The City That Never Sleeps, The Big Apple, The Melting Pot, call it what you will but the city of New York has been used as a setting in movies since the beginning of film. The bustling streets, iconic landmarks, and diverse cultures provide a perfect backdrop for storytelling while creating a rich setting for unforgettable scenes. From comedies to drama to romance to dystopian visions, NYC has been at the center of cinema dating back to 1901’s What Happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City. Since then we have witnessed some of the greatest films of all time emanate from the city utilizing its five boroughs, dark alleys, and tall skyscrapers to become one of the most polarizing settings of the movie world.
However, this is not a list of the greatest New York movies of all time but a list of my favorite films to be set in the Empire City. My best list would be wildly different. Here, I am going to share the films from New York that I have become instant favorites regardless of their quality or critical acclaim. These are some movies I have rewatched the most and have left an indelible mark on my cinematic heart, each resonating with me in unique ways. From classic tales to contemporary hits, these are some of the most enjoyable movies of mine that are set in New York.
20. Splash (1984)
Splash is one of the first movies I remember watching that showed certain NYC locations like the Statue of Liberty and the Harbor along with some downtown settings. Tom Hanks was a comedy staple of every growing 80s kid life and who can forget the supple Daryl Hannah as the uninhibited mermaid Madison? This is just an endearing rom-com from my childhood that had a fun supporting cast in womanizer John Candy and the eccentric Eugene Levy. It is one of those films from the 80s that did a terrific job of balancing adult themes and fantasy elements for kids to enjoy which has helped it make the transition from childhood favorite to an adult favorite as well.
19. Hitch (2005)
There are a select few rom-coms that are able to crack my all-time favorites list and it really helps when you have Eva Mendez in it. Hitch had me engaged and laughing pretty quickly into the movie to become an instant favorite. Will Smith is at his most charming and his chemistry with Eva Mendez is sizzling. One of my favorite aspects of the movie is when the smooth-talking professional “date doctor” continually falls flat on his face when trying to woo Mendez. Kevin James as the lovable goof trying to learn from Hitch how to get a hot celebrity to fall in love with him. James and Smith play off each other extremely well in the scene where Hitch tries to teach Albert how to dance still cracks me up. There’s a lot more romance here and it is predictable but the characters help elevate it from just another generic rom-com.
18. Ghostbusters (1984)
“Who you gonna call?!” Not too many movies have infiltrated pop country as immediately as much as Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters. The song, kids dressed up as the characters, the iconic quotes like “Yes, it’s true. This man has no dick.” etc. Bill Murray was on the rise playing goofy characters but his turn as Dr. Peter Venkman would make him a household name for decades to come.
This is a perfect example where the dazzling effects would have been the star of the movie but sly dialogue and great characters helped this become a character-driven classic from the 80s that plays to adults and kids alike. Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, and William Atherton add to their roles to help round out a stellar cast.
17. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
This entry is messy, overstuffed with characters, there’s too much talking, and it has Topher Grace. With all that going against it, Spider-Man 3 will forever have a special place in my heart because this was the first movie I was able to take both my kids to see in the theater. Spider-Man was my son’s favorite and my daughter was just eating the whole experience up. Well, until Harry is dying and everyone on screen is crying. My daughter looked up at me and said, “I don’t know why my eyes are watering.” Every time we watch this or the movie comes up, we all laugh about that.
I still enjoy the movie as a whole. The action is top-notch, Emo Peter is one of my favorite characters of all time. The sheer awkwardness and goofiness with Tobey Maguire playing it like he is the cooler mofo around simply kill me. Thoma Haden Church a Sandman brought some gravity to the Sandman villain. I have watched Spider-Man 3 more times than any other Spidey film and that is why it not only makes this list but ranks as high as it does.
16. Daylight (1996)
I’m going to cheat just a bit here so I can write about two movies in Sylvester Stallone’s filmography that do not get talked about enough. I tried to justify placing Cop Land on this list since the central theme revolves around NYC police and some scenes take place there. Ultimately, I voted against it because more of the film was set in a small New Jersey town. Also, I used my cheat on Short Circuit 2, and who wouldn’t make that decision? Cop Land is not only one of Sly’s best acting performances but also one of his most emotional which leads me to Daylight from a year earlier.
Essentially a disaster movie where many motorists are trapped in a tunnel that connects New York and New Jersey is located under the Hudson River. An explosion caused the tunnel to collapse with a fireball killing most of the motorists while the water from the river starts to pour in. Sly plays a disgraced ex-NYC medical personnel who volunteers to enter the tunnel as other efforts aren’t working. Sly is at his earnest and sympathetic best here with some pretty emotional scenes including a dog, an older couple, and Stallone’s character trying to redeem himself. Just a fun 90s disaster action flick that hits me in the feels every time I watch it.
15. Whiplash (2014)
Some films need a digestive period, where you sit with them and the more you think about them, the more you like them and some films need to be watched multiple times to truly “get” them but some films, like Whiplash for example, you know are masterpieces the second they end. Once that final drum solo ends and the credits play, there’s no doubt in your mind that Whiplash is something special, a modern classic. A film about music that’s surprisingly unromantic about the subject, Chazelle is far more interested in depicting the obsession that goes into great works of art rather than someone’s passion and need to create.
JK Simmons is an absolute powerhouse who slides in and out of likable and menacing with unusual ease. He gives an iconic performance of a lifetime to create one of the greatest characters of all time. All I know is if I was the drummer, the movie would have been over a lot sooner because when he hurled the chair at my head, he wouldn’t have had time to get that first slap off because at least one of us would have been headed to the hospital.
14. Escape from New York (1981)
One of the best aspects of older movies not having easy access to special effects is they usually didn’t get bogged down by them and the directors had to be more creative. John Carpenter’s Escape From New York is a prime example of utilizing a small budget to create a not-so-out-of-the-question dystopian version of Manhattan. Remember matte paintings being used in film? Ah, take me back. Story, character, and a thumpin synth score are the stars here along with the iconic anti-hero Snake Plisken played by Kurt Russell.
This was one of the first movies I remember seeing where NYC wasn’t the bustling city with people and cars everywhere. As most great films do, we are left with many questions and certain blanks that the audience is allowed to fill in for themselves. Carpenter does a masterful job of allowing the audience to create a story and world outside of just what we are given on the screen.
13. John Wick (2014)
I remember first hearing about John Wick and dismissing it as just another lame action movie. I love Keanu but he wasn’t a lock for great movies around this time. On a cold and nasty evening, I decided to rent this from RedBox and was blown away by it. The shootouts, the violence, the club scene, and the world created just captured me as it did with a lot of other people.
It is stylish and thrilling with heart-pounding action scenes that gave a shot in the arm to more grounded action movies in the middle of superhero overload. Keanu’s stoic and determined presence made us instantly get behind John Wick’s badassery. The way they built the legend of the “Baba Yaga” just added to the character’s mystique to help make him one of my favorites of the past decade.
12. Gangs of New York (2002)
If this movie had ended right after the opening battle, I would have been satisfied with just that alone. Scorsese does such a masterful job of building this world in a manner of minutes along with a gorgeous snow setting in the middle of the Five Points of New York City. Meeting Bill the Butcher is one of the greatest character introductions of all time as you could feel the authenticity Daniel Day-Lewis brought to the role. This is also the role that made me fall in love with DDL. This is also the film that turned me around on Leo DiCaprio. I know a lot of people give him flack for his accent but accents don’t really bother me as long as they aren’t annoying. He was finally playing a legitimate man instead of the pretty boy roles.
The production design is impressive and the story is intriguing. The cast is full of a number of my favorite character actors and some that would become favorites such as Brendan Gleason, Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly, and Stephen Graham. It’s not perfect but I genuinely love this movie with the exception of Cameron Diaz. A better actress in this part would have helped a lot.
11. The Warriors (1979)
“Warriors…Come out to playayyy!” Walter Hill’s 1979 action thriller tells the story of a gang being falsely accused of murder who must make it back to their home turf while battling other gangs on their way out of town. This movie has stuck with me since my first watch and has always been the definition of a re-watchable movie for me. “Oh, they are about to fight the baseball gang? I guess I can sit and watch the rest of this”
The atmospheric cinematography and pulsing soundtrack pair with the night-time cityscape creating a setting for both a playground and a battleground. The neon-lit, rain-slicked streets, create a moody, almost dreamlike state that perfectly complements the film’s heightened reality. “Can you dig it?!”
30-21 | 10-1
What are your thoughts on these New York movies?
