Movies that captured the sheer elegance of Phuket.

Whenever shooting a film is planned in Thailand, Phuket automatically comes as the first choice for most of the filmmakers around the world. This island, being the largest and most exotic in the entire country, possesses a lot that would appear absolutely captivating on screen. Be it the magnificent beaches, pristine blue water, gigantic statues or colorful shows; Phuket is filled with utmost charm that can make an ordinary scene extraordinary, if filmed perfectly. Over the years, a number of international movies have been shot in various parts of Phuket. Here, let's have a look at some of those movies.

The Man with the Golden Gun: 'The Man with the Golden Gun' is arguably the most popular film shot in Phuket. Being the 9th movie in the James Bond franchise, it was shot at Khao Ping Khan in the spectacular Phang Nga Bay. The island then became a popular landmark and even got renamed as the James Bond Island.

Good Morning, Vietnam: 'Good Morning, Vietnam', although set in Vietnam, was shot in Thailand due to the prohibition of shooting in Vietnam at that time. All the jungle sequences we see in the movie, were actually shot in Phuket.

The Beach: The Danny Boyle directorial venture 'The Beach' is an official adaptation of the Alex Garland novel. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead character who stays at the On On Hotel in Phuket Old Town, in the first part of the movie. Also, it brilliantly captured the quirky beauty of the gorgeous island Koh Phi Phi Leh.

Heaven & Earth: Directed by Oliver Stone, the 1993 movie 'Heaven & Earth' follows the disastrous consequences of Vietnam War. It revolves around a young Vietnamese woman who still gets tormented by the memories of war. The movie features a Sino-Portuguese house (Baan Chinpracha) which is located in Phuket Old Town.

Tomorrow Never Dies: 'Tomorrow Never Dies', shot in 1997, is the 18th instalment in the James Bond franchise. This Roger Spottiswoode directorial movie was shot in various parts of Thailand, including Bangkok. A number of sequences of the movie were shot in Phang Nga Bay, Phuket.

Cutthroat Island: The Geena Davis starrer 'Cutthroat Island' was a disaster at the box office, but it still gets enormous praise for the superb depiction of Phuket. This multi genre movie was shot extensively at the Maya Bay in Koh Phi Phi Leh.

The Impossible: 'The Impossible' depicts the true story of an English family that experienced the massive tsunami during their vacation at Khao Lak, in 2004. The tsunami sequence had some on-location shots along with others. Also, several parts of the movie were shot in Phuket Old Town.

Some other films in the list are 'Casualties of War', 'The Killing Fields', 'Stealth' etc.