Shotgun Freeway: Drives Through Lost L.A.(1995)

Drives through Lost L.A.

Shotgun Freeway is a 1995 documentary that explores Los Angeles through the eyes of the city's most compelling voices. Crime writer James Ellroy reflects on his past as a burglar, actor and writer Buck Henry dissects Hollywood's artifice, jazz musician Buddy Collette walks through Central Avenue's history, historian Mike Davis examines LA's urban decay, and essayist Joan Didion considers the city's fleeting nature. Woven together with rare archival footage, the film captures a sprawling portrait of Los Angeles across its neighborhoods—from the beaches to the Valley. Shotgun Freeway reveals a side of the city often overlooked, grounded in personal memory and historical reckoning. It's an intimate yet expansive look at how one metropolis grapples with its own past.