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.
Tue Jul 3 2012
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New York movies: Black Swan (2010)
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New York movies: Downtown 81 (1981)
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New York movies: Death Wish (1974)
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New York movies: Paris is Burning (1990)
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New York movies: Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
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New York movies: Speedy (1928)
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New York movies: Super Fly (1972)
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New York movies: On the Bowery (1956)
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New York movies: Regeneration (1915)
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New York movies: Tootsie (1982)
Black Swan (2010)
Technically dazzling but emotionally brittle NYC dancer Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) becomes Swan Lake’s prima ballerina, but repressed passions sabotage her sanity—until they become a font of inspiration. Darren Aronofsky turns Lincoln Center’s rarefied campus into a Grand Guignol of power, lust and ambition, all in the name of artistic perfection.—Stephen Garrett
Downtown 81 (1981)
It’s a day in the life of Jean-Michel Basquiat, as the street artist is evicted, sells a canvas to a rich uptowner and hangs out at the Mudd Club. Rife with heavy-hitter cameos—Fab 5 Freddy, Glenn O’Brien, Debbie Harry—this scrapbook nails the moment when the punk, hip-hop and art worlds coalesced into a single scene.—David Fear
Death Wish (1974)
A brutal NYC classic (one its star, Charles Bronson, had an uneasy time defending), this vigilante thriller crystallized the dangerous Beame-era Manhattan in the minds of millions. The pivotal scene goes down on a grungy subway car, where a furious Upper West Sider takes nickel-plated, .32-caliber vengeance on a pair of hapless muggers. Life would imitate art.—Joshua Rothkopf
Paris Is Burning (1990)
“Looking head to toe, would you know?” Drag queens in Harlem and the Bronx form gay street gangs (and surrogate families) on the ball circuit, where outsize personalities like Venus Xtravaganza compete based on the “realness” of their mock-straight sartorial splendor. Jennie Livingston’s essential gender-reinvention documentary brilliantly extols the city’s outcast resilience.—Stephen Garrett
Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
Don’t worry—you’ll be seeing plenty more Woody on this list. This comedy, starring a transformed Mia Farrow as an Italian mob widow, deserves promotion from minor to major. Bookended by coffee klatches in the landmark Carnegie Deli, the b&w lark also touches down on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Underdog float!).—Joshua Rothkopf
Speedy (1928)
Silent icon Harold Lloyd epitomizes Gotham’s scrappy go-getters as Harold “Speedy” Swift, who fights to save the city’s last horsecar from merger-happy street rail men. Lloyd’s laffer also boasts thrilling on-location tours of a bygone New York—particularly when the multihyphenate takes Babe Ruth on a high-octane taxi ride to the Bronx’s Yankee Stadium.—Stephen Garrett
Super Fly (1972)
Drug-dealing Priest (Ron O’Neal) schemes to retire early, provided he can outwit the Man. Harlem never looked so gritty and pushers so suave as in this classic from blaxploitation scion Gordon Parks Jr. A dope soundtrack, courtesy of Curtis Mayfield, and that customized Cadillac Eldorado don’t hurt, either.—Stephen Garrett
On the Bowery (1956)
Lionel Rogosin spent months pounding the pavement before he began filming this singular docu-narrative hybrid, which cobbles together a skeleton of a story to unite the neighborhood’s lushes and lost boys (one of whom died only weeks after the premiere). The result is a bleary portrait of the city’s Skid Row.—Alison Willmore
Regeneration (1915)
Raoul Walsh’s silent tale of a poor kid who grows up into a criminal bigwig not only gave birth to the gangster movie, it was one of the few films to use actual New York City locations (specifically, the rough-and-tumble tenements of the Bowery) to add authenticity to its gritty rise-and-fall parable. It’s the first genuine NYC movie.—David Fear
Tootsie (1982)
Dustin Hoffman plays a down-on-his-luck NYC actor who lands a soap-opera role by posing as a prim Midwestern woman. Local landmarks include the National Video Center (now home to luxury apartments and the Signature Theatre) and the Russian Tea Room (where Hoffman reveals his ploy to his agent); even Andy Warhol makes an appearance.—Keith Uhlich
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