Where was An Eye for an Eye filmed?
1981
City Locations
San Francisco, CA
Location Types
American, Apartment, Beach/Oceanview, House, Buildings/Offices, Police/Jails, Ship Docks
Location Styles
Asian, Beach House, Shipping Yard/Dock
About An Eye for an Eye
If you enjoy watching Chuck Norris at his fighting best, you’ll love An Eye for an Eye. This 1981 action film, directed by Steve Carver, is a prime example of Norris taking on a whole host of bad guys — and giving them the whooping they sorely deserve!
With a star-studded cast, An Eye for an Eye tells the story of undercover narcotics officers Sean Kane (Norris) and Dave Pierce (Terry Kiser), who find themselves pitted against a vicious and violent drug cartel. When a meeting with an informant in a dark alley goes south and Pierce ends up dead, Kane is quick to act.
He deals out a swift dose of retribution to one of Pierce’s attackers, leading to the other man’s grisly and public death, which earns him a stern rebuke from his boss, Captain Stevens (Richard Roundtree). But Kane is sick of playing by someone else’s rules. Rather than follow his boss’ orders and avoid getting too involved in the case, Kane quits the force and vows revenge on the cartel that killed his partner.
And if it wasn’t personal enough already, Pierce’s girlfriend Linda (Rosalind Chao), an investigative journalist, also vows to bring the cartel down. But when she’s brutally murdered too, Kane realizes he’s in for the fight of his life. With help from Linda’s doting father James (Mako Iwamatsu) and best friend Heather (Maggie Cooper), Kane sets out to bring the cartel to justice.
What follows is an action-adventure with Chuck Norris in search-and-destroy mode. The fists fly thick and fast as Kane unravels the web of lies and deceit that led to the death of his partner. And as you’d expect of any Chuck Norris flick, it’s an enjoyable watch from start to finish.
An Eye for an Eye Locations
If you want to check out the filming location of An Eye for an Eye, we’ve got some good news for you. A handful of film shoot locations are easily accessible for the average film buff, so there’s nothing to stop you from hitting the road and checking them out for yourself.
An Eye for an Eye is set in San Francisco, and it was filmed there too. As a result, you’ll see plenty of the city’s famous landmarks making an appearance in the movie. The Golden Gate Bridge and Oakland Bay Bridge both feature, while there’s also a memorable fight scene at the Port of San Francisco.
The cemetery where Kane’s dead partner is laid to rest is San Francisco National Cemetery, which also happens to have views of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. As for James Chan’s beautiful hilltop house overlooking the ocean, you can find that on San Francisco’s spectacular Sea Cliff Avenue.
We’ve gathered together the details of where a few of the best scenes in An Eye for an Eye were filmed below (spoiler alert!). Keep reading to find out where they are and how you can check them out in person.
Fun fact:
This isn’t the only film Chuck Norris and director Steve Carver made together. They also collaborated on 1983’s Lone Wolf McQuade.
Dave’s funeral scene in An Eye for an Eye
San Francisco National Cemetery, 1 Lincoln Blvd, San Francisco, CA
After the shock of his partner’s death and a dressing down from his superiors, Kane is ready to seek vengeance against the cartel. Before he can do that, however, there’s the important matter of laying Dave to rest. As a 21-gun salute rings out over the mournful sound of bagpipes, we see the mourners gather in a cemetery with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background to bid farewell to their friend and colleague.
Among the mourners is Linda Chan, Dave’s girlfriend, who is understandably upset. But she’s determined not to take her loss lying down, and she tells Kane that she’ll do whatever it takes to get to the bottom of his death. Kane reveals that on the night of Dave’s death, he and his partner were meeting an informant they thought could help them get right to the top of the heroin operation they were investigating.
“We thought it was the big breakthrough, but it was a trap from start to finish,” he laments. “Someone set us up.” When Linda demands to know who, Kane’s response is simple: “I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out.”
This An Eye for an Eye filming location is the San Francisco National Cemetery. Established in 1884, this beautiful cemetery is just a short drive away from the Golden Gate Bridge and is found at 1 Lincoln Boulevard.
Train scene in An Eye for an Eye
Embarcadero Station, San Francisco, CA
Kane is relaxing at home and watching Linda’s report on the evening news when his phone rings. The person on the other end of the line is Linda. She’s calling from a payphone, and she sounds panicked. “I’m sorry, Sean, there’s no time. I’m at a BART station, there’s some people after me,” she babbles quickly, looking around anxiously.
“Listen, I’ve done it. I got what I was after,” she says, but she looks over her shoulder and sees something terrifying. A huge, heavyset man is pushing his way through the crowds of people to get to Linda. She frantically says she’ll call Kane back, but before he can find out which station she’s at, Linda hangs up and races into the crowd.
What follows is a tense scene as Linda tries to escape her menacing pursuer. He chases her down an escalator, throwing people out of the way as he goes, then follows her onto a train. Linda leaps off just before the doors shut, but the giant reaches through the doors and grabs a hold of her hair. Eventually, Linda breaks free of his grasp and races up to the street.
These memorable fight scenes were shot at Embarcadero Station, which you’ll find in the heart of San Francisco less than a mile away from Union Square.
Kane visits James scene in An Eye for an Eye
James’ home, 300 Sea Cliff Drive, San Francisco, CA
After Linda is brutally murdered, Kane drives to visit her reclusive father, James, at his clifftop home. Kane finds James in the garden, and he’s about to discover that he isn’t the only one desperate to get revenge on the cartel.
“She was like you,” James says of Linda. “Headstrong, willful. She had a great hunger for retribution. It seems I too am in need of retribution,” he continues, plenty of steel in his voice. Kane now has an important ally in his quest to track down the killers.
This spectacular home is found at 300 Sea Cliff Avenue, roughly five miles northwest of the heart of San Francisco. The views in this part of the city are pretty impressive, so you’ll want to stop for plenty of photo opportunities when visiting here.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a martial arts fan or you just enjoy watching Chuck Norris deliver his own brand of justice to a host of bad guys, An Eye for an Eye will keep you on the edge of your seat. Even better, the film showcases San Francisco, one of the world’s most beautiful cities, in all its glory.
So, if you’d like to check out some of these An Eye for an Eye locations in person, you can. And with a host of other iconic movies filmed in and around the San Francisco area, you’ll find plenty of other famous movie locations nearby to help fill your itinerary.