Entertainment

The Best Drama Movies Set in London  

Ranker Film
44 votes 6 voters 20 items

List Rules The drama movie must be primarily set in London.

It's the home of unforgettable sights such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower Bridge. No wonder there are so many movies based in London. The city has it all, from royalty to street gangs. It has given birth to some of the most inspiring music the world has ever known, too. There truly are a million stories to be told here, and filmmakers have spent decades doing just that. The best drama movies set in London make use of everything it has to offer.

Which drama films showing London are the best? That's up to you. Vote up the ones you think are the most compelling. If we missed one of your favorites, add it to the list and let other movie buffs weigh in.

list ordered by
1
The Long Good Friday is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins
The Long Good Friday is a British film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film. It was voted at ...more
2
An Education is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Emma Thompson, Carey Mulligan, Rosamund Pike
An Education is a 2009 coming-of-age drama film, based on a memoir of the same name by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, ...more
3
Nil by Mouth is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Ray Winstone, Kathy Burke, Laila Morse
Nil by Mouth is a 1997 British-French drama film portraying a family of characters living in South East London. It was Gary Oldman's debut as a writer and director; the film was produced by ...more
4
My Beautiful Laundrette is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Daniel Day-Lewis, Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth
My Beautiful Laundrette is a 1985 British comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi. The film was also one of the first films released by Working Title ...more
5
The Crying Game is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Forest Whitaker, Jim Broadbent, Miranda Richardson
The Crying Game is a 1992 British psychological thriller drama film written and directed by Neil Jordan. The film explores themes of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality against the backdrop ...more
6
Night and the City is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Gene Tierney, Richard Widmark, Herbert Lom
Night and the City is a 1950 British film noir directed by Jules Dassin and starring Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney and Googie Withers. It is based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh. ...more
7
The Prestige is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, Hugh Jackman
The Prestige is a 2006 mystery drama film directed by Christopher Nolan, from a screenplay adapted by him and his brother Jonathan Nolan from Christopher Priest's 1995 World Fantasy ...more
8
A Clockwork Orange is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke, Steven Berkoff
A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 dystopian crime film adapted, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novella A Clockwork Orange. It employs disturbing, violent ...more
9
The Elephant Man is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American-British biographical film about Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man in 19th century London. The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, ...more
10
84 Charing Cross Road is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench, Anne Bancroft
84 Charing Cross Road is a 1987 British-American drama film directed by David Jones. The screenplay by Hugh Whitemore is based on a play by James Roose-Evans, which itself was an adaptation of ...more
11
Being Julia is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon
Being Julia is a 2004 comedy-drama film directed by István Szabó and starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood is based on the novel Theatre by W. ...more
12
The Queen is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, James Cromwell
The Queen is a 2006 British historical drama film depicting the British Royal Family's response to Diana, Princess of Wales on 31 August 1997. The film was directed by Stephen Frears, written by ...more
13
The Wings of the Dove is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Charlotte Rampling
The Wings of the Dove is a 1997 U.S.-British drama film directed by Iain Softley and starring Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache, and Alison Elliott. The screenplay by Hossein Amini is based on ...more
14
Sexy Beast is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone
Sexy Beast is a 2000 British-Spanish film and the directorial debut of Jonathan Glazer. Glazer had previously directed music videos and commercials for companies such as Guinness and Levi's. The ...more
15
Mona Lisa is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, Robbie Coltrane
Mona Lisa is a 1986 British neo-noir mystery drama about an ex-convict who becomes entangled in the dangerous life of a high-class call girl. The film was written by Neil Jordan and David ...more
16
Match Point is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emily Mortimer
Match Point is a 2005 drama film written and directed by Woody Allen which stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, and Penelope Wilton. Rhys ...more
17
To Sir with Love is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Mum Jokmok, Panna Rittikrai, Chothiwat Phonratsamee
To Sir with Love is a 2010 drama film written by Surasee Phatham and directed by Surasee Phatham
18
Peeping Tom is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Anna Massey, Michael Powell, Pamela Green
This film is a 1960 British thriller/horror film directed by Michael Powell and written by the World War II cryptographer and polymath Leo Marks. The title derives from the slang expression ...more
19
Sid and Nancy is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Courtney Love, Gary Oldman, Kathy Burke
Sid and Nancy is a 1986 British biopic directed by Alex Cox. The film portrays the life of Sid Vicious, and his relationship with girlfriend Nancy Spungen. Despite failing to recoup its ...more
20
Closer is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Drama Movies Set in London
Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Jude Law
Closer is a 2004 romantic drama film written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name. The movie was produced and directed by Mike Nichols and stars Julia ...more