‘London on film’ may well stir recollections of romantic comedies like Love Actually (2003) or Notting Hill (1999), as well as historical films (think Victorian intrigues showcasing murder and mystery, cobblestone streets and carriages, and even Etonian and East London accents). Yet, this list will prove that other genres have managed to showcase the capital in all its cinematic glory.
Admittingly, these films remain in the public consciousness for a reason; they are usually fun-loving films, filled with either adventure, the historical details cinema-goers adore, or even trans-Atlantic romance. But Richard Curtis rom-coms and Sherlockian thrills aside, there’s plenty more that modern London has to offer, and the list below will hopefully expand upon those to be considered the best of London in cinema. Shot on location, these films truly capture London’s grand sights and more low-key parts worth the visual commemoration on film. One thing is certain: in all of these films, London remains in the foreground—a main character throughout.
28 days later (2002) dir. Danny Boyle
Starting off the list, 28 Days Later follows Jim (Cillian Murphy) as he wakes up from a coma a month after an outbreak of the Rage Virus. Jim encounters London in apocalyptic ruin and desertion, far from the civilisation of bustling workers moving to-and-fro. Along the way he meets fellow survivors (like Selena (Naomie Harris) and Frank (Brendan Gleeson)), as they begin their journey together away from the virus’ victims. 28 Days Later captures the architecture of inner-city London, remaining a visual delight for cataloguing the stillness of a city at constant movement (as well as adding to the entire horror effect).
Starring Cillian Murphy in the earlier days of his career, 28 Days Later is a great recommendation when looking for the delights of London (and England in general) framed as a dark, horrific landscape. A particularly iconic shot shall stay with you: Jim in hospital scrubs on Westminster Bridge, Big Ben in the background, as he calls for people amid ruined vehicles, utter silence, and a sense of foreboding you just cannot shake.
Pirates (2021) dir. Reggie Yates
Pirates follows three friends on a journey to get tickets to a New Year’s Eve party so they can start the millennium off right. The search takes them North and South of the river over one night, so, of course, there are some pit-stops which maximise the laughs. Backed by a UK garage playlist, Pirates parodies Thelma and Louise‘s (1991) epic road-trip, but rather than a tour across US state lines, the Thames remains their only division, and of course the approaching deadline—midnight.
Led by Reda Elazouar, Jordan Peters, and Tosin Cole (as Kidda, Two Tonne, and Clips respectively), Pirates showcases both young acting talent and London as its core characters (Pirates even premiered at The Ritzy Picturehouse in Brixton, so London is clearly interwoven irrevocably). Written and directed by Londoner Reggie Yates, the organic London locations and references (like the Ministry of Sound Nightclub) make Pirates underrated as a film presenting London in its best light—and in ’99 no less. Filmed in estates in Haringey, Finsbury Park, Seven Sisters, Pirates goes to those lesser-known settings of London, the ones that make up the urban landscape. Away from the famed streets of Westminster and Notting Hill, Pirates is a film made for those indulging in British humour, the lesser-known areas of London, and UK garage to top it all off.
Last Night in Soho (2021) dir. Edgar Wright
Wright’s most recent directing credit presents Soho in both its ’60s heyday and in the modern day. Two stories unfold simultaneously: fashion student Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie) in the modern day, who is struggling to adjust to bustling London and her peers at the London College of Fashion, and a mysterious young woman (Anya Taylor-Joy), who is attempting to make it big as a singer in the ’60s. Troubling dreams of the woman from the past occupy Eloise’s mind, but through the entirety of the psychological mystery, one thing is clear: Soho is the star. Last Night in Soho captures the dual nature of London: an ever-changing, cinematic city, yet one full of recognisable and consistent features such as pub-culture or the grand cliché, though no less relevant, of dreaming for more in the big city.
Both in the ’60s and in the modern day, the features of Soho remain the same: Greek Street, Berwick Street, Great Windmill Street, and even The Toucan. Soho maintains the vibrancy across the ages in Last Night in Soho, and Londoners themselves proved just as useful for transforming Soho into its ’60s self. The production designer Marcus Rowland commented, “When we were building and blocking off Bateman Street, people would come up and talk about what shops were there before, and we tried to add elements of shops that were there in the Sixties.” Soho certainly deserves to be the titular character due to its all-encompassing role in the film. A must-watch for those wishing to view the big city in all its neon-lit glory.
Spiderman: Far From Home (2019) dir. Jon Watts & Thor: The Dark World (2013) dir. Alan Taylor
Superhero movies have occupied cinemas for the past decade, so it was only a matter of time before some superheroes landed in London. Spiderman: Far From Home (the titular character played by London-born Tom Holland) follows Peter Parker as an American on a European tour with his school, finishing with a venture to London. Unfamiliar from his home in Queens, Spiderman sees himself upon the glass walkway of Tower Bridge overlooking the Thames (in a much grander fashion than most would witness the iconic river). Thor chooses a rather different, but no less significant, London landmark: Old Naval College in Greenwich, the site of the final showdown in his sequel movie Thor: The Dark World. Amid seeing these centres of education and politics in London, more every-day sights shine through, like Charing Cross railway station. Thor hops on the London Underground to Greenwich, but in typical Londoner fashion, the tube scene has been met with distress for the inaccuracy of the journey length. Rightfully so, fans of the film hope for a rewritten scene to encompass a true commuter experience.
The films remain a fun feature for London in cinema, as CGI-led films (like sci-fi or superhero movies) rarely base themselves in England’s capital, preferring the anonymity or vagueness of lesser known areas or the intergalactic possibilities of a studio. London is rarely captured in the midst of large scale battles with aliens or other villainous forces. So, Marvel’s bid to centre London in Spiderman: Far From Home and Thor: The Dark World remain memorable for these cinematic endeavours.
Paddington (2014) dir. Paul King
What better film to signify and showcase London than one named after the iconic station of London Paddington. Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw), a bear from ‘deepest darkest Peru’, ventures to London and is subsequently adopted by the Brown family: cue adventures all across the city. Paddington, in a similar way to Mary Poppins (1964), allows London to shine alongside the fantastical and quirky.
With filming locations across West London, Paddington offers familiarity for audiences. Expectedly, it showcases London Paddington station, whilst also showing Windsor Gardens in Primrose Hill (the Brown’s home), an antique shop on Portobello Road (Gruber’s (Jim Broadbent) shop), and most distinctively, the Natural History Museum. Between a talking bear and Nicole Kidman as striking villain Millicent, Paddington is a laugh that takes you on a cinematic tour of the London you see painted in the Paddington stories by Michael Bond.
From the glamour of ’60s London to the modern-day exploration of tourist sights like the Old Naval College or Westminster, London remains consistent in film for its bustling streets, neon lights, and distinctive look. London will continue to be reinvented and translated into cinema in various ways, but no matter what genre, London will always remain the main character, the examples above showing the city at its finest.
Honourable mentions to Sherlock Holmes (2009), My Generation (2017), See How They Run (2022), and Children of Men (2006).
Words by Annabel Smith
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