Pre-Giuliani NYC

by happylooloo | created - 19 Sep 2016 | updated - 1 month ago | Public

Movies shot in a grittier, sometimes more dangerous, but overall less costly, less rabidly-gentrified New York. Filthy, X-rated, pre-Disney Times Square. Old Yankee stadium, pre-Sex in the City tour buses and cupcake ATMs. Redbird subway cars, coffee in Anthora paper cups, rattling radiator pipes, peeling lead paint, roaches, and those elevators with the gates on them. (Oh, and the garbage barge.) For better or worse, take it or leave it. But if you miss it sometimes, here's what to watch. Suggestions appreciated.

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1. Something Wild (1986)

R | 114 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance

73 Metascore

A free-spirited woman "kidnaps" a yuppie for a weekend of adventure. But the fun quickly takes a dangerous turn when her ex-convict husband shows up.

Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Jeff Daniels, Melanie Griffith, George 'Red' Schwartz, Leib Lensky

Votes: 21,076 | Gross: $8.36M

(just in the beginning)

2. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992)

R | 92 min | Drama, Romance

64 Metascore

With hopes of becoming a doctor and not a product of her environment, a Brooklyn teenager is faced with numerous challenges that threaten her dreams.

Director: Leslie Harris | Stars: Ariyan A. Johnson, Kevin Thigpen, Ebony Jerido, Chequita Jackson

Votes: 1,364 | Gross: $0.48M

3. Sudden Manhattan (1996)

Not Rated | 80 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Donna witnesses identical murders on the same street on different days. Is this a supernatural conspiracy or is she merely cracking up?

Director: Adrienne Shelly | Stars: Adrienne Shelly, Tim Guinee, Roger Rees, Louise Lasser

Votes: 399

(Yes, technically Giuliani had been in office almost 2 years by then, but I'm gonna say this is still old enough to count.)

4. Coming to America (1988)

R | 117 min | Comedy, Romance

47 Metascore

An extremely pampered African prince travels to Queens, New York and goes undercover to find a wife that he can respect for her intelligence and strong will.

Director: John Landis | Stars: Eddie Murphy, Paul Bates, Garcelle Beauvais, Feather

Votes: 223,499 | Gross: $128.15M

5. The Panic in Needle Park (1971)

PG | 110 min | Drama

74 Metascore

Follows the lives of heroin addicts who frequent "Needle Park" in New York City.

Director: Jerry Schatzberg | Stars: Al Pacino, Kitty Winn, Alan Vint, Richard Bright

Votes: 20,199

6. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

76 Metascore

Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby

Votes: 242,627 | Gross: $92.82M

In spirit: not exactly, but some good background shots. Definitely a yuppie UWS story.

7. Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Approved | 137 min | Drama, Horror

96 Metascore

A young couple trying for a baby moves into an aging, ornate apartment building on Central Park West, where they find themselves surrounded by peculiar neighbors.

Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer

Votes: 235,056

8. Marathon Man (1976)

R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

64 Metascore

After the shocking murder of his older brother, a New York history student finds himself inexplicably hounded by shadowy government agents on the trail of a Nazi war criminal who is trying to retrieve smuggled diamonds.

Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane

Votes: 70,199 | Gross: $21.71M

9. Ghostbusters (1984)

PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy

71 Metascore

Three parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.

Director: Ivan Reitman | Stars: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis

Votes: 449,844 | Gross: $238.63M

10. Midnight Cowboy (1969)

R | 113 min | Drama

79 Metascore

A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.

Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver

Votes: 120,706 | Gross: $44.79M

11. Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976)

R | 111 min | Comedy, Drama

The ups and downs of life as experienced by a group of aspiring young artists in the early Fifties New York.

Director: Paul Mazursky | Stars: Lenny Baker, Shelley Winters, Ellen Greene, Lois Smith

Votes: 2,469

12. The Warriors (1979)

R | 93 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

65 Metascore

A street gang known as the Warriors must fight its way from the Bronx to its home turf on Coney Island when its members are falsely accused of assassinating a respected gang leader.

Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Michael Beck, James Remar, Dorsey Wright, Brian Tyler

Votes: 110,648 | Gross: $22.49M

13. Five Corners (1987)

R | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A psychotic young man returns to his old neighborhood after release from prison. He seeks out the woman he previously tried to rape and the man who protected her, with twisted ideas of love for her and hate for him.

Director: Tony Bill | Stars: Jodie Foster, Tim Robbins, Todd Graff, John Turturro

Votes: 3,888 | Gross: $0.97M

14. Taxi Driver (1976)

R | 114 min | Crime, Drama

94 Metascore

A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks

Votes: 920,236 | Gross: $28.26M

15. The Search for One-eye Jimmy (1994)

R | 84 min | Comedy

Les is making a film about his old neighborhood in Brooklyn. One-eye Jimmy goes missing and Les switches to making a film about Jimmy and the people searching.

Director: Sam Henry Kass | Stars: Holt McCallany, Michael Badalucco, Nicholas Turturro, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini

Votes: 1,852

16. Do the Right Thing (1989)

R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama

93 Metascore

On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson

Votes: 112,381 | Gross: $27.55M

17. Style Wars (1983 TV Movie)

Not Rated | 69 min | Documentary, Music

A documentary that exposes the rich growing subculture of hip-hop that was developing in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s, specifically focusing on graffiti art and breakdancing.

Director: Tony Silver | Stars: Demon, Kase 2, Eric Haze, D. 5

Votes: 3,298

18. Basquiat (1996)

R | 107 min | Biography, Drama

65 Metascore

The brief life of Jean Michel Basquiat, a world renowned New York street artist struggling with fame, drugs and his identity.

Director: Julian Schnabel | Stars: Jeffrey Wright, Michael Wincott, Benicio Del Toro, Claire Forlani

Votes: 22,053 | Gross: $2.96M

19. Beat Street (1984)

PG | 105 min | Drama, Music

68 Metascore

An aspiring DJ from the South Bronx and his best friend, a promoter, try to get into show business by exposing people to hip-hop music and the local culture.

Director: Stan Lathan | Stars: Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis, Jon Chardiet, Leon W. Grant

Votes: 4,325 | Gross: $16.60M

20. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

68 Metascore

Four armed men hijack a New York City subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers. The city's police are faced with a conundrum: Even if it's paid, how could they get away?

Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo

Votes: 35,705 | Gross: $2.49M

21. Saturday Night Fever (1977)

R | 118 min | Drama, Music

77 Metascore

Anxious about his future after high school, a 19-year-old Italian-American from Brooklyn tries to escape the harsh reality of his bleak family life by dominating the dance floor at the local disco.

Director: John Badham | Stars: John Travolta, Karen Lynn Gorney, Barry Miller, Joseph Cali

Votes: 87,464 | Gross: $94.21M

22. Speedy (1928)

Passed | 85 min | Action, Comedy, Family

Harold "Speedy" Swift, a fan of Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees, saves from extinction the city's last horse-drawn trolley, operated by his girlfriend's grandfather.

Director: Ted Wilde | Stars: Harold Lloyd, Ann Christy, Bert Woodruff, Babe Ruth

Votes: 4,268

23. The Incident (1967)

Approved | 107 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

Late one night, two young toughs hold hostage the passengers in one car of a New York subway train.

Director: Larry Peerce | Stars: Tony Musante, Martin Sheen, Beau Bridges, Brock Peters

Votes: 4,826

24. The French Connection (1971)

R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama

94 Metascore

A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey, Tony Lo Bianco

Votes: 135,625 | Gross: $15.63M

25. *batteries not included (1987)

PG | 106 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy

54 Metascore

Aliens help a feisty old New York couple in their battle against the ruthless land developer who's out to evict them.

Director: Matthew Robbins | Stars: Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Frank McRae, Elizabeth Peña

Votes: 37,685 | Gross: $32.95M

26. Little Fugitive (1953)

Not Rated | 75 min | Drama, Family

91 Metascore

A young boy fears that he shot his older brother, who is only faking. He then runs away to Coney Island, a crowded beach area, and gets money by returning soda bottles for their deposits.

Directors: Ray Ashley, Morris Engel, Ruth Orkin | Stars: Richard Brewster, Winifred Cushing, Jay Williams, Will Lee

Votes: 3,033 | Gross: $0.03M

27. Mean Streets (1973)

R | 112 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

96 Metascore

In New York City's Little Italy, a devoutly Catholic mobster must reconcile his desire for power, his feelings for his epileptic lover, and his devotion to his troublesome friend.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, David Proval, Amy Robinson

Votes: 119,591 | Gross: $3.13M

28. Moonstruck (1987)

PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

83 Metascore

Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry.

Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Cher, Nicolas Cage, Olympia Dukakis, Danny Aiello

Votes: 68,419 | Gross: $80.64M

29. The King of Comedy (1982)

PG | 109 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

73 Metascore

A passionate yet unsuccessful comedian stalks and kidnaps his idol to take the spotlight for himself.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard

Votes: 119,111 | Gross: $2.50M

30. Romancing the Stone (1984)

PG | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

63 Metascore

A mousy romance novelist sets off for Colombia to ransom her kidnapped sister, and soon finds herself in the middle of a dangerous adventure hunting for treasure with a mercenary rogue.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, Zack Norman

Votes: 103,266 | Gross: $76.57M

31. Raging Bull (1980)

R | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

90 Metascore

The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent

Votes: 380,088 | Gross: $23.38M

32. Barefoot in the Park (1967)

G | 106 min | Comedy, Romance

55 Metascore

Paul, a conservative young lawyer, marries the vivacious Corie. Their highly passionate relationship descends into comical discord in a five-flight New York City walk-up apartment.

Director: Gene Saks | Stars: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Charles Boyer, Mildred Natwick

Votes: 20,488 | Gross: $19.99M

33. Butterflies Are Free (1972)

PG | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

A blind man moves into his own apartment against the wishes of his overprotective mother and befriends the freethinking young woman next door.

Director: Milton Katselas | Stars: Goldie Hawn, Edward Albert, Eileen Heckart, Paul Michael Glaser

Votes: 5,958 | Gross: $0.25M

34. The Apartment (1960)

Approved | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

94 Metascore

A Manhattan insurance clerk tries to rise in his company by letting its executives use his apartment for trysts, but complications and a romance of his own ensue.

Director: Billy Wilder | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, Fred MacMurray, Ray Walston

Votes: 196,725 | Gross: $18.60M

35. John and Mary (1969)

R | 92 min | Drama, Romance

John and Mary meet in a singles bar, sleep together, and spend the next day getting to know each other.

Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Mia Farrow, Michael Tolan, Sunny Griffin

Votes: 2,442 | Gross: $8.00M

36. Annie Hall (1977)

PG | 93 min | Comedy, Romance

92 Metascore

Alvy Singer, a divorced Jewish comedian, reflects on his relationship with ex-lover Annie Hall, an aspiring nightclub singer, which ended abruptly just like his previous marriages.

Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane

Votes: 278,327 | Gross: $39.20M

37. Working Girl (1988)

R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

73 Metascore

When a secretary's idea is stolen by her boss, she seizes an opportunity to steal it back by pretending she has her boss' job.

Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin

Votes: 62,389 | Gross: $64.00M

38. Law & Order (1990– )

TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

New York's finest police detectives and prosecutors fight to make the city a safer place. With integrity as the guiding force from investigation to verdict, the teams weigh every perspective in their commitment to finding justice.

Stars: Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin, Dennis Farina, Sam Waterston

Votes: 44,543

Lots of street shots. Huge employer of NY actors back in the day. Jerry Orbach was the best. [ch-chung]

39. Seinfeld (1989–1998)

TV-PG | 22 min | Comedy

The continuing misadventures of neurotic New York City stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his equally neurotic New York City friends.

Stars: Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander

Votes: 351,266

eh. a little bit of outdoor shots. definitely a sheen.

40. Léon: The Professional (1994)

R | 110 min | Action, Crime, Drama

64 Metascore

12-year-old Mathilda is reluctantly taken in by Léon, a professional assassin, after her family is murdered. An unusual relationship forms as she becomes his protégée and learns the assassin's trade.

Director: Luc Besson | Stars: Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, Natalie Portman, Danny Aiello

Votes: 1,245,248 | Gross: $19.50M

41. Big (1988)

PG | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

73 Metascore

After wishing to be made big, a teenage boy wakes the next morning to find himself mysteriously in the body of an adult.

Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, Robert Loggia, John Heard

Votes: 239,884 | Gross: $114.97M

42. Baby Boom (1987)

PG | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

53 Metascore

The life of super-yuppie J.C. is thrown into turmoil when she inherits a baby from a distant relative.

Director: Charles Shyer | Stars: Diane Keaton, Sam Shepard, Harold Ramis, Kristina Kennedy

Votes: 19,152 | Gross: $26.71M

only in the beginning.

43. Brewster's Millions (1985)

PG | 102 min | Comedy

37 Metascore

A minor-league baseball player must spend $30 million in 30 days in order to inherit $300 million. However, he's not allowed to own any assets, destroy the money, gift it, give it to charity, or tell anyone about the deal.

Director: Walter Hill | Stars: Richard Pryor, John Candy, Lonette McKee, Stephen Collins

Votes: 43,081 | Gross: $38.80M

44. The Wiz (1978)

G | 134 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

53 Metascore

An adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz" that tries to capture the essence of the African-American experience.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross

Votes: 17,035 | Gross: $21.05M

45. Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)

Approved | 115 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

77 Metascore

A young New York socialite becomes interested in a young man who has moved into her apartment building, but her past threatens to get in the way.

Director: Blake Edwards | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen

Votes: 192,084

46. Wait Until Dark (1967)

Approved | 108 min | Thriller

81 Metascore

A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment.

Director: Terence Young | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

Votes: 33,717 | Gross: $17.55M

47. ABC Weekend Specials (1977–1995)
Episode: The Seven Wishes of Joanna Peabody (1978)

TV-Y | 29 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

Joanna Peabody is granted 7 wishes by "Aunt Thelma", a wise fairy-godmother who appears on Joanna's TV screen. Joanna squanders a few wishes before she learns the value of sharing.

Director: Stephen H. Foreman | Stars: Butterfly McQueen, Star-Shemah Bobatoon, Garrett Morris, Starletta DuPois

Votes: 48

48. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)

R | 229 min | Crime, Drama

75 Metascore

A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to the Lower East Side of Manhattan 35 years later, where he must once again confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.

Director: Sergio Leone | Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams

Votes: 377,577 | Gross: $5.32M

49. Network (1976)

R | 121 min | Drama

83 Metascore

A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor's ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit, but finds that his message may be difficult to control.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall

Votes: 170,562

50. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

R | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

86 Metascore

Three amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Cazale, Penelope Allen, Sully Boyar

Votes: 272,987 | Gross: $50.00M

51. You're a Big Boy Now (1966)

TV-MA | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

71 Metascore

Post-teen virgin moves to New York City, falls for a cold-hearted beauty, then finds true love with a loyal lass.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Elizabeth Hartman, Geraldine Page, Rip Torn, Peter Kastner

Votes: 1,934

52. The Odd Couple (1968)

Passed | 105 min | Comedy

86 Metascore

A New Yorker newly separated from his wife moves in with his best friend, a divorced sportswriter, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day.

Director: Gene Saks | Stars: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, John Fiedler, Herb Edelman

Votes: 37,427 | Gross: $44.53M

53. Married to the Mob (1988)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance

71 Metascore

A mobster's wife hates her lifestyle, but gets a chance to change it when her husband is killed - if the Long Island mob and the FBI let her.

Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Michelle Pfeiffer, Alec Baldwin, Paul Lazar, Captain Haggerty

Votes: 19,700 | Gross: $21.49M

54. Exposed (1983)

R | 100 min | Drama, Music

Wisconsin farm girl Elizabeth Carlson leaves her family and her English-teacher lover behind, and escapes to New York City, where she soon makes a career for herself as a fashion model. ... See full summary »

Director: James Toback | Stars: Nastassja Kinski, Rudolf Nureyev, Harvey Keitel, Ian McShane

Votes: 954 | Gross: $1.82M

55. Off Beat (1986)

PG | 92 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance

Joe Gower's job is skating through library shelves, fetching books. A police officer and friend of his is chosen to participate in a charity dance performance. Gower agrees to take his ... See full summary »

Director: Michael Dinner | Stars: Judge Reinhold, Meg Tilly, Cleavant Derricks, Joe Mantegna

Votes: 1,049 | Gross: $4.84M

56. Quiz Show (1994)

PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, History

92 Metascore

A young lawyer, Richard Goodwin, investigates a potentially fixed game show. Charles Van Doren, a big time show winner, is under Goodwin's investigation.

Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Paul Scofield

Votes: 73,320 | Gross: $24.82M

57. See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)

R | 103 min | Comedy, Crime

44 Metascore

Dave is deaf, and Wally is blind. They witness a murder, but it was Dave who was looking at her, and Wally who was listening.

Director: Arthur Hiller | Stars: Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Joan Severance, Kevin Spacey

Votes: 58,358 | Gross: $46.91M

58. Crocodile Dundee (1986)

PG-13 | 97 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

62 Metascore

An American reporter goes to the Australian outback to meet an eccentric crocodile poacher and invites him to New York City.

Director: Peter Faiman | Stars: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, David Gulpilil

Votes: 115,418 | Gross: $174.64M

59. Taxi (1978–1983)

TV-PG | 30 min | Comedy

The staff of a New York City taxicab company go about their job while they dream of greater things.

Stars: Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito, Marilu Henner

Votes: 15,818

60. Hurry Up, or I'll Be 30 (1973)

R | 88 min | Comedy, Drama

"Hurry Up, Or I'll Be 30" is the critically-acclaimed film of one man's frustration with his boring life. This motion picture features Danny DeVito in one of his earliest screen roles. For ... See full summary »

Director: Joseph Jacoby | Stars: John Lefkowitz, Linda De Coff, Ronald Anton, Maureen Byrnes

Votes: 77

61. Pi (1998)

R | 84 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery

72 Metascore

A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.

Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart

Votes: 186,397 | Gross: $3.22M

62. Brown Sugar (2002)

PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

58 Metascore

Friends since childhood, a magazine editor and a hip-hop record executive stumble into romantic territory.

Director: Rick Famuyiwa | Stars: Taye Diggs, Sanaa Lathan, Yasiin Bey, Nicole Ari Parker

Votes: 10,238 | Gross: $27.36M

An exception must be made for this film. This is probably the newest one I'd add, but a significant portion is set in the early 80s, and the whole thing is an ode to hip hop.

63. Crooklyn (1994)

PG-13 | 115 min | Comedy, Drama

65 Metascore

Spike Lee's vibrant semi-autobiographical portrait of a school teacher, her stubborn jazz musician husband and their five kids living in Brooklyn in 1973.

Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, David Patrick Kelly, Zelda Harris

Votes: 11,328 | Gross: $13.64M

64. The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972)

R | 105 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller

An upper-class Manhattan divorcee comes to believe that her brother is possessed by the spirit of a serial killer who beheaded young women in Spanish Harlem.

Director: Waris Hussein | Stars: Shirley MacLaine, Perry King, David Elliott, Lisa Kohane

Votes: 1,269 | Gross: $0.17M

65. The Education of Sonny Carson (1974)

R | 104 min | Drama

A gifted young man is caught up in gang life.

Director: Michael Campus | Stars: Rony Clanton, Don Gordon, Joyce Walker, Paul Benjamin

Votes: 605 | Gross: $1.09M

66. Report to the Commissioner (1975)

PG | 112 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Police officer Patty Butler, alias "Chicklet," is the live-in girlfriend of Thomas 'Stick' Henderson to gather evidence. Detective Bo Lockley is instructed to try to find her, not knowing she's also a cop.

Director: Milton Katselas | Stars: Michael Moriarty, Yaphet Kotto, Susan Blakely, Hector Elizondo

Votes: 1,232

67. Serpico (1973)

R | 130 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

83 Metascore

An honest New York cop named Frank Serpico blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Al Pacino, John Randolph, Jack Kehoe, Biff McGuire

Votes: 134,724 | Gross: $29.80M

68. Crazy Joe (1974)

R | 100 min | Crime, Drama

The rise and fall of a Mafia gangster, based on the life of murdered New York gangster "Crazy" Joey Gallo.

Director: Carlo Lizzani | Stars: Peter Boyle, Paula Prentiss, Fred Williamson, Rip Torn

Votes: 671

69. They Might Be Giants (1971)

G | 91 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance

51 Metascore

In a Manhattan psychiatric hospital, a man convinced that he is Sherlock Holmes is treated by a female doctor who happens to be named Watson.

Director: Anthony Harvey | Stars: George C. Scott, Joanne Woodward, Jack Gilford, Lester Rawlins

Votes: 3,324

70. Night of the Juggler (1980)

R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A tough, New York City ex-cop relentlessly searches for his kidnapped teenage daughter whom is held by a twisted psycho after mistaking her for the daughter of a wealthy businessman.

Directors: Robert Butler, Sidney J. Furie | Stars: James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, Richard S. Castellano, Linda Miller

Votes: 1,076

71. Kiss Daddy Goodnight (1987)

R | 90 min | Thriller

A popular woman who enjoys her nights on the town gets more than she bargained for when a stalker murders a loved one and begins hunting her down.

Director: Peter Ily Huemer | Stars: Uma Thurman, Paul Dillon, Paul Richards, Steve Buscemi

Votes: 739

72. The Cotton Club (1984)

R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Music

68 Metascore

Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee

Votes: 19,540 | Gross: $25.93M

73. Call Me (1988)

R | 96 min | Drama, Thriller

A journalist agrees to meet an obscene caller at a bar, and ends up witnessing a murder.

Director: Sollace Mitchell | Stars: Patricia Charbonneau, Stephen McHattie, Boyd Gaines, Sam Freed

Votes: 1,031 | Gross: $0.25M

74. Joe (1970)

R | 107 min | Drama, Thriller

Two men--wealthy conservative Bill and far-right factory worker Joe--form a dangerous bond after Bill confesses to Joe about murdering his daughter's drug-dealer boyfriend.

Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Peter Boyle, Dennis Patrick, Susan Sarandon, Patrick McDermott

Votes: 4,200 | Gross: $19.32M

75. Cruising (1980)

R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

43 Metascore

A police officer goes undercover in the underground S&M gay subculture of New York City to catch a serial killer who is preying on gay men.

Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, Karen Allen, Richard Cox

Votes: 28,017 | Gross: $19.80M

76. 80 Blocks from Tiffany's (1979)

67 min | Documentary

Depicts the daily life of gangs within the context of the South Bronx. Deals primarily with two African American and Puerto Rican gangs known as the "Savage Skulls" and the "Savage Nomads".

Director: Gary Weis | Star: Louis Gigante

Votes: 419

77. New Jack City (1991)

R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama

61 Metascore

A crime lord ascends to power and becomes megalomaniacal while a maverick police detective vows to stop him.

Director: Mario Van Peebles | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Allen Payne, Chris Rock

Votes: 38,813 | Gross: $47.62M

78. Smithereens (1982)

R | 93 min | Drama, Music

72 Metascore

A talent-challenged girl tries to promote herself to stardom in New York's waning punk music world.

Director: Susan Seidelman | Stars: Susan Berman, Brad Rijn, Richard Hell, Nada Despotovich

Votes: 2,625

79. Fort Apache the Bronx (1981)

R | 125 min | Crime, Drama

49 Metascore

In New York City, South Bronx's main police precinct is nicknamed Fort Apache by its employees who feel like troopers surrounded by hostiles in a wild west isolated outpost.

Director: Daniel Petrie | Stars: Paul Newman, Edward Asner, Ken Wahl, Danny Aiello

Votes: 6,984 | Gross: $29.20M

80. Shaft (1971)

R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

66 Metascore

A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.

Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John

Votes: 21,014 | Gross: $16.69M

81. Krush Groove (1985)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Music

37 Metascore

The story of a man who has started a new hip-hop/rap label called Krush Groove.

Director: Michael Schultz | Stars: Sheila E., Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, Jam Master Jay

Votes: 3,548 | Gross: $11.05M

82. The Last Dragon (1985)

PG-13 | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Drama

58 Metascore

In New York City, a young man searches for a Master to obtain the final level of martial arts mastery known as the Glow.

Director: Michael Schultz | Stars: Taimak, Vanity, Christopher Murney, Julius Carry

Votes: 17,477 | Gross: $25.75M

83. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)

R | 97 min | Action, Comedy, Crime

Two Harlem cops investigate a robbery, believing that a reverend has staged it in order to steal the money he's collected for a local fundraiser.

Director: Ossie Davis | Stars: Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, Calvin Lockhart, Judy Pace

Votes: 2,685 | Gross: $4.39M

84. Super Fly (1972)

R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama

67 Metascore

The daily routine of cocaine dealer Priest who wants to score one more super deal and retire.

Director: Gordon Parks Jr. | Stars: Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier, Julius Harris

Votes: 8,589

85. Aaron Loves Angela (1975)

R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

In New York City, a young black boy and Puerto Rican girl fall in love despite objections from each other's families.

Director: Gordon Parks Jr. | Stars: Moses Gunn, Kevin Hooks, Irene Cara, Robert Hooks

Votes: 307

86. Claudine (1974)

PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

In the 1970s Harlem, garbage collector Roop feels intimidated by the idea of dating Claudine who is a single mother of six on welfare.

Director: John Berry | Stars: Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Tamu Blackwell

Votes: 2,510 | Gross: $3.51M

87. Gordon's War (1973)

R | 90 min | Adventure, Crime

Four Vietnam Vets go to war against the drug dealers and pimps of Harlem.

Director: Ossie Davis | Stars: Paul Winfield, Carl Lee, David Downing, Tony King

Votes: 449 | Gross: $0.82M

88. Death Wish (1974)

R | 93 min | Action, Crime, Drama

51 Metascore

A New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad after his wife is murdered by street punks. In self-defense, the vengeful man kills muggers on the mean streets after dark.

Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Charles Bronson, Hope Lange, Vincent Gardenia, Steven Keats

Votes: 44,025 | Gross: $22.00M

89. Across 110th Street (1972)

R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Two New York City cops go after amateur crooks who are trying to rip off the Mafia and start a gang war.

Director: Barry Shear | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa, Frank Adu

Votes: 7,141 | Gross: $3.60M

90. Fame (1980)

R | 134 min | Drama, Music, Musical

58 Metascore

A chronicle of the lives of several teenagers who attend a New York high school for students gifted in the performing arts.

Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Eddie Barth, Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Laura Dean

Votes: 24,683 | Gross: $0.12M

91. After Hours (I) (1985)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

89 Metascore

An ordinary word processor has the worst night of his life after he agrees to visit a girl in Soho he met that evening at a coffee shop.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Griffin Dunne, Rosanna Arquette, Verna Bloom, Tommy Chong

Votes: 81,300 | Gross: $10.60M

92. Prince of the City (1981)

R | 167 min | Crime, Drama

81 Metascore

A New York City narcotics detective reluctantly agrees to cooperate with a special commission investigating police corruption, and soon realises he's in over his head, and nobody can be trusted.

Director: Sidney Lumet | Stars: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy, Don Billett

Votes: 9,518 | Gross: $8.12M

93. The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

R | 108 min | Comedy, Sci-Fi

70 Metascore

A mute alien with the appearance of a black human is chased by outer-space bounty hunters through the streets of Harlem.

Director: John Sayles | Stars: Joe Morton, Daryl Edwards, Rosanna Carter, Ray Ramirez

Votes: 6,563 | Gross: $3.70M

94. Ms .45 (1981)

R | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

62 Metascore

A timid and mute seamstress goes insane after being attacked and raped twice in one day, in which she takes to the streets of New York City after dark and randomly shoots men with a .45 caliber pistol.

Director: Abel Ferrara | Stars: Zoë Lund, Bogey, Albert Sinkys, Darlene Stuto

Votes: 12,533

95. Gloria (1980)

PG | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

68 Metascore

When a young boy's family is killed by the mob, their tough neighbor Gloria becomes his reluctant guardian. In possession of a book that the gangsters want, the pair go on the run in New York.

Director: John Cassavetes | Stars: Gena Rowlands, Buck Henry, Julie Carmen, Tony Knesich

Votes: 11,425

96. Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama

71 Metascore

A bored New Jersey suburban housewife's fascination with a free-spirited woman she has read about in the personal columns leads to her being mistaken for the woman herself.

Director: Susan Seidelman | Stars: Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn, Mark Blum

Votes: 26,052 | Gross: $27.40M

97. Sid and Nancy (1986)

R | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Music

76 Metascore

The relationship between Sid Vicious, bassist for British punk group Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen is portrayed.

Director: Alex Cox | Stars: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Debby Bishop

Votes: 34,674 | Gross: $2.83M

98. Chelsea Girls (1966)

Unrated | 210 min | Drama

Lacking a formal narrative, Warhol's art house classic follows various residents of the Chelsea Hotel in 1966 New York City, presented in a split screen with a single audio track in conjunction with one side of screen.

Directors: Paul Morrissey, Andy Warhol | Stars: Brigid Berlin, Randy Borscheidt, Christian Päffgen, Angelina 'Pepper' Davis

Votes: 1,497

99. A Hatful of Rain (1957)

Not Rated | 109 min | Drama

A Korean War veteran's morphine addiction wreaks havoc upon his family.

Director: Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Eva Marie Saint, Don Murray, Anthony Franciosa, Lloyd Nolan

Votes: 1,494

100. The Money Pit (1986)

PG | 91 min | Comedy

49 Metascore

A young couple struggles to repair a hopelessly dilapidated house.

Director: Richard Benjamin | Stars: Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexander Godunov, Maureen Stapleton

Votes: 62,209 | Gross: $37.50M



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