El Paso, Texas, is a beautiful place filled with culture spilling in from Juarez, Mexico. In a border town, it’s hard not to feel the influence of two countries blending into something completely unique. With our spot on the map, it’s kind of surprising Hollywood hasn’t made more movies about this bustling city. I mean, come on, we have a giant glowing star on the side of a mountain. That’s pure cinema right there.
Even though El Paso isn’t exactly Hollywood’s go-to setting, sometimes we get a shoutout or a few cool scenes in a memorable flick. So here are 7 of the biggest movies to show off our dearest city, sometimes in all its glory, and sometimes… well, you’ll see.
From Dusk Till Dawn – dir. Robert Rodriguez (1996)
From Dusk Till Dawn is a cult classic directed by Robert Rodriguez, one of Quentin Tarantino’s best buddies and frequent collaborators. The Gecko Brothers, played by a young George Clooney and Tarantino himself, are bank-robbing criminals on the run, and the chaos begins right here in El Paso. The brothers rob a local bank before heading to Mexico, where things escalate. If you’ve never seen this movie, go in blind. And if you have seen it, don’t you dare spoil what happens across the border for the newbies.
Kill Bill Vol. 2 – dir. Quentin Tarantino (2004)
The Kill Bill saga is pure, over-the-top Tarantino fun. Our revenge-seeking antihero, The Bride, spends most of the film globetrotting, but El Paso plays an important role in her story. The Two Pines Chapel, where her life takes a violent turn, is set in El Paso. The chapel itself doesn’t exist, as the scenes were filmed in California, but the city gets mentioned multiple times, even earning its own chapter title at the start of Vol. 2. As Marty Robbins would say, “Out in the West Texas town of El Paso…”
Sicario – dir. Denis Villeneuve (2015)
Sicario is a tense, edge-of-your-seat thriller from Denis Villeneuve, the same guy who directed Dune. The film follows a U.S. task force trying to take down a cartel leader, and El Paso comes into play during one of the movie’s most iconic sequences, the border crossing shootout. You’ll catch plenty of familiar shots of the city, giving locals something to point at and say, “Hey, I’ve been there!” before the bullets start flying.
No Country for Old Men – dir. The Coen Brothers (2007)
One of the best Texas-based movies ever, No Country for Old Men perfectly captures the dusty, dangerous vibe of West Texas in the 1980s. The cat-and-mouse chase between a hunter, a hitman, and a sheriff eventually leads to a pivotal moment right here in El Paso. No spoilers, but if you’re from here, it’s cool knowing our city played a role in such a critically acclaimed movie.
Logan – dir. James Mangold (2017)
For superhero fans, Logan was a gut punch in the best way. Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine spends the opening scenes working as a limousine driver in El Paso while secretly caring for an aging Professor X across the border in Juarez. It’s a small nod to our Sun City, but it’s always fun seeing a Marvel icon cruising through our streets.
Glory Road – dir. James Gartner (2006)
You can’t talk about El Paso on film without mentioning Glory Road. Based on the true story of the 1966 Texas Western, now UTEP, basketball team, this sports drama tells the story of coach Don Haskins leading the first all-Black starting lineup to an NCAA championship. It’s not just a great sports movie, it’s El Paso history on screen.
Manos: The Hands of Fate – dir. Harold P. Warren (1966)
We couldn’t leave this one out, even if we wanted to. Manos: The Hands of Fate is infamous for being one of the worst movies ever made, and it was filmed right here in El Paso. A fertilizer salesman wrote, directed, and starred in it after betting he could make a successful horror movie with no experience. The result was a so-bad-it’s-good cult classic that’s been roasted on Mystery Science Theater 3000 for decades. But hey, at least El Paso got a starring role.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Selena – dir. Gregory Nava (1997)
While no scenes were set in El Paso, we have to give a shoutout to Bowie High School grad Erick Carillos, who delivered one of the film’s most famous lines: “Anything for Selenas!”
One Battle After Another – dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2025)
This upcoming film was shot right here in El Paso, and residents lost their minds spotting Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro around town. We’ll see if it lives up to the hype, but it’s already a cool addition to our growing film history…