LAS CRUCES - New Mexico has become a popular area to film movies -- particularly southern New Mexico around Las Cruces.
Clint Eastwood, Chris Hemsworth, Edward James Olmos, Bruce Dernand many other stars have filmed movies using Las Cruces' mountains and deserts as backdrops. From recent releases to the 1960s, here is a list of the popular feature films shot at least in part locally.
This fatih-based film was a homegrown production with Mark Medoff writing and Ross Kagan Marks directing. It's also based on the novel by Las Crucen Joe Bullock. Stars include Edwards James Olmos, George Lopez and Kathleen Quinlan.
More: Las Cruces turns out for 'Walking With Herb' world premiere
This independent film follows high school student, Lanie, who navigates the awkward high school dating scene. The movie was filmed on location in Las Cruces and premiered at the Las Cruces International Film Festival in March 2020.
Written and directed by Moroccan-American actorHafid Abdelmoula, this fantasy/mystery film follows two people as they travel through a village with strange rules in place.
This El Paso-based movie was actually filmed largely at the Film Las Cruces studio. Exterior shots of Mesilla's plaza and El Patio can be seen frequently throughout the movie. Stars include Ronnie Gene Blevins, Bruce Dern, Lara Flynn Boyle and Stephen Lang.
More: Locally filmed 'Death in Texas' premieres in El Paso
Starring Chris Hemsworth, this film follows a Special Forces team after 9/11. They are deployed to Afghanistan to work with a warlord to take down the Taliban. It is based on the true story of the Green Berets who took action after the terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
Intergenerational struggles with substance abuse is the theme of this film.Paleteria La Reyna Michoacana on Madrid Avenue served as one of the filming locations.
More: Movie being filmed in Las Cruces focuses on women struggling with substance abuse
Clint Eastwood stars in this film about a Korean War veteran, turned drug mule for a Mexican cartel. This is only the latest of Eastwoods projects filmed in New Mexico. His upcoming project, "Cry Macho," has used Belen as the backdrop for filming. It is set to release in 2021.
More: Clint Eastwood's 'The Mule' brings in $1.3 million for New Mexico
This adventure film follows a treasure hunter on his search for the missingPadre LaRue Spanish gold nearEl Paso del Norte. The movie stars Mark Vasconcellos, Stephanie Frias and Cesar Miramontes.
More: Lost Padre Mine film examines mother lode myth
"There is more than one way to drown in The Borderlands," according to IMDb. Hafid Abdelmoula stars in this crime thriller set in El Paso.
Viggo Mortensen plays a father in this 2016 film,whose ideals are challenged by life's twists and turns.
This independent horror film was directed and produced by graduates of New Mexico State University's Creative Media Institute. Cast and crew for the project came from Las Cruces and El Paso, and the City of the Crosses was the sole filming location. The story follows a serial killer and a psychotic detective.
Like "Walking With Herb," this 2016 film was written by Mark Medoff and directed by Ross Kagan Marks. The film is set in Las Cruces, following a man who returns to his hometown and must face the past.
This horror movie was not only filmed in Las Cruces, but further south into the bootheel as well. The story involves the actions friends take after one of their own disappears from a rest stop.
"50 to 1" is based on the true story of Mine That Bird, the New Mexico racehorse that won the 2009 Kentucky Derby with 50 to 1 odds. Las Cruces as well as Sunland Park served as filming locations.
Forest Whitaker stars as a parolee who becomes friends with his parole officer, played by Harvey Keitel. Ellen Burstyn and Luis Guzmn also star.
VeronicaCartwright and Rumor Willis travel throughout the Southwest in this 2013 drama.
Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis take to the road in an effort to make it on time to a birth inthis dramedy. The film also features Michelle Monaghan and Jamie Foxx.
This film follows the stories of several people, two of whom areplayed byCharlize Theron and John Corbett.
The Doa Ana County colonia La Mesa is featured in this western. A man returns to his hometown to avenge the death of his parents.
The gypsum sand of White Sands Missile Range serves as the backdrop for several scenes in the first of a series of Michael Bay movies. Good and evil, human and metal clash in the struggle betweenAutobots andDecepticons.
Cowboys played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger form an intimate relationship in this classis Ang Lee film. Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway are also featured.
The war against drugs is the basis for this movie, as the issue hits home for one man. Stars Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro and Catherine Zeta-Jones play various characters the movie follows. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Del Toro.
The 1955 classic and controversial novel byVladimir Nabokov comes to life on the screen as a professor falls in love with a 13-year-old girl. Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swan star as the lead characters.
This dramedy starring Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell involves another road trip, while also touching on subjects such as bipolar disorder and suicide.
A couple decides to give up their jobs and travel the country in theirWinnebago in this 1980s comedy of errors.
The mafia, a truck stop, a brothel and a mother/daughter due. This 1970s crime/action drama was filmed in Las Cruces, Hatch and Truth or Consequences withElephant Butte Dam getting a spot in the limelight.
This darker comedy features a number of Las Cruces locations and locals, including the New Mexico State University band. Wes Stern, Joan Collins and Larry Hagman star.
Clint Eastwood stars as a lawman seeking justice from his would-be killers in this classic western and Eastwood's first leading film role. Western heavyweight Bruce Dern is also featured. Both men go on to take part in other film projects based out of New Mexico.
This Old West film was the first feature film to be produced in the Las Cruces area. It was also directed by NMSU professor Orville "Buddy" Wanzer. Joan Stapleton stars as a vampire who victimizes cowboys, played by Robert Gregory and Wes Moreland.
More: Film shot in Las Cruces to return to the Rio Grande Theatre 54 years after its national premiere
Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News andcan be reached at 575-418-3442,lromero@lcsun-news.comor@rromero_leahon Twitter.
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1960s to today: Popular movies filmed in the Las Cruces area - Las Cruces Sun-News
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