After One Battle After Another swept the Academy Awards on Sunday, all eyes are on the California-set action-thriller.
The winner of Best Picture at the 98th Oscars, loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, has been hailed for its dystopian commentary on the political landscape of modern-day America.
Director Paul Thomas Anderson captured unseen corners of the Golden State to create the fictional town of Baktan Cross.
Following Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-revolutionary forced back into combat, California and Texas were the backdrop to car chases, bank bombings and riots.
From desertscapes to Sacramento landmarks, here are the key locations behind the dizzying Academy Award winner.
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Sacramento, California
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Major scenes in the movie – including the bank robbery and some car chases – were filmed in downtown Sacramento. Brutalist buildings, including the Sacramento County Superior Courthouse, were used, with the exterior of the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel and Capitol Mall, rail yards and Elliott’s Natural Foods on El Camino Avenue also seen on screen.
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Eureka, California
Eureka, a coastal city in Northern California, doubled as the fictional town of Baktan Cross in One Battle After Another. Cast and crew filmed at Murphy’s Market and Eureka High School to create the off-the-grid city where Bob and Willa live.
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Borrego Springs and Ocotillo Wells
One Battle After Another’s climactic car chase was shot across the remote Southern Californian desert, stitching together highways and rural roads between Borrego Springs, Ocotillo Wells and the “Texas Dip” – a dramatic dip in the Borrego Springs Road in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park just south of State Route 78.
El Paso, Texas
Downtown El Paso, Texas, was the chaotic scene for Bob’s journey into Baktan Cross. From the Sunset Heights neighbourhood to El Paso’s back alleys and real-life storefronts, characters navigate a riot in the borderland city.
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