Top 5 – Movies Set in One Place

Who says movies have to be set in multiple locations and have a number of set pieces?  There have been a number of movies through out time that have taken place in one central location, and we’re getting another one this weekend in The Belko Experiment.  So in honor of that, here are my picks for the best movies set in one place.

NOTE: I realize some of these movies don’t 100% take place in one location.  But, there is a central location and most of the action takes place in these locations.  Also, it’s my list, so I can do what I want.

5 – 127 HOURS (Danny Boyle, 2010)

PLACE – A Cave

127 Hours is the story of a man literally stuck between a rock and a hard place.  It tells the true story of Aron Ralston (a sensational James Franco), a rock climber who, on an ordinary day, slips, falls, and gets his arm jammed under a boulder in a cave and must resort to extreme measure to survive.  We start and end the movie off in different locations, but over 90% of the movie is set in this cave, as we watch Ralston survive over five days on limited supplies and hope and it is a torturous, yet inspiring watch.  Danny Boyle’s visceral, masterful direction and Franco’s great performance make this a tough, moving film and one of this decade’s true achievements.

4 – CLERKS (Kevin Smith, 1994)

PLACE – Strip Mall/Convenient Store

Kevin Smith’s debut film is a true indie sensation.  Smith focuses on a convenience store worker named Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and his friend Randal (Jeff Anderson), who works next door at video store, and a day in their lives at their mundane jobs.  Throughout the film, we see Dante and Randal talk about everything and anything, from sex to pop culture, as well as see the very diverse and bizarre customers they encounter during their work day.  Even though this movie isn’t 100% set in the store (they close the store to go to a wake, which is hilarious), the shop is where all the action happens.  This is an uproarious, smart, sweet film that launched Kevin Smith into the cinematic universe.

3 – RESERVOIR DOGS (Quentin Tarantino, 1992)

PLACE – Joe’s Safe House

Similar to Kevin Smith above, Reservoir Dogs is the film that introduced the world to director Quentin Tarantino.  Nobody was prepared for what was in store for this film.  A neo-noir heist film set in the bright California sun where we never see the heist.  Thanks to Tarantino’s quick, biting dialog, we learn what happened during the heist and witness the aftermath as the surviving members progressively meet up at the safe house and try to figure out who the rat in the group is.  The large warehouse feels more and more claustrophobic as more people show up and the tension of who iss the rat rises, all leading up to a bloody ending.  This is one of my favorite movies ever and one of the greatest cinematic debuts of all time.

2 – ROPE (Alfred Hitchcock, 1948)

PLACE – Apartment

I was torn between this one and Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window (1954), but I feel that Rope is Alfred Hitchcock’s most underrated masterpiece.  Set in a singular apartment, two young men (John Dall, Farley Granger) strangle their “inferior” student and put the body in a chest and place it in the middle or a party they are throwing to pull of the perfect murder.  Based off a play by the same name, Hitchcock shot it that way, by using six uncut sequences to show the film and the only reason he needed to use a cut was because he ran out of film.  In typical Hitchcock fashion, the film is incredibly tense and a beauty to watch, with a sensational performance by Jimmy Stewart.  Knowing the body is in a chest in the middle of the room leaves a knot in your stomach the whole movie and the film brings up a lot of great themes about intelligence and what drives a murderer.  This is one of Hitchcock’s best.

1 – 12 ANGRY MEN (Sidney Lumet, 1957)

PLACE – Jury Deliberation Room

Sidney Lumet is one of the greatest directors to ever get behind the camera and his first feature film (he did T.V. before) is a cinematic classic.  12 Angry Men takes place during a jury deliberation, as what seems like a unanimous decision is stopped by one jury member, Juror 8 (a remarkable Henry Fonda).  From there, Juror 8 attempts to convince the rest of the jurors that the young man on trial is innocent.  The is a taut, compelling, moving film that highlights Fonda’s acting and Lumet’s direction.  Nobody leaves the deliberation room the entire film, causing tempers the flare and emotions to run high and you’re in a trance from beginning to end.  This is as good as movies get.  It is an American masterpiece and the best movie set in one place.

What are your favorite movies set in one place?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.