Pearl Harbor (2001)

The 2001 Michael Bay film “Pearl Harbor” was primarily filmed in Hawaii, Southern California and England. In the film, Rafe McCawley, played by Ben Affleck, is accompanied by Danny Walker, played by Josh Hartnett, as he departs a train station to join the front lines of the war in England. These scenes were filmed at Union Station, a train station in Downtown Los Angeles.  It has been featured in many films, such as “Blade Runner” “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Species,” “To Live And Die In L.A.,” “Bugsy,” “Nick of Time,” “The Replacement Killers,” “Mike’s Murder,” “The Way We Were,” “Union Station,” “Under the Rainbow” and more.

LOCATION: 800 N Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

The scenes where Doolittle, played by Alec Baldwin, prepares his pilots to fly short takeoffs were filmed at the north hangar of the Marine Corps Air Station Tustin (72-7 Tustin Ranch Rd, Irvine, CA 92606). There are two hangers located at the air station, which closed back in 1999 and has since been used in many productions, such as the 2009 version of “Star Trek,” “The Hindenburg,” “The Man’s Navy” and “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.” It also appeared in Michael Jackson’s music video for “Hold My Hand,” as well as countless commercials. In 2023, a fire destroyed the north hanger. However, the south hanger, which has been seen in such TV shows as “The X-Files” and “From the Earth to the Moon,” was unaffected by the fire and remains standing.

Evelyn Johnson, played by Kate Beckinsale, leaves a movie theater after she is upset by one of the newsreels. This scene was filmed at the Warner Grand Theater in San Pedro, California. The same theater also appeared in many other films, including “Zodiac,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “Babylon,” “Seabiscut,” “Remote Control,” “Win A Date With Tad Hamilton,” “It’s Pat: The Movie,” “Ghosts Of Mississippi,” “Boys And Girls,” “Live By Night,” “Worth Winning,” “Mark Of Love,” “Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here” and “From Wharf Rats to Lords of the Docks.” It has also appeared in such television series as “The O.C.,” “Party Of Five,” “Melrose Place,” “T.J.Hooker,” “7th Heaven” and “Cousin Skeeter.”

LOCATION: 478 W 6th St, San Pedro, CA 90731

Evelyn and Danny talk next door to the theater at the fictional Black Cat Diner.

LOCATION: 470 W 6th St, San Pedro, CA 90731

Japanese planes are seen approaching Hawaii near Kualoa Regional Park, with a small island known as Mokolii seen on the right. It is a popular photo spot for tourists and very close to the house from “50 First Dates.”

LOCATION: Near Kualoa Regional Park, 49-479 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744

A man is seen riding a motorcycle towards a bunker, where the planes are first detected by American radar. This scene was filmed at Kualoa Ranch in O’ahu. The ranch offers tours and this area can be seen on their film tour. Inside are many props and displays showcasing the many filmed shot at the ranch over the years.

LOCATION: Kualoa Ranch, 49-560 Kamehameha Hwy, Kaneohe, HI 96744

The Japanese planes are also seen passing this area, which is also part of Kualoa Ranch. Kualoa Ranch has been featured in dozens of films, such as “Jurassic Park,” “Jurassic World,” “Triple Frontier” and many more, as well as the television show “Lost.”

Related articles: Bad Boys (1995), The Rock (1996), Bad Boys II (2003), Transformers (2007)

Transformers (2007)

In the 2007 film “Transformers,” Shia LaBeouf plays Sam Witwicky.  The Witwicky residence can be found in the West Adams neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

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LOCATION: 2187 W 24th St, Los Angeles, CA 90018

The car lot where Sam shops for cars with his dad can be found in Altadena. It was actually a composite of two locations on opposite sides of the street from one another. The location at 2012 Lake Ave still stands, but the other location at 2000 Lake Ave has since been demolished.

LOCATION: 2012 Lake Ave, Altadena, CA 91001

Bobby Bolivia, played by Bernie Mac, points down the street to where his mother lives.

Bumblebee gives himself an updated look inside the Second Street Tunnel in Downtown L.A.  This is a popular filming location, appearing in such films as “Kill Bill,” “Demolition Man,” “Blade Runner,” “Con Air,” “Independence Day” and many more.

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LOCATION: 620 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

The police station seen in the film can be found in Highland Park.  The building is no longer an active police station and operates today as a police museum.  The building has been featured in countless films, including “Clerks 2,” “Gangster Squad” and “National Security,”  as well as the TV series “Twin Peaks: The Return.”

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LOCATION: 6043 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Sam and Mikaela, played by Megan Fox, watch a meteor shower at the iconic Griffith Observatory.  The location is another staple of film, appearing in such movies as “Rebel Without A Cause,” “La La Land,” “The Terminator” and dozens more.

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LOCATION: 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Sam and Mikaela are taken into custody near this railway bridge, only for the Transformers to rescue them.

LOCATION: N Henry Ford Ave / Pier A Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90744

Sam and Mikaela are taken to the Hoover Dam in Nevada, which houses Megatron inside a bunker.

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LOCATION: Hoover Dam, Boulder City, NV 89005

Ironhide lands in the pool of the Byrdview house in Chatsworth (also known as the Farralone Estate and Fox House). It has appeared in many films, including “Swordfish,” “Lords Of Dogtown,” “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “The Salton Sea,” “Bewitched,” “Tomcats” and “Dreamgirls.” It has also appeared in such TV series as “Six Feet Under,” “Mad Men,” “Californication,” “The Last Man on Earth,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Aquarius,” “Moonlight” and “Good Girls Revolt.”

LOCATION: 9361 Farralone Ave, Chatsworth, CA 91311

A full scale Optimus Prime truck used in the film could be seen on display in the prop room at Paramount Studios.

LOCATION: 5555 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Also on display was a full scale Bumblebee.

Related articles: Bad Boys (1995), The Rock (1996), Pearl Harbor (2001), Bad Boys II (2003)

Bad Boys II (2003)

Much like the first “Bad Boys” film, the sequel “Bad Boys II” is set in Miami, Florida.  According to information online, the house of Marcus, played by Martin Lawrence, is somewhere on Bay Road, near Sunset Islands.  It is a particularly difficult location to identify.  The house is only seen from two angles in the film.  First, the back yard facing the water is seen and then the front of the house, facing out to the street is seen.  There is never a direct shot of the front of the house.  Several resources have attempted to identify the house by what can be seen on the waterfront.  We attempted to identify it by what could be seen on the street.  There is in fact a shot where an exact street sign can be seen in the background, which is E Rivo Alro Dr.  This places the home on Venetian Islands.

Looking at houses on E Rivo Alto Drive, a relatively short road, trying to match up screen shots with the outside view, we found one possible candidate to be this home.  Quite a few on the details align, but not all.  It’s possible the home was a composite of more than one location or some remodeling has since occurred.  We don’t typically include unconfirmed locations, but due to the fact no other resources we found even mention E Rivo Alto Dr, we wanted to present it as a possible location of the home.

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LOCATION: 205 E Rivo Alto Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139

The estate of the villainous Johnny Tapia, played by Jordi Mollà, was filmed at Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. The villa has been seen in many films, including “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “The Money Pit” and “Iron Man 3.”  The villa is open to public tours and regularly hosts special events.  Photography is permitted both inside and outside of the property.

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LOCATION: 3251 S Miami Ave, Miami, FL 33129

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Later in the film, a shootout takes place in the garden area of the property.

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Bodies litter the street in front of this building, which serves as the Miami Bank in the film.

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LOCATION: 570 NE 81st St, Miami, FL 33138

The mortuary Mike and Marcus break into is actually the McArthur Dairy building.

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LOCATION: 6851 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL 33138

Here are some props from the film, on display at Sony Pictures Studio.

LOCATION: 10202 W Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Related articles: Bad Boys (1995), The Rock (1996), Pearl Harbor (2001), Transformers (2007)

Bad Boys (1995)

Michael Bay’s 1990s action film “Bad Boys” and it’s sequel, “Bad Boys II,” are famously set in Miami, Florida.  Marcus, played by Martin Lawrence, lives in this house in the first film, which is located near the Marlins Park baseball field.

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LOCATION: 737 NW 15th Ave, Miami, FL 33125

The police station where the pair work is actually the Dade County Courthouse.  The building was also seen in the 1981 Sydney Pollack film “Absence of Malice” and the 1998 thriller “Wild Things.”

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LOCATION: 73 W Flagler St, Miami, FL 33130

“Club Hell,” where Marcus gets into a fight in the bathroom, was the heavily dressed Scottish Rite Temple.  The same building appears in Michael Mann’s 2006 film adaptation of “Miami Vice.”

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LOCATION: 471 NW 3rd St, Miami, FL 33128

The apartment where Mike, played by Will Smith, lives was the former Collins Park hotel in Miami Beach, which was also seen in the original “Miami Vice” television series.  The property is currently undergoing remodeling.

LOCATION: 2030 Park Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Julie, played by Téa Leoni, is kidnapped and a large action sequence takes place, ending with Mike and Marcus failing to rescue her. In one of director Michael Bay’s trademark shots, a low-angle, 360 degree shot around the pair takes place in front of the Tropics Hotel.

LOCATION: 1550 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Related articles: The Rock (1996), Pearl Harbor (2001), Bad Boys II (2003), Transformers (2007)

The Rock (1996)

The majority of Micheal Bay’s 1996 action film “The Rock” was shot on location at Alcatraz Island. You can read our separate article on Alcatraz here, which has many more photos.

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LOCATION: Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA 94133

The film also shot some scenes in Southern California. The house of Jade Angelou, played by Claire Forlani, can be found in San Pedro.

LOCATION: 611 W 37th St, San Pedro, CA 90731

Near the end of the film, Sean Connery’s character is apprehended at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The same location appears in many films, such as “Vertigo,” “The Room,” “So I Married an Axe Murder,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” “Big Eyes” and more.

LOCATION: 3301 Lyon St, San Francisco, CA 94123

Related articles: Bad Boys (1995), Pearl Harbor (2001), Bad Boys II (2003), Transformers (2007)