The bustling streets, combined with its rich history, make London the perfect backdrop for cinema. It also gives us a chance to vicariously visit the city through films set in London.
From rom-coms to horrors, here are the 10 movies set in London that you must watch if you want to experience its charm.
15. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Guy Ritchie’s classic crime comedy is set in the streets of London, diving deep into the culture of the city’s East End. When four lads lose a rigged poker game against a London kingpin, they have one week to settle their enormous debt.
To do this, they decide to pull off a heist, robbing a small gang operating out of the apartment next door. But the more they get involved in the crime underworld of the city, the more they fall down the spiral of a morally ambiguous society.
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14. Notting Hill (1999)
Named after the affluent district, London is always the first thing to come to mind when we hear about this iconic rom-com. Will Thacker owns a bookshop in the heart of the Notting Hill district, where Anna Scott, the world’s most beautiful woman and a beloved actress, unexpectedly walks in.
Over the months, the frequent encounters bring the reserved Will and Hollywood icon Anna closer and closer. A romance starts to bloom between the two, set against some of the most beautiful backdrops in London.
13. Sherlock Holmes (2009)
If you want to go back to Victorian London, you can never go wrong with a classic Arthur Conan Doyle whodunit. Among the many Sherlock Holmes films, the 2009 adaptation starring Robert Downey Jr. remains especially beloved.
Set in the 1890s, the eccentric detective Holmes and his companion investigate the crimes of Lord Blackwood, a mystic who has seemingly risen from the dead. The duo must be at the top of their game to defeat this nemesis, whose plot threatens all of England.
12. The Harry Potter Franchise (2001-2011)
All the films in the iconic ‘Harry Potter‘ film series are set in and around London. Yet, the magical world of Hogwarts rarely makes it feel as though our favorite wizards are at the heart of the capital. Throughout the films, we follow Harry Potter, an orphan who discovers his magical heritage and enters the wizarding world.
While most of the films were shot across various locations in the UK, London remains a prominent backdrop. From the London Zoo to the beloved Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross railway station, we see magic woven into this bustling city.
11. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
‘A Clockwork Orange’ brings Anthony Burgess’ dystopian London to life. The movie portrays a decaying, near-future Britain, where we follow Alex DeLarge, an “ultraviolent” youth. After being arrested and convicted of murder, Alex learns about an experimental program in which convicts are conditioned to detest violence.
Seeing this program as a chance to reduce his sentence and return to the streets of London sooner, he undergoes the treatment. Once released, Alex becomes defenseless, stripped of his free will.es defenseless and robbed of his free will.
10. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
This beloved rom-com is a quintessential London film. Bridget Jones is a busy journalist and singleton living in the bustling city. After vowing to abandon her many vices, she turns over a new leaf by documenting her life in a journal.
In the film, Bridget lives in her own flat in the Borough and visits several iconic spots, including the Globe Tavern and Borough Market. The movie has even inspired many guided tours around the city.
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9. Love Actually (2003)
This Christmas classic shows London in all its festive glory. It delves into the different aspects of love through 10 stories featuring a diverse cast of characters. The ensemble cast, living normal lives in the heart of London, is what gives ‘Love Actually‘ its charm.
Moreover, nothing is more London-coded than a classic Christmas rom-com. ‘Love Actually’ has also inspired many city tours.
8. 28 Days Later (2002)
The brilliance of ’28 Days Later’ lies in the fact that it was able to capture an apocalyptic London without any CGI. The trick was to wake up very early every single day to film the city when it was still asleep.
When Jim, a bicycle courier, awakens after a long coma, he discovers that the accidental release of a highly contagious and aggression-inducing virus has caused the breakdown of society. The first scene, where he wakes up to find the bustling streets of London completely abandoned, is probably one of the most chilling scenes in cinema.
7. A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
When London was at its height of ‘Beatlemania,’ The Beatles released this musical film following 36 hours in the lives of the members. It is their first feature film and opens in Liverpool. There, they board a train to London to film a televised variety show concert.
This mockumentary-style comedy finds them flocking through the streets of London, giving us a glimpse of the city in the swinging ’60s. Moreover, their tour will take you through backstreet pubs, theaters, clubs, and more, making it a must-watch for locals and future visitors alike.
6. The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
Named after the real-life street in South London, ‘The Lavender Hill Mob’ is a classic comedy film that depicts post-war London, facing the aftermath of World War II. It revolves around a bank clerk who plans to steal gold bars with his eccentric neighbor and smuggle them out of the country as miniature Eiffel Towers.
Other iconic places in London that were featured in the movie included the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange Building, and Gunnersbury Park. But the most compelling feature is undeniably the Blitz-shattered cityscape.
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5. Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
London is at the heart of ‘Four Weddings and A Funeral’, where we see the charming Hugh Grant in the role of Charles, who tries to find love over the course of the five titular social occasions.
The place that Charles calls his home in the movie is actually Highbury Field. The movie might also be the most accurate representation of trying to get anywhere in London quickly.
4. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Bringing zombies to the hustling, bustling South London, ‘Shaun of the Dead‘ is for fans of apocalyptic movies. And in true London style, the main characters take refuge in a pub. Like the other movies in this list, ‘Shaun of the Dead‘ might not portray all the hottest spots in London.
But it still shows life in London, except with zombies. The titular Shaun is a downtrodden London salesman who is caught in a zombie apocalypse alongside his loved ones. His uneventful, aimless life is disrupted, and he finds himself with a chance to prove how useful he can be.
3. Paddington (2014)
This adorable bear gets his name from Paddington Station, where he is found by the kind Brown family. After traveling from “Darkest Peru,” Paddington arrives in London in search of a new home, only to find himself alone at the station.
He is soon taken in by the Browns, who name him Paddington because they cannot pronounce his real bear name. While the film follows Paddington’s exploration of London, it also features a memorable showdown between him and a museum taxidermist at the Natural History Museum.
2. Withnail & I (1987)
Loosely based on Bruce Robinson’s experiences in London in the late 1960s, ‘Withnail and I‘ follows two out-of-work actors who escape the chaos of Camden Town for a short break at a remote cottage owned by Withnail’s eccentric Uncle Monty.
However, the countryside retreat quickly takes a turn for the worse, as they struggle with harsh weather, isolation, and their own lack of survival skills. The iconic line, “We’ve gone on holiday by mistake,” perfectly captures the film’s dark humor and sense of misadventure.
1. The Long Good Friday (1980)
In this movie, we find a portrayal of the rough criminal underbelly of London in the late 1970s, addressing concerns such as the political corruption of the time. Harold Shand, a crime boss, dreams of becoming a property magnate and developing part of London’s dockland with his American counterparts.
When his properties get attacked over the Easter weekend, he stomps around the whole of London to find the culprit conspiring against him. The movie blows up some of London’s most iconic spots, including Harold’s favorite pub, much to his dismay.
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