Three films I've watched so far showcase this pretty good: The French Connection, Cruising, and Saturday Night Fever.
Can you guys recommend me any other films that show the dark, dangerous, sleazy and dirty place that NYC was in the 1970s to 1980s?

Serpico. Dog day afternoon. Taxi Driver. Midnight Cowboy. Raging Bull


It was set in 1968 Chicago but Medium Cool is a great film.

Three films I've watched so far showcase this pretty good: The French Connection, Cruising, and Saturday Night Fever.
Can you guys recommend me any other films that show the dark, dangerous, sleazy and dirty place that NYC was in the 1970s to 1980s?


That why I like Woody Allen's Annie Hall & Manhattan.
It was nice to see a different (good) side of NYC during those years.

But for the type you're looking for don't forget,
1973's The Seven-Ups & 1979's The Warriors.

the french connection

Fort Apache: The Bronx

Three films I've watched so far showcase this pretty good: The French Connection, Cruising, and Saturday Night Fever.
Can you guys recommend me any other films that show the dark, dangerous, sleazy and dirty place that NYC was in the 1970s to 1980s?


Topping 'em all is Mondo New York, 1988.  It opens up with a chicken being sacrificed, and then it gets weird.  It didn't quite address just how deep the rabbit hole went, but it did serve to provide the viewer with a taste of underground NYC back in the day.

IvHU_hbewR8

Here's one of the tamest possible segments.

Serpico. Dog day afternoon. Taxi Driver. Midnight Cowboy. Raging Bull


All favorites of mine!

"Raging Bull" is 1940s - 1960s.  "Midnight Cowboy" is late 1960s but it works for 1970s.  

Times Square (1980)

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

Neither one of these is terribly realistic, but they are fun movies!

Topping 'em all is Mondo New York, 1988.  It opens up with a chicken being sacrificed, and then it gets weird.  It didn't quite address just how deep the rabbit hole went, but it did serve to provide the viewer with a taste of underground NYC back in the day.

IvHU_hbewR8

Here's one of the tamest possible segments.


First time I saw that, I pulled wood watching Phoebe Legere singing "Marilyn Monroe"!
:-[

First time I saw that, I TMI


So anyways, Ms. Finley, if you're gonna use that many eggs tonight, how 'bout some some Belgian waffles?

Don't forget The taking of Pelham 1 2 3. The original with Walter Matthau. Also Serpico, and Taxi Driver 

The Eyes of Laura Mars

Believe me it doesn't get any better than this:

The Panic in Needle Park (1971)

"This movie is a stark portrayal of life among a group of heroin addicts who hang out in "Needle Park" in New York City. Played against this setting is a low-key love story between Bobby, a young addict and small-time hustler, and Helen, a homeless girl who finds in her relationship with Bobby the stability she craves. She becomes addicted too, and life goes downhill for them both as their addiction deepens, eventually leading to a series of betrayals. But, in spite of it all, the relationship between Bobby and Helen endures"


http://velvet_peach.tripod.com/pics/pac_pp1.jpg

i think "driller killer" is probably the most graphic and nihilistic movie set in 70s manhattan, but it's pretty abysmal, full of puking hobos and skinned rabbits and ... driller killing.

this isn't quite 70s (1969) but there's a little-known and kinda hard-to-find robert altman movie called "that cold day in the park" that's set in central park and around manhattan that's really excellent, in a dreary and tragic kind of way.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E9pobI4Asgc/TYkPGd9R3nI/AAAAAAAAEB4/kyxL6HPPlPI/s1600/That%2BCold%2BDay%2Bin%2Bthe%2BPark.jpg

I totally agree with Danoota...Panic in Needle Park.  First movie that came to my mind.

this is the second time someone mentioned panic in needle park to me recently. i'm bumpin' it on my queue!

i amazoned it and "that cold day in the park" is easier to get hold of than it was, but not much. as i remember last time i checked it was like over a hundred bucks to get one, now you can get it for a reasonable, 11-25 dollar price, but only on VHS or non-region-one dvd. really, it's worth checking out if you can stomach the arty altman pacing. sandy dennis gives this amazing monologue about loneliness that alone is worth the price of admission. plus... manhattan!

in speaking of which, has anyone mentioned "the out of towners," also starring the exquisitely talented sandy dennis? it's a quite hilarious comedy set in manhattan in 1970 but even though it's a comedy, manhattan comes off looking quite gritty and miserable. i quite like manhattan but i also like to watch the movies kick it around.

"Out-of-Towners" (original, not that total change-up revision of Steve Martin's) is 1 of the truly great comedies; certainly it is so underrated as to be unknown.  A great comedy of errors, if you will.

"Ya chased a dog and ya beat a horse - you're stronger than you think!"  LOL

As for seedy NYC movies - "Summer of Sam", of course.

Smithereens (1982) is the best one I know of..it is about the dying punk scene in the early 80s.

One of my favorites is Claudine from 1974 with Diahann Carroll and James Earl Jones.

Smithereens (1982) is the best one I know of..it is about the dying punk scene in the early 80s.


Smithereens, very depressing.

Hooker to dude in van:

"You out here all alone?  Ain't you got a girlfriend, or a boyfriend, or nothing?  Nah, you can have my sandwich, I have an egg."

Mean Streets (1973) is a good one too.