Lights, Camera, Albany! A Great Place to Film

Living in Albany, it can be easy to get so caught up in the natural beauty of the area around us that we forget how remarkable the city itself truly is. This isn’t just a local phenomenon; anytime you live somewhere and see it every day, you get used to your surroundings and start to overlook amazing places and scenery that you encounter every day. That is, of course, until you’re watching a movie and realize the street the good guys are being chased down or the building someone is having a triumphant moment in front of is a location you pass by every day.

Over the last few decades, Albany has become increasingly popular as a destination for filming movies and television. Not only is it a gorgeous place to live and work, but the city is a fantastic stand-in for a lot of other locations out there, such as Manhattan and Washington DC. We thought it would be fun to look at some of the movies that have recently been filmed, at least in part, here in and near Albany. We’ll even try to point out some of the exact locations that you can visit to see where these flicks were filmed for yourself.

Film Albany

It’s no coincidence that so many movies and TV shows have been filmed here in Albany, nor has it been luck. There has been a major effort by the city to attract production crews to our city to film in it, and bring a lot of business here with it. Not only does this help with having production crews temporarily living and eating in Albany, but it helps get more exposure. When people see that a movie they liked was filmed here, and notice just how gorgeous this area is, then they’re more likely to want to come visit for themselves.

The Albany Film Commission and its “Film Albany” project have attracted major production companies here from studios like HBO, Disney, and Columbia Pictures, not to mention numerous independent filmmakers. One advantage that we have is that we are very close to other cities like New York, Boston, and Montreal. So if production crews are already in those locations and need another spot for a particular building or scene, then they can come film here without having to travel too far. The architecture here in Albany is also quite reminiscent of a lot of other cities and locations, like Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Washington DC. All of this, along with special programs to encourage companies to film here, have made Albany a very competitive destination for filming.

The Other Guys (2010)

Starring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, The Other Guys is a comedic and irreverent take on the typical buddy-cop action movie. When the hero cops we first meet, played with brilliant intensity by Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, don’t quite get the job done, the “other guys” have to step up and solve the crime. You’re probably going to get the most out of this movie if you go into it with an appreciation for absurdity and humor that never fully cares about making much sense. Still, it’s a hilarious flick that will forever change the way you hear the Foo Fighters song, “My Hero.”

A number of action and chase scenes for The Other Guys were filmed in downtown Albany, and eagle-eyed viewers can spot numerous locations as you watch the movie. In particular, the major sequences toward the end of the film, including a lot of vehicle chases, were filmed here. The Columbia Pictures production primarily focused on stunt and vehicle filming here in Albany, however, so you won’t see footage of Will Ferrell or Mark Wahlberg enjoying the beauty and sites that our city has to offer.

Head downtown, near Broadway and State, to see the area where they filmed, and you’ll undoubtedly recognize some of the buildings they drive past in the movie.

Marvel’s The Punisher (2017-2019)

As part of the Netflix series of Marvel programming, The Punisher is a gritty, brutal spin-off from Daredevil Season 2. Focusing on Frank Castle, and his role as The Punisher, this is a series about dealing with pain and working through loss in as violent a way as possible. The Punisher has been Marvel’s standout anti-hero for decades, and fans of the series get the visceral thrill of seeing bad people punished for their actions, rather than getting away with them.

In much the same way that Albany doubled for New York in The Other Guys, it was also used in Marvel’s The Punisher. Various Albany streets and even the city skyline can be spotted throughout the series. In particular, you can see a lot of Albany go by in episode 12 of season 2, during a chase involving NYPD and an ambulance. Check out the view from the I-787 to see a lot of the skyline and buildings that you’ll notice in the series.

Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight (2013)

Although Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers of all time, to some people, his “greatest fight” was against the US Government. In 1964, the world-champion boxer requested an exemption from military service during the Vietnam War due to his religious beliefs. His exemption was denied, but he refused to join the army and was sentenced to prison for his convictions. Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight follows his efforts to see his sentence overturned by the US Supreme Court and what that struggle involved.

There are numerous shots throughout Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight that use Albany, downtown Albany in particular, in place of Washington DC. If you want a very clear example of this, just look for scenes with the exterior of the US Supreme Court. Our very own New York State Education Building on Washington Ave was used in place of that famous court building, where HBO’s production company filmed scenes on the “courthouse” steps. You can also catch shots of the downtown Albany Greyhound bus terminal and the Albany Court of Appeals.

Scent of a Woman (1992)

In Scent of a Woman, Al Pacino plays retired Lt. Col. Frank Slade in a renowned performance as a man who has lost his sight and takes his unhappiness out on everyone else around him. Chris O’Donnell plays Charlie Simms, a young man in need of money for his education, and to visit his family for the holidays, so he agrees to look after Frank Slade over Thanksgiving weekend. During the process, Charlie learns a lot about life, and we are treated to one of the most memorable dance scenes in film history––Pacino even won an Oscar for his performance (though we’re partial to his role in Glengarry Glen Ross from the same year).

Sometimes filming around Albany isn’t about capturing the look of a different city, but instead recognizing the beauty of the area around us. In Scent of a Woman, the prestigious Emma Willard School, a private school for girls, was used as the location for the fictitious Baird School for young men. There are numerous shots of the school throughout the movie, and a brief visit to Emma Willard in nearby Troy will quickly show you why they chose to film there.

Did We Miss One?

Did we leave out your favorite movie filmed here in Albany or nearby? Come visit us at DePaula Ford and tell us all about it.