John Cusack

The Grifters (1990)

Thanks to a post at My New Plaid Paints, I thought I should get around to posting some pics of my locations for The Grifters, which just celebrated its 25th anniversary.  If you haven't seen it, check it out.  It's one of Stephen Frears best films and can sometimes be found streaming.  I have been working on the locales off and on for a while, so it's not 100% complete yet, but here's what I have so far.

First up, we have a scene with John Cusack and the police, taking place in Ivar Avenue, just south of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

The Bryson Apartment Hotel is one of the main locations used in the film.  It is used for the long shots and scene with an ambulance.  It is located at 2701 Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.

However, all the scenes where they are driving into the apartment, they use the Asbury Apartments, located at 2505 West 6th Street in Los Angeles.  (This was also Frances McDormand's apartment in Darkman.)

I immediately recognized the hospital as it was also used in Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers.  It is the Dream Center building, located at 2301 Bellevue Avenue in Los Angeles.

Annette Bening's apartment is no longer there, but a couple of the buildings surrounding it are still standing.  It was located on around 700 South Mariposa Avenue in Los Angeles.

They also shot a great scene at the Saugus Cafe, located at 25857 Railroad Avenue in Santa Clarita, California.  This is not a screen-matched shot as I was visiting the restaurant for another movie at the time.

Annette Bening sets up a con outside this building in downtown Los Angeles, located around West 4th and South Hope Street.

Don't even ask me how I found this next street, but somehow I located on Monroe Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue in Phoenix, Arizona.

The film also shot at the Sierra Pelona Motel in Santa Clarita.  The first shot is from google maps, the second shot was taken by me before I was shooed away from the caretaker!

UPDATE: I forgot I had visited one more location, the often-filmed Castle Green, located at 99 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena.