Where was ‘Hit Man’ shot? A list of New Orleans filming locations

When New Orleans audiences check out director Richard Linklater’s crime comedy “Hit Man,” they’ll get more than a good story. They’ll also get a steady if subdued dose of New Orleans scenery. Here is some of what you can watch for:

Robert E. Who?

In a scene-setting montage at the beginning of the film, Linklater acknowledges the recent struggle over New Orleans’ Confederate past by showing a brief glimpse of the empty pedestal that once held a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee at the center of what used to be Lee Circle. He follows that a few seconds later with a shot of the street sign for Allen Toussaint Boulevard – what used to be calld Robert E. Lee Boulevard.

Street sign poetry

New Orleans is a city thick with poetry, and Linklater found some at two intersections that show up briefly in his film: the intersection of Law and Desire, followed later by a shot of the intersection of Pleasure and Piety.

Go, Privateers!

In real life, fake hitman Gary Johnson was a part-time psychology instructor at a Houston-area community college. For his film, Linklater, who re-set the story in New Orleans, has him teaching at the University of New Orleans. As such, UNO’s Lakefront campus shows up in the film, including a scene shot outside the University Center, in classrooms in the Liberal Arts building and outside of what appears to be the Mathematics Building.

Meet you at …

If you’re going to hire a contract killer, you’re going to need a neutral location to meet him. In “Hit Man,” the first such meeting – in which Gary (played by Glen Powell) is recruited to pose as a hitman – takes place at Pho Bang Restaurant on Chef Menteur Highway in eastern New Orleans. Later, Ted’s Frostop on Calhoun Street makes a cameo, as does Vaughn’s Lounge on Dauphine.

On the Avenue

Several bits of local scenery share the spotlight in a single St. Charles Avenue shot around the 31-minute mark of the film. The camera starts on the Avenue Pub, then pans across the street – following a streetcar as it rolls by – to show Houston’s, in an apparent nod to Linklater’s hometown and the setting of the real story behind the film. In the foreground, a red Advocate newspaper box is visible on the sidewalk before the camera settles on the Please U Restaurant, where the film’s two main characters meet for the first time.

Parking it

The same two characters reconnect shortly after in a tree-lined setting that feels a whole lot like City Park – which would make sense, because Linklater lived near the park during his time in town. “I really got to know that park well,” he said. “That’s what I do to kind of relax and think: take long walks. I take a lot of urban walks, but I like to hit that park and keep going. It’s so big. I felt like I never fully explored it. That will always be special.”

What’d we miss? Did you spot a noteworthy New Orleans location in “Hit Man”? Let us know about it by emailing moviegoermike@gmail.com.