New York movies: The 100 best films set in New York City

From King Kong's spire down to the scummiest subway tunnel, TONY ranks the definitive list of the 100 best New York movies: crime dramas, romantic comedies, documentaries and more.

By David Fear, Stephen Garrett, Joshua Rothkopf, Keith Uhlich and Alison Willmore Tue Jul 3 2012

New York movies: The Last Days of Disco (1998)
New York movies: The Blank Generation (1976)
New York movies: Hester Street (1975)
New York movies: King Kong (1976)
New York movies: Summer of Sam (1999)
New York movies: The Hunger (1983)
New York movies: Smithereens (1982)
New York movies: Rear Window (1954)
New York movies: Little Murders (1971)
New York movies: Dressed to Kill (1980)

New York movies: The Last Days of Disco (1998)

The Last Days of Disco (1998)

Set in the “very early 1980s,” Whit Stillman’s evocation of a dying Manhattan nightlife brings back the coke-laced dance palaces—including a club similar to Studio 54—and the desperation that would have the party go on forever. Another old-NYC gesture: Our young heroines, Chloë Sevigny and Kate Beckinsale, are up-and-coming editors at a publishing house. Today they’d be bloggers.—Joshua Rothkopf

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The Blank Generation (1976)

The definitive visual document of the early CBGB scene, Amos Poe and Ivan Král’s out-of-sync home movie captures a who’s who of NYC musical royalty—Tom Verlaine, David Byrne, the Ramones—as they plant the seeds of punk rock. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the moment when downtown found its sound: rough, raw and revolutionary.—David Fear

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Hester Street (1975)

Joan Micklin Silver’s tribute to Jewish-diaspora life in the 1890s makes you feel as if you’ve stepped through a time portal. Her black-and-white re-creations of the avenues where an insulated community tried to assimilate to its new home bridges the gap between New York’s history and its present—an immigrant song straight from our city’s heart.—David Fear

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King Kong (1976)

Dino De Laurentiis’s lascivious production infuses the animal magnetism of the 1933 original with a pervy sensibility (the overgrown primate literally fingers a visibly aroused Jessica Lange). And with a double phallus like the World Trade Center as a final setting, there’s no better city for a big ape to be a swinger.—Stephen Garrett

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Summer of Sam (1999)

The Bronx represents in Spike Lee’s ominous reconstruction of the 1977 David Berkowitz serial-killer panic, taking root in a city plagued by blackouts, racial tensions and—vividly rendered—a sweltering, inescapable heat. Lee imparts a hometown boy’s feel for pizzerias, hair salons and punk clubs (including the departed CBGB).—Joshua Rothkopf

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The Hunger (1983)

This sexy vampire tale takes place mostly in a ridiculous realm of spacious townhouses filled with smoke and coffins. But we include it for its opening scene alone: Bloodsuckers David Bowie and Catherine Deneuve prowl a sweaty, downtown nightclub for sweet young things, while Bauhaus pounds through its classic “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” It’s a goth NYC we remember with a tear.—Joshua Rothkopf

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Smithereens (1982)

The poverty chic of the early-’80s Lower East Side is romanticized these days, but Susan Seidelman’s drama drops its art-world-wanna-be heroine into an LES full of self-centered dilettantes, obnoxious opportunists and predatory perverts. It’s a snapshot of an era that doubles as its own epitaph, one that smashes hipster nostalgia into shards.—David Fear

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Rear Window (1954)

The iconic Greenwich Village courtyard over which a convalescing Jimmy Stewart looks out and spots something he wasn’t meant to see perfectly encapsulates the subjective blindness that allows New Yorkers to lead parallel lives in such close quarters. Hitchcock’s thriller also captures what it takes to bring those imaginary boundaries crashing down.—Alison Willmore

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Little Murders (1971)

Adapting Jules Feiffer’s Obie-winning play for the screen, director Alan Arkin (yes, that Alan Arkin) steers Elliott Gould through a metropolis where random shootings are the norm and there’s a heavy breather on the end of every phone line. Welcome to Horror City ’71, where every day is an endless absurdist farce.—David Fear

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Dressed to Kill (1980)

New York City becomes a bored housewife’s erotic playground in Brian De Palma’s funny, suspenseful chiller. A luscious Angie Dickinson wanders through the Metropolitan Museum in pursuit of a flirty stranger (a quickie in a cab follows). Later, inquisitive hooker Nancy Allen shares a too revealing lunch with übernerd Keith Gordon at WTC’s Windows on the World.—Keith Uhlich

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(31 ratings)

The wanderers is better than 90% of this list.

Matt About 4 days ago
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Great list but where is "Ghost"? That surely has to be included here!

Louis Lilakos About 7 days ago
Rated as: 4/5
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"We will gather data from El Paso neighborhoods in spring 2014 using trained student-researchers from UTEP and begin analyzing the results that summer," Curry said. The Gucci replica products are always the best in the sphere and that is the reason they always come up with some unique and extraordinary work.. Thoughtful. The french are indeed the most designer savvy among us, and often choose to purchase higher end clothing, but the rationale is for fit, and durability, as opposed to the Americanized appeal of sporting outward brand labels on every piece of clothing/accessory we have. Echaud茅s par les d茅convenues ant茅rieures, les leaders du MNLA ont proclam茅 solennellement le 6 avril l'ind茅pendance pleine et enti猫re de l'Azawad.

XRwogannimeieTest About 12 days ago
Rated as: 2/5
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Ghost Dog was filmed in Jersey City. This is a well known fact so why is it in this list? And yes, I'm from Jersey City.

John O'Hara Thu Apr 25
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Where is Scent of a Woman?

casey Mon Mar 25
Rated as: 2/5
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What about "LIMITLESS" and "How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days" ????????????

AM Wed Mar 20
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coming to america Home alone 2 Big Daddy the list here is shi*

Dean Tue Mar 19
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What about Breakfast at Tiffanys? Coming to America? Sister Act? The list goes on. I will say that you guys did a good job of putting "Do The Right Thing" in the Top 10.

Jordan Sun Mar 17
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How could you not include "An Affair to Remember" and even "Working Girl"? aacch!!

liz Sat Mar 9
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Whaaaat? No Die Hard with a Vengeance?!

Creon Thu Mar 7
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