Naman Shrestha
Adapted from the eponymous 2019 novel by Shannon Pufahl, ‘On Swift Horses’ is a romantic drama movie helmed by Daniel Minahan. The narrative revolves around a couple, Muriel and Lee, who are looking forward to starting afresh after the latter’s return from the Korean War. Their plans are changed when Lee’s younger brother, Julius, arrives at their California residence. While Lee hopes that the three of them could live in harmony in San Diego, Julius moves to Las Vegas.
In Sin City, Julius lands a job at a casino, where he falls in love with his male co-worker, Henry. On one hand, Julius and Henry get into a secret relationship. On the other hand, Muriel is having her own secret relationship with gambling and a female neighbor named Sandra. Featuring a talented ensemble cast comprising Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jacob Elordi, Will Poulter, Diego Calva, and Sasha Calle, the period drama unfolds at two different places simultaneously, providing contrasting visuals and some interesting backdrops that complement the overall narrative.
On Swift Horses Filming Locations
The shooting for ‘On Swift Horses’ was carried out in California and Nevada, specifically in Los Angeles County and Las Vegas. From what we can tell, a few portions were also taped in New Mexico. According to reports, principal photography took place over a few months in early 2023. Most of the scenes involving casinos, bars, and motel rooms were shot with a handheld camera in order to add a layer of intimacy to them.
The cinematographer, Luc Montpellier, elaborated on the same in an interview with The Credits. He said that he wanted his camera “almost to be an actor, to create a strong poetic, visual point of view to bring up the context. I don’t want to get in the way of that. I’m proud when the audience reacts to a look that Muriel gives to Julius, and suddenly, you know something is going on. I’m trying to keep an eye open to all of that. For the way those scenes are lit, I was leaning into naturalism and honesty with the goal that you felt you were in the room.”
Los Angeles County, California
A significant chunk of ‘On Swift Horses’ was reportedly taped in Los Angeles County, situated in the southern part of California. Its eponymous county seat, Los Angeles, served as one of the filming sites as the cast and crew members utilized several locales of the Entertainment Capital of the World. Besides that, the production team also set up camp in the city of Arcadia, situated northeast of downtown LA. In particular, they took over Santa Anita Park at 285 West Huntington Drive to record the horse racing and gambling scenes involving Muriel.
The Thoroughbred racetrack is a venue for actual horse racing events, including the Santa Anita Derby and the Santa Anita Handicap. It also serves as an event venue for different kinds of events and festivals, such as the popular 626 Night Market, reunions, and graduation ceremonies. Luc Montpellier talked about shooting the horse racing scenes during a conversation with Screen Rant. He explained, “…Dan found this amazing stock footage that seamlessly cut into our film for the horse racing too. The track we shot at was the same as Sea Biscuit, I believe, but treated in a very different way. And the extras you see in the stands, if you pan the camera left five degrees or not, there’s nobody there. It’s not a studio film, so we had to really be selective.”
Las Vegas, Nevada
Several pivotal sequences for the Jacob Elordi starrer were also lensed in and around the city of Las Vegas. The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino at 1 Fremont Street and the surrounding areas were turned into film sets to tape the scenes involving Julius and Henry. The crew members aptly transformed the streets and neighborhoods of the city to complement the era in which the story is set. When asked about the most challenging location to set up, Luc Montpellier told Screen Rant, “Vegas was the most challenging because it had a very specific look and feel in that period. Obviously, we couldn’t create the entire city, so we had to be very clever through the wonderful help of our production designer to literally design the frames. That’s where we put all our resources.”
The cinematographer added, “…Dan had this great idea to insinuate the world outside with reflections. He literally was able to paint these images with Jacob in the phone booth. We literally just put these chasing lights outside for the casino, and the extended world was reflected. That means it’s abstract enough that you’re in the moment, but I love that movie artistry and that magic. You don’t need to see the cars going by that are period. We always tried to base it on that pocket of reality that was period accurate to be able to put you in the place.”
New Mexico
For shooting purposes, the cast and crew members of ‘On Swift Horses’ also traveled to New Mexico. It seems that the scenes involving desert plains and mountain ranges were captured in the Land of Enchantment. Apart from the Daniel Minahan directorial, New Mexico has hosted the production of several film and TV projects. Some of the notable ones include ‘Love Lies Bleeding,’ ‘Crazy Heart,’ ‘Private Lessons,’ ‘The Space Between Us,’ ‘Roswell, New Mexico,’ and ‘Ransom Canyon.’
Read More: Where Was Broke (2025) Filmed? All Shooting Locations
