is Spinal Tap” and his three decades of voice work on “The Simpsons.”

The 1958 dramatic musical “King Creole” was Elvis Presley’s fourth feature film role, following “Love Me Tender” in 1956 and both “Loving You” and “Jailhouse Rock” the following year. In “King Creole,” Presley portrays Danny Fisher, a French Quarter local and high school dropout who ends up associating with some shady characters while simultaneously attempting to court two women. Based on Harold Robbins’ 1952 novel “A Stone for Danny Fisher,” the film also stars Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau and Dolores Hart. Its soundtrack reached No. 2 on the Billboard album charts and featured the song “Hard Headed Woman,” which eventually topped the pop charts. Out of the more than 30 films in which he appeared throughout his career, Presley named Danny Fisher as his favorite role.

Tennessee Williams’ 1958 New Orleans-set play “Suddenly, Last Summer” was so striking, so moving and so successful that it was adapted into a film only a year later — and not just any film, but one written by both Williams and Gore Vidal and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift. Unsurprisingly, “Suddenly, Last Summer” was a box office hit that earned three Oscar and two Golden Globe nods (with Taylor winning Best Actress at the latter event), but it actually received mixed reviews from critics, with both screenwriters later expressing disapproval at the end result. With respect to Mr. Williams and Mr. Vidal, we disagree.

A classic card shark drama, “The Cincinnati Kid” features a buildup to an eventual showdown in New Orleans between gamblers “The Man” (Edward G. Robinson) and “The Kid” (Steve McQueen), both of whom were praised for their roles. Based on a novel by Richard Jessup, “The Cincinnati Kid” initially received mixed reviews but has since been re-evaluated in a more positive light for the enthralling and exciting thriller it truly is.

Based on the Ian Fleming novel of the same name, 1973’s “Live and Let Die” was the eighth Bond film in the Eon franchise and the first to star Roger Moore. Some of the blaxploitation elements might be a little questionable by today’s standard, but the drug trafficking plot was a refreshing departure from the supervillain-chasing escapades in which 007 usually finds himself. A solid portion of the film took place and was shot in New Orleans, including scenes featuring voodoo and other elements of the occult, alligators and a speedboat chase. Our favorite part of “Live and Let Die,” however, is definitely the hit title song by Paul and Linda McCartney, which was nominated for a Best Original Song Oscar.

A New Orleans cop and divorced dad (Clint Eastwood) tracks a serial killer targeting local prostitutes in the 1984 thriller “Tightrope.” In addition to starring in the film (and receiving near universal acclaim), Eastwood was also an uncredited director alongside Richard Tuggle. In a twist on most murder mysteries, the killer (played by Marco St. John) stalked the officer investigating him nearly the entire time, and St. John was subsequently praised alongside Eastwood. Although it performed well at the box office, “Tightrope” is often forgotten about nowadays, so give it a watch.

Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, John Goodman and Ned Beatty were all praised for their characters in “The Big Easy,” a 1986 dramedy about a New Orleans cop (Quaid) who investigates a murder and begins to suspect his own colleagues are involved. Although it didn’t slay at the box office, “The Big Easy” received critical acclaim as an exciting thriller that later inspired a USA Network TV series of the same name.

The name “JFK” might make you think of Washington D.C., or Dallas or even Massachusetts, but the 1991 Oliver Stone film actually spends most of its time in New Orleans, as it centers on the city’s district attorney (Kevin Costner) and the conspiracy charges he brought against New Orleans businessman Clay Shaw (Tommy Lee Jones). Stone played fast and loose with the historical facts to spin a more gripping yarn, but the film nevertheless performed well at the box office and in critical reviews, and it amassed eight Academy Award nods — including wins for Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Costner’s portrayal of Jim Garrison also happens to be one of our favorite roles of the iconic actor’s lengthy career.

The titular discussion between reporter Daniel Molloy (Christian Slater) and vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Brad Pitt) takes place in modern day San Francisco, but Louis’ story begins in New Orleans and the greater Louisiana area. His travels take him across Europe, but Louis eventually returns to his hometown, where the thrilling gothic horror film concludes. Co-starring Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst (who was only 11 when cast), Stephen Rea and Antonio Banderas, “Interview with the Vampire” grossed $224 million worldwide and received general praise for Neil Jordan’s direction, as well as two Oscar nominations for Best Art/Set Decoration and Best Original Score.

“The Client” certainly has its share of star power. Based on a novel by John Grisham, directed by Joel Schumacher, and starring Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Mary-Louise Parker and Anthony Edwards, the 1994 legal thriller centers on an 11-year-old boy named Mark (Renfro) who happens to speak to a mob lawyer just before his death by suicide. Knowing Mark carries valuable intel about a murdered Louisiana senator, other mobsters desperately try to kill the boy, while fame-seeking U.S. Attorney Roy Foltrigg (Jones) attempts to crack the case and further his career. Protected by small-time lawyer Reggie Love (Sarandon), Mark must stay alive not just for his own well-being but also to find the senator’s body and bring the perps to justice in this edge-of-your-seat adaptation that earned critical praise — especially for Sarandon (who received a Best Actress Oscar nod) and Renfro (who was making his feature film debut).

Following a workplace massacre, the family of one victim sues the gun manufacturer for negligence. Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) represents the plaintiff, jury consultant Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman) conspires on behalf of the defense, and a woman named Marlee (Rachel Weisz) promises to deliver the jury to the highest bidder thanks to her man on the inside ( John Cusack). However, things may not be as they seem in the twist-filled “Runaway Jury,” based on the 1996 novel of the same name by John Grisham. Like many Grisham novels and films, this one is set primarily in New Orleans, and also like most Grisham adaptations it received a positive reception from critics despite its box office payday being less than expected.

Loosely based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story of the same name, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” stars Brad Pitt as the titular character, a man who is born old and ages in reverse. The moving 2008 fantasy romantic drama features scenes in New York and Russia but primarily takes place in New Orleans, spanning from Button’s 1918 birth to the approach of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. In addition to critical praise, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” won three Oscars and earned 10 additional nods, including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Actor (Pitt) and Supporting Actress (Taraji P. Henson).

It seems impossible for an animated Disney movie to be underrated, but that’s the case with 2009’s “The Princess and the Frog.” On the surface, the story is a loose retelling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale “The Frog Prince” with the setting changed to New Orleans. But it was also the first traditionally animated Disney film in five years, the first to feature a black heroine, it marked a return to the Broadway musical format and featured Randy Newman as its composer. The box office showing wasn’t as strong as a typical Disney movie might get, but critics nevertheless praised the film, which nabbed three Oscar nominations: Best Animated Feature Film and two nods in the Best Original Song category.

Despite its terrible title, which is long, clunky and makes one think it’s a remake of or sequel to the 1992 film “Bad Lieutenant” starring Harvey Keitel (it isn’t), “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” was actually an entertaining film. It centers on a drug-addicted and massively corrupt police officer, which might be difficult to watch, given the fact that the cop constantly steals and threatens people, commits sexual assault on one perp and gambles, snorts and smokes away all his money. Except, the cop is played by Nicolas Cage, an actor just deranged enough to thrive in the role. Despite a poor showing at the box office, “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans” was generally praised by critics for Cage’s performance, Werner Herzog’s direction and the support of co-stars Eva Mendes, Jennifer Coolidge, Val Kilmer, Brad Dourif and Xzibit.

“The Expendables” isn’t a great movie (see its 42 percent freshness rating and Razzie nomination for evidence of this), but it’s certainly entertaining (see its 64 percent audience score and $275 million box office haul for evidence of this). Plus, with a cast consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews and Mickey Rourke (and cameos by Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger), how can action fans go wrong? They can’t. And that’s why this 2010 film about a group of New Orleans-based mercenaries yielded successful sequels in 2012 and 2014.

We’re going to wager that you’ve likely never seen or even heard of 2015’s “Re-Kill.” However, as fans of horror — specifically gory, campy over-the-top horror — we highly recommend it. It's not just because it’s a zombie flick (these are so ubiquitous nowadays that most people probably wouldn’t be fazed in the event of an actual zombie outbreak), but instead, it's the spin that was put on the genre. Set five years after a worldwide outbreak, “Re-Kill” imagines a future where 4.5 billion people perished, San Francisco was bombed, New York City was walled off, the outbreak was deemed over and the survivors are dealing with the fallout. It's set just a few years from now (and in New Orleans, for the most part), where reality TV is still popular and the top show is “Re-Kill,” which features real paramilitary forces eliminating the remaining zombies — and is interspersed with campy survival-related commercials and hilarious repopulation PSAs. For a refreshing take on zombie cinema, add “Re-Kill” to your streaming queue.

A film about four women who take a trip to a New Orleans music festival ito reconnect? This could go in a lot of directions in terms of quality, even with an all-star cast. However, the 2017 comedy “Girls Trip” didn’t have just any all-star cast but one consisting of Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall and Tiffany Haddish in what would become the latter’s breakout role. With a budget of just $20 million, “Girls Trip” raked in more than $140 million at the box office, breaking a record for the highest-grossing film ever written by a black woman. Outlandish and outstanding, “Girls Trip” is worth a watch and an endless number of rewatches, for quotability’s sake.