Baktan Cross and (almost) all the locations where One Battle After Another was filmed
Posted by Ra Moon
Partially set in a fictional city called Baktan Cross, One Battle After Another was filmed in California and Texas.
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this brilliant road movie action movie with comedic tone, Paul Thomas Anderson.
Loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the revolutionary group "French 75" also draws inspiration from real 1960s radical movements.
We’ve tried to keep spoilers at bay in this comprehensive guide to all the filming locations of One Battle After Another. The locations are listed in order of their first appearance.
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in this brilliant road movie action movie with comedic tone, Paul Thomas Anderson.
Loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the revolutionary group "French 75" also draws inspiration from real 1960s radical movements.
We’ve tried to keep spoilers at bay in this comprehensive guide to all the filming locations of One Battle After Another. The locations are listed in order of their first appearance.
Where was One Battle After Another filmed?
The Otay Mesa Immigration Detention Center opening sequence was filmed right on the real U.S.–Mexico border with Tijuana, in the southern part of San Diego.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The Westward Bank explosion was filmed in a vacant building on J Street in Downtown Sacramento.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
The courthouse scene was filmed in the Sacramento County Courthouse, a Brutalist complex completed in 1965.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
The bank robbery interior scene was filmed at the Bank of Stockton’s newer headquarters, built in 1960 in Stockton.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
However, the chase was filmed in Downtown Sacramento, including a shot of the iconic Tower Bridge.
As SFGate reports, the sequence required shutting down 10 city blocks.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Elliott’s Natural Foods supermarket in Sacramento appears briefly in one scene.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The elegant hotel where Lockjaw (Sean Penn) is invited to join the Christmas Adventurers Club is the Westgate Hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego.
Although it appears older, the hotel opened in 1970, features lush, Versailles-inspired European décor throughout its interior.
Room rates generally start around US $165–250 per night, though suites or special dates can be significantly higher.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Pat’s old comrade Howard Sommerville’s house is located on Mundy Drive in El Paso.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Baktan Cross
Baktan Cross is a blend of the redwood-forest regions of Humboldt County and a Mexican-border town like El Paso.
Eureka High School served as Baktan Cross High School, where Willa (played by Chase Infiniti) attends.
The main building, constructed in 1925, beautifully combines Gothic Revival architecture with striking Art Deco elements.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
Location manager Michael Glaser toldThe New York Times that the cabin in the woods was located in the small community of Kneeland, about 10 miles east of Eureka.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Picture - Map
The scene where ‘Ghetto’ Pat Calhoun, now known as Bob Ferguson, emerges from the tunnel was filmed in Sequoia Park in Eureka.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
"—Maybe you should have studied the rebellion text a little harder" Bob calls from a payphone on the side of Murphy’s Market in Cutten, part of Greater Eureka.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
During his nighttime hiding, a brief shot captures Bob near the pedestrian bridge to Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, with Raliberto’s Taco Shop visible in the background.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
Sensei Sergio St. Carlos’ (Benicio del Toro) karate dojo — or ‘Ninja Academy,’ as labeled on the calendar — was filmed in a vacant store on South Stanton Street in Downtown El Paso, Texas.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
The riot and rooftop scenes were filmed in and around Stanton Street, between Overland Avenue and Paisano Drive in EL Paso.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Google Maps
The scene where, while driving around Baktan, they encounter the skaters was filmed at the intersection of East San Antonio Avenue and Oregon Street in El Paso.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
Perfumería Genesis is a real store on El Paso Street in El Paso.
According to production designer Florencia Martin, the second floor of the building was gutted so the team could build Sergio’s family apartment upstairs.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
Sacred Heart Catholic Church on Oregon Street appears briefly in the sequence.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The Sisters of the Brave Beaver nuns’ convent is La Purísima Mission in Lompoc, California.
Founded in 1787, the mission was rebuilt in the 1930s after the original site was destroyed by an earthquake.
Today, it’s a California State Historic Park, featuring 37 restored buildings presented as they would have appeared in the 1820s.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Elisa Rolle - Map
The house where the Christmas Adventurers Club’s hidden entrance is located is the Ronald Reagan Mansion in Sacramento, a grand Tudor-Revival home built in 1925
During his two terms as California’s governor (1967–1975), Ronald and Nancy Reagan leased this house instead of living in the official governor’s mansion. In 2024, it was officially designated a historic landmark.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The scene pictured was filmed somewhere at the Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area, which covers more than 85,000 acres of desert.
The spot is near the Arroyo Salado Campground area, accessible only via a track suitable for off-road vehicles.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The final car chase sequence, already being hailed as one of the best in its genre, was filmed by stitching together footage from various locations in the Borrego Springs area in San Diego County.
The ‘malo hombre’ scene was filmed at the Fruit Stand Sea View, located at the junction of Di Giorgio Road and Henderson Canyon Road.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
Thanks to a video and viewer comments from the YouTube channel VP Land, we pinpointed a few more locations.
In this shot, the two cars pass each other near the turnoff to Agua Caliente County Park on Highway 78, close to Shelter Valley.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The ‘interception’ scene was filmed near the Hellhole Canyon Trailhead on the Montezuma-Borrego Highway, just east of Borrego Springs.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The militia post is the Walter’s Camp located south of Palo Verde, near the Arizona border.
This riverfront campground on the Lower Colorado River features a boat launch, dry camping, RV hookups, and group sites accommodating up to 200 people.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The ‘River of Hills’ stretch of road was filmed on a portion of California State Route 78, named after Ben Hulse, between Blythe and Brawley.
Be careful if you plan to visit this area — it’s a dangerous road to stop on!
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures - Map
The end of the car chase sequence, marked by a pronounced dip in the road, is located about an hour away.
The scene was filmed at the ‘Welcome to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park’ sign on Borrego Springs Road — and yes, the sign may look like a film prop, but it’s the real thing.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps
Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of One Battle After Another? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
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NOTICE: If you’re using this information on your website, please credit and link to this page as a source.
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3 comments:
1- Anonymous - Dec 21, 2025, 9:15 PM
Awesome coverage, thank you. I would have recognized the road from the last chase scene. Grew up not too far from Walters Camp.
2- Anonymous - Dec 26, 2025, 11:32 PM
I can’t believe that nobody mentioned Elliott’s Natural Foods location off of El Camino Ave in Sacramento. It’s in a scene where the resistance member in a black wig is getting killed off after Perfidia "rats" them out. She runs through the store and out of the room in the back of the store. I’ve worked at that store for many years, I recognized the store immediately!
Reply
3- Ra Moon - Dec 27, 2025, 11:13 PM
Thank you, updated!
1- Anonymous - Dec 21, 2025, 9:15 PM
Awesome coverage, thank you. I would have recognized the road from the last chase scene. Grew up not too far from Walters Camp.
2- Anonymous - Dec 26, 2025, 11:32 PM
I can’t believe that nobody mentioned Elliott’s Natural Foods location off of El Camino Ave in Sacramento. It’s in a scene where the resistance member in a black wig is getting killed off after Perfidia "rats" them out. She runs through the store and out of the room in the back of the store. I’ve worked at that store for many years, I recognized the store immediately!
Reply
3- Ra Moon - Dec 27, 2025, 11:13 PM
Thank you, updated!
Ra Moon
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