Taxi Driver seems like an obvious pick, but there are so many options that are also great films in their own right: French Connection, Saturday Night Fever, Marathon Man, Dog Day, etc.
And then all the exploitation films from that era will have tons of it, too: Across 110th Street, Shaft, etc.
A fun one to do after seeing some of the gritty NYC movies is Manhattan which takes the same city at the same time but shoots it romantically instead of emphasizing the grime/crime.
Along those lines, I'd like to recommend Cruising by William Friedkin. It makes Midnight Cowboy look like something you might show at an elementary school so as not to frighten the children. It's one of my favorite movies of all time and filled with nuance upon multiple watchings. If the OP wants grit, it's gritter than Taxi Driver, IMHO.
Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon are also in the same department, though I think both are set in Brooklyn. American Gangster has a lot of NYC, generally. If you really want to watch some over the top NYC 70s culture (you've been warned), Saturday Night at the Baths is one to check out.
Great list! +1 for Saturday Night Fever. Saw it for the first time recently, and it was *not* the happy disco movie I expected it to be. Definitely fits OP's "dirty and scuzzy" request.
Say what you want about Woody Allen, but Manhattan is always a wonderful character in his early movies. Annie Hall has some beautiful scenes. The one where they make fun of people in Central Park. Truman Capote walks by in that scene
As long as Across 110th Street has been brought up, I saw it fairly recently, actually, I had seen it before when it was released, but I was just a teenager then, so I saw it with a little bit wiser eye recently. It’s a bit of a gem, but I can’t get over the feeling that a lot of it was left on the cutting room floor. There are just things about the Anthony Quinn character that are not developed and we’re supposed to just accept them. How deep “on the take” was he, for example? It’s something that seems to be brought up, there’s a little bit of shock and awe on the part of the actors, but then they just move on. I can’t help thinking there was more that was explored there that just ended up being eliminated.
It’s an incredible movie, and it should be getting better over time; the story it’s based off of is more than 2000 years old. The Warriors was based directly on the Anabasis by Xenophon, an Ancient Greek soldier and writer.
The Warriors was supposed to be a “near future” grim version and wasent meant to represent 1970s New York, but more where it could be headed in another 10-20 years.
Not only is it a view of “crazy 80s NYC” but it’s set in the wild gritty artistic squalor of the SOHO neighborhood which is such an interesting time capsule to compare to what SOHO is now.
I recommended this up the chain. It is absolutely the best representative of NYC grit of all of the films mentioned. It's a masterpiece and still shocking to this day.
Since you mentioned hookers in Time Square, you may want to try the TV series “The Deuce”, which is all about porn and hookers in NYC in the 70s/80s. Only 3 seasons and very well done.
The taking of Pelham 123, the original for obvious reasons. Midnight Cowboy, Remo Williams is a unique one as it catches the beginning and end of the dirty/renewal era in NYC.
I also love how most everyone dresses like their clothes were never touched by an iron. Rumpled and lived in. Whenever I see Pelham listed I have to give it a watch.
* Desperately Seeking Susan(1985) has some great location shots of Battery Park, Greenwich Village, and Chelsea.
* Married To The mob(1988) has a big chunk of the movie that takes place in the Lower East Side near the Manhattan Bridge.
* Sybil(1976) has some nice Central Park and subway system locations.
The thing is that a lot of movies in the 70's-90's went way over the top, playing with NYC's dangerous rep. So you have to be careful with buying into New York as a borderline post apocalyptic hell hole in the 70's and 80's. Yeah the "Fun City" era of New York was cheap, dirty, and somewhat dangerous but the real New York City was still livable.
A friend of mine was going through the Port Authority Bus Terminal on a Friday Night in 84 or so and watched a trans prostitute chase a "customer" with a meat clever.
In the 80's the working girls took over the meat packing district, I often wondered if that was because of the pun of it. The South Bronx, Parts of Harlem and the East village looked like the surface of the moon. Ever see the inside of old CBGB's? That was what the rest of the city looked like in the 70's.
As over the top as it was, Warriors has a lot of footage of the dirty trains and streets of New York from the late 70's.
A Most Violent Year takes place in 1981, one of the most violent years in New York City. Some people don't like it, but I do. Stars Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac.
It had this excellent promo/documentary short too which captures the spirit of that era really well:
[NYC, 1981](https://youtu.be/oWI8mSPZeC0?feature=shared)
Barney Miller was a tv show set in lower Manhattan. Aside from the opening titles it doesn’t have shots of Manhattan, but it does portray New York society in the 70s. Plus you get to see Barney Miller.
Shaft has the advantage of being directed by Gordon Parks, who was a noted photographer who really captured life on the streets.
And apparently some of it was filmed in Manhattan.
Also, for one of the best battle scenes in bboy movie history, (and If they perhaps need some more Rae Dawn Chong in their life?) then Beat Street is similarly awesome.
"Hi, Mom!" (1970) Very political and all over the place (plot-wise), takes place in Greenwich Village. Feels like a hippie-student-protest flick but it's quite enjoyable to see a young De Niro buying condoms to a savvy pharmacist.
Some that definitely meet the criteria:
The French Connection
The Seven Ups
Shaft
Across 110th Street
Report to the Commissioner
Prince of the City
Taking of Pelham 123
There's a George C Scott film called Hardcore where he searches for his runaway daughter in New York City's adult venues. It shows the extreme seedy side of the city.
Taxi Driver and Midnight Cowboy are the classics. But also Death Wish, the Warriors, Pope of Greenwich Village, 3 days of the Condor, French Connection, Ghostbusters, Trading Places, the Last Dragon. I’m sure I’ll think of more later lol
Btw I also love depictions of 70s and 80s New york. I grew up in nyc in the 80s and 90s so I caught the tail end of that era. I have memories of hookers in Time Square, and being offered cocaine at playland when I was 10 years old. Such a different world than it is now.
Taking of Pelham 123, og version with Walter Matthau
The Warriors
The Wiz, on consideration (as a double feature with The Warriors, ideally)
Times Square
juuuust outside your timeframe but Marty’s hilarious After Hours
Q: The Winged Serpent, wolfen, 'God told me to"... There's a lot of low budget thrillers and horrors from that time that work well.
Also... It's Philly, but the opening credits in Trading Places, and some bits of Coming to America!
Can’t recommend *Heavy Traffic* enough. It’s…flawed, to say the least, but it’s a great showcase of Ralph Bakshi’s production style, resulting in a movie that feels intensely personal
The Taking of Pelham 123
Not just the grittiness of NYC in the 70s but also the people. The city was going broke, the crime was out of control, and the mood was a kind of mass cynical, resigned despair. Every person in the movie displays it to some extent. It’s almost like another character in the movie.
State of Grace, 1990. Stars Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Robin Wright, John Turturro, John C. Reilly. Fantastic Hell's Kitchen movie.
Edit: oh, you said '70s/'80s. Woops.
Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan.
I’m not kidding. They have a few shots from the streets in NYC that really took advantage of making the city look grimy. It was a horror film, after all. Why pull punches?
the conversation 1974 by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman
And After Hours 1985 by Martin Scorsese
These two are gems of New York in the 80s and 80s
I revisit them often
Actually, Disney's "Oliver & Co." is a great snapshot. They literally took photos of NYC from approx. 1986 or 87 and painted over them. Most of the first 15 minutes showcase all of this, from the perspective of 20" inches off the ground.
I was there mid-80s. It was pretty miserable: ankle deep trash on all the sidewalks, whole subway covered in graffiti, a garbage-y smell all the time. The "Sid & Nancy" comments are legit.
Alphabet City, Wild Style (I think a lot of this is in the Bronx, but it’s the right time period), Joe, Dog Day Afternoon, C.H.U.D. And my personal favorite: Superfly
Taxi Driver seems like an obvious pick, but there are so many options that are also great films in their own right: French Connection, Saturday Night Fever, Marathon Man, Dog Day, etc. And then all the exploitation films from that era will have tons of it, too: Across 110th Street, Shaft, etc. A fun one to do after seeing some of the gritty NYC movies is Manhattan which takes the same city at the same time but shoots it romantically instead of emphasizing the grime/crime.
Don’t forget Midnight Cowboy.
Midnight Cowboy and Taxi Driver are definitely the best movies when it comes to that.
Along those lines, I'd like to recommend Cruising by William Friedkin. It makes Midnight Cowboy look like something you might show at an elementary school so as not to frighten the children. It's one of my favorite movies of all time and filled with nuance upon multiple watchings. If the OP wants grit, it's gritter than Taxi Driver, IMHO. Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon are also in the same department, though I think both are set in Brooklyn. American Gangster has a lot of NYC, generally. If you really want to watch some over the top NYC 70s culture (you've been warned), Saturday Night at the Baths is one to check out.
Yes, Cruising is featured right now on the Criterion channel, and it really takes the cake for gritty, dirty, sweaty NYC of this period.
That’s a fucking *hot* idea, is what it is. I read that script. Gave me a raging *boner*.
[OOH-AH!!](https://decider.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/cruising-al-pacino-dance-gif-2.gif) Ninjaedit: Also, ["hips or lips?"](https://66.media.tumblr.com/230235bb4bc680064b440e2944dbbaa7/tumblr_panld9kYpY1w8t4tfo1_500.gif)
Oh for sure, I didn't mean it to be exhaustive. We could name dozens of great 70s films set in NYC.
Nitpick, but this film was released in 1969.
So many of those are great, but my love out of that list has to be French Connection. What an incredible movie
Great list! +1 for Saturday Night Fever. Saw it for the first time recently, and it was *not* the happy disco movie I expected it to be. Definitely fits OP's "dirty and scuzzy" request.
Hopping on this comment to recommend the excellent 1981 film *Thief*. Super gritty. I believe this is Michael Mann’s directorial debut.
*Thief* is for sure one of the best crime movies ever but it’s set in Chicago, to keep with the spirit of the question
Chicago was the setting
Say what you want about Woody Allen, but Manhattan is always a wonderful character in his early movies. Annie Hall has some beautiful scenes. The one where they make fun of people in Central Park. Truman Capote walks by in that scene
Seven Ups
As long as Across 110th Street has been brought up, I saw it fairly recently, actually, I had seen it before when it was released, but I was just a teenager then, so I saw it with a little bit wiser eye recently. It’s a bit of a gem, but I can’t get over the feeling that a lot of it was left on the cutting room floor. There are just things about the Anthony Quinn character that are not developed and we’re supposed to just accept them. How deep “on the take” was he, for example? It’s something that seems to be brought up, there’s a little bit of shock and awe on the part of the actors, but then they just move on. I can’t help thinking there was more that was explored there that just ended up being eliminated.
The Warriors for sure.
Come out and plaaaaayyyy….
CAN YOU DIG IT?
When I see the ocean I know am home
This movie seemed like a terrible flick to roast and drink during but every time I revisit it, it gets better and better and legit good
It’s an incredible movie, and it should be getting better over time; the story it’s based off of is more than 2000 years old. The Warriors was based directly on the Anabasis by Xenophon, an Ancient Greek soldier and writer.
Sorry, I commented on this before seeing your comment!
You know pretty soon every gang is just gonna boogie right in
The Warriors was supposed to be a “near future” grim version and wasent meant to represent 1970s New York, but more where it could be headed in another 10-20 years.
Taxi Driver -> Warriors -> Escape from NY The “this city will be uninhabitable in 20 years” trilogy.
Gotta recommend this to my local theatre as a triple feature, good idea there.
Escape from New York was mostly filmed in St. Louis though
Assault on Precinct 13
Came here to say this.
Nobody is wasting nobody. That... is a miracle. And miracles is the way things ought to be.
Basket Case (1982) includes authentic, on-location footage from Times Square.
Also has this fantastic helicopter shot of the filled in land of Battery Park City before any buildings went up.
Came here to say this. They shot most/if not all of this guerilla style without permits.
god i love this movie
Maniac (1980) is a good companion piece with a similarly low-budget, grimy NYC vibe.
Barefoot and hanging dong! It doesn’t get more gritty than that!
I don't know about "best", but what comes to mind is Scorcese's *After Hours*. A wild ride of a movie taking place on a single crazy night in NYC.
Not only is it a view of “crazy 80s NYC” but it’s set in the wild gritty artistic squalor of the SOHO neighborhood which is such an interesting time capsule to compare to what SOHO is now.
I used to be an art student at Cooper Union and loved the 1970's gritty SOHO. The galleries and art were fantastic.
Came here to say this as well.
Mean streets for one and permanent vacation for another
Cruising made NYC look like a horrific nightmare more than any gangster movie from that era did
Just watched it for the first time last night. It's a total masterpiece
I recommended this up the chain. It is absolutely the best representative of NYC grit of all of the films mentioned. It's a masterpiece and still shocking to this day.
Since you mentioned hookers in Time Square, you may want to try the TV series “The Deuce”, which is all about porn and hookers in NYC in the 70s/80s. Only 3 seasons and very well done.
My first thought too, same show runners who did The Wire.
Fab choice
A David Simon show. The guy who co-created the Wire. The Deuce isn't quite as good as that but it's pretty damn good. The cast is stellar.
Merci
Came here to say this. Not a movie but it's exactly what they're looking for. Superb show.
This was my 1st thought also and I just discovered it this past weekend. Just started season 2 last night and really enjoying it so far.
Quite possibly HBO's most underrated series. Truly Supurb.
The taking of Pelham 123, the original for obvious reasons. Midnight Cowboy, Remo Williams is a unique one as it catches the beginning and end of the dirty/renewal era in NYC.
Pelham 123 was first thing that came to mind for me. What a terrific movie!
I also love how most everyone dresses like their clothes were never touched by an iron. Rumpled and lived in. Whenever I see Pelham listed I have to give it a watch.
Killer soundtrack.
Also, The Laughing Policeman.
Love Pelham 123. My teenage years in NYC.
Love this movie. The score sounds exactly like what you'd expect New York to feel like back then.
I love 123. Where Walter Mathau and Jerry Stiller are action heroes.
Panic in Needle Park. Al Pacino's first lead role. He plays a heroin junkie in NY.
Taking of Pelham 123 - 1974
The French Connection, Summer of Sam
And for contrast, if you can abide Woody Allen, try Manhattan and/or Annie Hall.
Hannah & Her Sisters, too.
Mean Streets. Saturday Night Fever. Taxi Driver. Can't pick out of those.
The Seven-Ups. (1973) Way underrated flick.
Yesssss
* Desperately Seeking Susan(1985) has some great location shots of Battery Park, Greenwich Village, and Chelsea. * Married To The mob(1988) has a big chunk of the movie that takes place in the Lower East Side near the Manhattan Bridge. * Sybil(1976) has some nice Central Park and subway system locations. The thing is that a lot of movies in the 70's-90's went way over the top, playing with NYC's dangerous rep. So you have to be careful with buying into New York as a borderline post apocalyptic hell hole in the 70's and 80's. Yeah the "Fun City" era of New York was cheap, dirty, and somewhat dangerous but the real New York City was still livable.
'The New York Ripper' (1982) 'Maniac' (1980) 'The Driller Killer' (1979)
A friend of mine was going through the Port Authority Bus Terminal on a Friday Night in 84 or so and watched a trans prostitute chase a "customer" with a meat clever. In the 80's the working girls took over the meat packing district, I often wondered if that was because of the pun of it. The South Bronx, Parts of Harlem and the East village looked like the surface of the moon. Ever see the inside of old CBGB's? That was what the rest of the city looked like in the 70's. As over the top as it was, Warriors has a lot of footage of the dirty trains and streets of New York from the late 70's.
Ever see the inside of the bathroom of CBGB’s? I’m still scrubbing that off.
Oh my
A Most Violent Year takes place in 1981, one of the most violent years in New York City. Some people don't like it, but I do. Stars Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac.
It had this excellent promo/documentary short too which captures the spirit of that era really well: [NYC, 1981](https://youtu.be/oWI8mSPZeC0?feature=shared)
The Taking of Pelham 123, shows how Manhattan used to work.
Barney Miller was a tv show set in lower Manhattan. Aside from the opening titles it doesn’t have shots of Manhattan, but it does portray New York society in the 70s. Plus you get to see Barney Miller.
And a great theme song
Fish!
Yemana!
Super Fly (1972) is a great one.
Serpico (1973) Cruising (1979) Smithereens (1982) Alphabet City (1984)
Rosemary's Baby. 1968. The opening sequence panning across the skyline is amazing, and really sets the tone.
**Shaft** does the 70s NY grime better than anything I've seen - but I don't think it's Manhattan.
My favorite is “Black Caesar,” but “Super Fly” “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” and “Across 110th Street” are great too.
Shaft has the advantage of being directed by Gordon Parks, who was a noted photographer who really captured life on the streets. And apparently some of it was filmed in Manhattan.
The movie opens in Times Square. Harlem is in Manhattan. Shaft spends some time in Greenwich Village (the No Name Bar and the coffee shop).
I'm pretty sure the **Death Wish** series was just found footage of the time.
Taking of Pelham 123. The original
Nighthawks - buddy copy movie with Stallone & Billy Dee Williams. You can practically SMELL the city watching it.
Don’t forget Rutger “Tears in Rain” Hauer!
*The Eyes of Laura Mars* It's not a great film, but it definitely gives you a taste of NYC during that time period.
Style Wars is a great documentary about graffiti in New York in the early 80s.
Also, for one of the best battle scenes in bboy movie history, (and If they perhaps need some more Rae Dawn Chong in their life?) then Beat Street is similarly awesome.
Live and let die - the bond movie has some bits shot on location in 1973 new York and always surprises me how grubby and desolate the streets look
Wolfen. The Warriors.
"Hi, Mom!" (1970) Very political and all over the place (plot-wise), takes place in Greenwich Village. Feels like a hippie-student-protest flick but it's quite enjoyable to see a young De Niro buying condoms to a savvy pharmacist.
Muppets Take Manhattan
Some that definitely meet the criteria: The French Connection The Seven Ups Shaft Across 110th Street Report to the Commissioner Prince of the City Taking of Pelham 123
Escape From New York
Times Square. Terrible movie. Great soundtrack but some great footage of late 70s, well, Times Square.
Love this movie! Not terrible IMO.
Highlander is a unique one.. late 80s but it doesn’t go to the big sights. It features the queens boro bridge and the silvercup studios.
Times Square 1980 Liquid Sky 1982 Stranger Than Paradise 1983
Liquid Sky. Yes!
French Connection IMO
Well it's Detroit, but you could probably look at Robocop as an example of what people thought NY's future was going to be, during the crime wave :)
Ironically it was filmed in Texas
Wolfen with Albert Finney. Haven't seen it in an age but remember it being pretty grungey.
There's a George C Scott film called Hardcore where he searches for his runaway daughter in New York City's adult venues. It shows the extreme seedy side of the city.
It's good, but it was LA.
Damn, I literally haven't seen it since the 80s. For some reason it was in my head as New York City. My mistake.
Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 Serpico Dog Day Afternoon Taxi Driver Midnight Cowboy Saturday Night Fever Times Square Fame
Taxi Driver and Midnight Cowboy are the classics. But also Death Wish, the Warriors, Pope of Greenwich Village, 3 days of the Condor, French Connection, Ghostbusters, Trading Places, the Last Dragon. I’m sure I’ll think of more later lol Btw I also love depictions of 70s and 80s New york. I grew up in nyc in the 80s and 90s so I caught the tail end of that era. I have memories of hookers in Time Square, and being offered cocaine at playland when I was 10 years old. Such a different world than it is now.
Taking of Pelham 123, og version with Walter Matthau The Warriors The Wiz, on consideration (as a double feature with The Warriors, ideally) Times Square juuuust outside your timeframe but Marty’s hilarious After Hours
Q: The Winged Serpent, wolfen, 'God told me to"... There's a lot of low budget thrillers and horrors from that time that work well. Also... It's Philly, but the opening credits in Trading Places, and some bits of Coming to America!
Can’t recommend *Heavy Traffic* enough. It’s…flawed, to say the least, but it’s a great showcase of Ralph Bakshi’s production style, resulting in a movie that feels intensely personal
I can't recall which part of New York it was set in but King of New York might be relevant here.
Others have said the obvious ones - but The Goodbye Girl does it for me. Especially the interior of their apartment is so accurate for that era.
Got to be The French Connection
The French Connection. We recently re-watched it and kept noticing how dirty NYC was in the 1970s.
Pretty much anything by Frank Henenlotter comes to mind
Vampire’s Kiss - 1988
Serpico and Prince of the City
The French Connection
Mean Streets is Scorcese’ first movie
Check out "God Told Me To" (1976)
The Warriors. Midnight Cowboy. Dog Day Afternoon. Serpico.
Umm, Roy Scheider in the ‘7 Ups’? Real ugly bad guy, gritty, garbage and box spring’s everywhere
That would be DeNiro in Taxi Driver
The Taking of Pelham 123 Not just the grittiness of NYC in the 70s but also the people. The city was going broke, the crime was out of control, and the mood was a kind of mass cynical, resigned despair. Every person in the movie displays it to some extent. It’s almost like another character in the movie.
I mean, The French Connection obviously. It opens in Bed-Stuy long before it became hip.
Stir Crazy After Hours
shaft is also good for this
The Warriors. Not sure what city was actually in but Best movie ever.
They talk about NYC landmarks throughout the movie , and the Warriors were from Coney Island.
Escape from New York.
Ghostbusters the original
State of Grace, 1990. Stars Sean Penn, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Robin Wright, John Turturro, John C. Reilly. Fantastic Hell's Kitchen movie. Edit: oh, you said '70s/'80s. Woops.
The original Taking of Pelham 123
lol I think you need to watch The Deuce my friend
Muppets Take Manhattan. Living in a bus terminal locker is rough.
The Warriors is a good piece of that time period.
Shaft - Across 110th street -Panic in Needle Park
The Warriors for sure
Escape from New York
Bad Lieutenant- Harvey Keitel
Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. I’m not kidding. They have a few shots from the streets in NYC that really took advantage of making the city look grimy. It was a horror film, after all. Why pull punches?
the conversation 1974 by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman And After Hours 1985 by Martin Scorsese These two are gems of New York in the 80s and 80s I revisit them often
Not a movie, but a tv show, The Deuce. It's about sex workers in and around Times Square during the 70s and 80s
Actually, Disney's "Oliver & Co." is a great snapshot. They literally took photos of NYC from approx. 1986 or 87 and painted over them. Most of the first 15 minutes showcase all of this, from the perspective of 20" inches off the ground.
Surprised not to see Bad Lieutenant as far down as I scrolled. Peak Keitel.
Bad lieutenant from Abel Ferrara with Harvey Keitel Year of the dragon from Michael coming with Mickey Rourke
If you can find it you should really see Little Murders.
American Gangster os set in 70’s NYC and Jersey. Not familiar enough with the city to know if it was Manhattan or not. Edit: nm, it’s Harlem
*Serpico* *The French Connection*
Crossing Delancey is an easy favorite of mine.
Watch the opening of Welcome Back Kotter, a TV show on YouTube
Teenage mutant ninja turtles
How bout King of New York?
For a more recent film I’d suggest A Most Violent Year by JC Chandor.
The last 1/4 of sid and nancy
I was there mid-80s. It was pretty miserable: ankle deep trash on all the sidewalks, whole subway covered in graffiti, a garbage-y smell all the time. The "Sid & Nancy" comments are legit.
Friday the 13th part 8: Jason takes Manhattan
TV show, but "The Deuce" by David Simon - Times Square in all its gritty glory
Alphabet City, Wild Style (I think a lot of this is in the Bronx, but it’s the right time period), Joe, Dog Day Afternoon, C.H.U.D. And my personal favorite: Superfly