Top 5 Films Set in New York City

This list is not going to be based specifically on the film's impact on cinema, but rather the specific impact that the film may have had on it being set in New York City. Does the fact that it's set with the backdrop of the Big Apple augment the film's qualities? Would it have been an inferior film if it were set in, say, Cleveland? Could it not exist if set in Kansas City? Of course there is a constant theme in the films that make this list. These films tend to be set in the old New York. Tribute to a past time. A less forgiving City that Never Sleeps. Before Times Square was Disneyfied. Mean streets. Dirty. Loud neighbors. Everyone has a past, and maybe they don't want to talk about it. Grimy. Dog eat dog. Thankfully they helped to preserve that gritty period of New York.

5. Midnight Cowboy

4. Wall Street

Quite possibly Stone's best film behind Platoon. Back when he still had it.


3. Ghostbusters & Ghostbusters II 

These two come up a lot on the blog. At some point they will both likely be retired to the Coop's Sanctum where they can no longer be mentioned on a Top 5 . But for now, it must be included. The city itself is very much felt in the film. It could be argued that the city itself could be considered a character in both films. "Being miserable and treating other people like dirt is every New Yorker's God-given right."


2. Taxi Driver

1. Annie Hall

Woody Allen's masterpiece. Possibly the best work of one of the best. Deeply rooted in New York.