Classified is a 2024 American action thriller film that was written by Bob DeRosa, directed by Roel Reiné, and starred Aaron Eckhart, Tim Roth, and Abigail Breslin, among others. The movie is about a hitman named Evan Shaw (Aaron Eckhart) who thinks he works for a Special Operations Unit of the CIA. Shaw gets orders to kill people through coded messages that are hidden in classified ads. This is an old-fashioned way of getting orders that fits with the mysterious and old-fashioned nature of his jobs. Even though Shaw is lonely and still grieving the death of his wife Monica, he continues to kill people and often relaxes in hotel bars after each mission.
Things change when Kacey (Abigail Breslin), a young woman who says she works for a different spy agency, talks to Shaw. She tells everyone a big secret: Shaw is not working for the CIA. Kevin, his handler played by Tim Roth, is dead, and someone else has been using him to kill their enemies. Shaw looks into what she says and finds the truth. He then teams up with Kacey to find the mysterious forces that are controlling him. Their journey takes them to Malta, which is a beautiful place to look for the truth. Classified not only has a lot of action and mystery but it also shows off beautiful scenery. Was the film really shot in Malta? Let’s find out.
Where Was Classified Filmed?
This whole movie was filmed in Malta, an island in the Mediterranean Sea that is famous for its beautiful scenery and long history. This makes it a popular place for Hollywood movies to shoot. The movie was shot from April 2023 to May 2023. Malta’s varied architecture and stunning scenery made it the perfect setting for the movie’s exciting scenes.
The famous Grand Harbour and the historic Fort Saint Elmo are both important places in Malta that are used in the movie. A memorable scene was filmed near Valletta’s fish market, which showed the real charm of Malta’s capital city.
Grand Harbour
It is one of the most beautiful places in Classified to see the Grand Harbour in Malta. The Grand Harbour is a natural deep-water port that has been an important place for sailors for a long time. It is known for its wide views and long maritime history. This famous harbor is the setting for several important scenes in the movie including scenes with Evan Shaw (Aaron Eckhart), who is looking for answers in Malta, that are full of action.
Fort Saint Elmo
Another important place where the movie was shot is Fort Saint Elmo, which is a star in Classified. A big part of the movie is this old fortress that has watched over Valletta for hundreds of years. Its rough imposing architecture adds to the drama and tension of the movie’s most important scenes and makes the sleek, modern espionage world in the story stand out visually. Fort Saint Elmo is used in important fights and action scenes. It not only adds to the historical context but also makes the movie feel more dangerous and ysterious.
The filming of Classified in Malta was very good for the economy there, bringing in over €5 million. Over 100 people worked on the movie, and almost 80% of them were from Malta. Johann Grech —the Film Commissioner of Malta, said that the country’s plan to grow its film industry is working because more global films are choosing to shoot in Malta.
Even though the movie had a great cast, there was some trouble while it was being filmed. Abigail Breslin said it was hard to work with Aaron Eckhart because he was “aggressive” on set. Because of this, she filed a complaint with SAG-AFTRA, and the filmmakers then sued her. In spite of these problems, the movie was finished on time and was one of the main projects that helped Malta become known as a film hub.
Gabriel Georgiev, the show’s executive producer said that Classified was his first project in Malta but it won’t be the last. He liked that the island has a lot of different places to film, skilled crews and financial incentives from the Malta Film Commission, which all make it a good place for filmmakers to go. Georgiev said that he was planning to bring another production to Malta soon, which will make the island even more popular as a place to film.
