14 awesome films about New York in the 1970s

This is one of the first seminal “1970s New York” movies, even though it is based on a non-fiction book from 1969. Turns out, New York hadn’t changed much. In addition to being filmed on location all over New York (not always legally), the movie has a kinetic feel and, sure, a griminess associated with New York of the era. Gene Hackman won an Oscar for his turn as NYPD narcotics detective Popeye Doyle, and “The French Connection” won Best Picture as well.

Okay, so two movies in it may feel like we’re saying New York in the 1970s was the sleaziest place imaginable. While the entire city was not a crime-soaked whirlpool of chaos, it was not the best decade for the city’s stature to be sure. “Taxi Driver” hits the 1970s element thanks in part due to Travis Bickle’s status as a wayward Vietnam veteran. Like, super wayward. Martin Scorsese is no harsh critic of New York, so the fact he gave us “Taxi Driver” speaks to how his city felt to him at the time.

Well, as Homer Simpson once enthusiastically said to his kids when the family drove into Capital City: “Look kids, street crime!” Sometimes, that’s just the feel of “the big city” for outsiders. Also, of course, movies are trying to be interesting, so it makes more sense to make a movie about a daring crime than, say, a guy calling a Chinese restaurant to see if they deliver to his address. “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” is a subway movie, and you really get a sense of riding the subway in 1970s New York, even though you likely were never taken hostage as part of a heist. The politicians in the movie feel very “New York politicians” as well.

Hey, we don’t have to talk about crime! Instead, we have to talk about Woody Allen! His personal life aside, Allen was long a chronicler of New York. Certainly, his version of 1970s New York is less crime-focused, but life in the city is still essential to the energy and feel of “Annie Hall.” Plus, there’s a bunch of anti-Los Angeles stuff, which is also very New York! “Annie Hall” won Best Picture in 1977, and it remains a very good film that is not a pleasant watch for everybody due to one of its stars.

Phew, we can go back to crime. It is a little striking just how many movies about 1970s New York, both contemporary to the era and period pieces, are focused on crime. “Dog Day Afternoon” also has the benefit of being based on an actual event that occurred in 1972. Two friends in the film, Sonny and Sal, decide to rob a bank, which goes awry and leads to a hostage-taking and a standoff with the police. It’s a tense, exciting film that has been canonized as one of the classics of ‘70s cinema. And, of course, 1970s New York cinema.

No, “The Warriors” is not in any way realistic, but it probably does evoke the feelings of what “1970s New York” was like for a lot of people, especially those who were not around at the time. The city is overrun by gangs, who all have their own territory. Everything is dirty and dank. It’s a dangerous place to be, even if you are a formidable gang member. Plus, guys in face paint walk around in baseball uniforms and wield bats as weapons. Okay, so that last part isn’t reflective of New York, or any city, at any point.

Ridley Scott’s “American Gangster” is not accurate to the real-life story it is telling, but who cares? It’s a work of fiction based on fact, not a documentary. Denzel Washington stars as drug kingpin Frank Lucas, and while the story begins in 1968, the story of Lucas’ rise and fall goes into the 1970s. He’s a New Yorker through and through, and “American Gangster” was filmed mostly in New York. Of course, New York in the 2000s looked quite different from New York in the 1970s, but that’s the magic of moviemaking!

“Carlito’s Way” is mostly based on the sequel novel to the titular novel, but that novel is called “After Hours,” which is of course the name of a Scorsese film that is, of course, also set in New York. The action in “Carlito’s Way” begins in 1975 with Carlito Brigante being released from prison. He plans to go straight and leave the city behind but, of course, 1970s New York had other ideas in mind for him.

Spike Lee, like Scorsese, makes many New York movies. Some of them are even period pieces. “Summer of Sam” is not his best work, but it is certainly evocative of 1970s New York. Lee cleverly made a slice-of-life film, but that slice of life comes during one of the most tumultuous times in New York history. That, of course, includes David Berkowitz being active during that summer in 1977.

The Hotel Chelsea has been around for decades and has seen many famous people come and go. And yet, in a way, it will always be associated with Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. New York and punk go hand-in-hand, and Sid was once a member of the Sex Pistols (even if he could barely play an instrument). By the time the story of “Sid and Nancy” begins, though, the two are barely functioning heroin addicts, with their tumultuous love affair coming to an end with the death of Nancy in the Hotel Chelsea, a death that remains mysterious.

Man, Al Pacino really likes making movies about 1970s New York. It’s another crime story, but another one based on a real story. Johnny Depp plays Joseph Pistone, an FBI agent who goes undercover as Donnie Brasco to infiltrate one of New York’s crime families. Pistone’s story is bought hook, line, and sinker by Lefty Ruggiero, a middle-aged mob enforcer played by Pacino. It’s actually one of Pacino’s subtlest performances post “Scent of a Woman.”

Hey, we looked. We did our research to look for movies about 1970s New York. They are, largely it turns out, about crime. At least, the majority of the ones that people know, remember, and praise are. “American Hustle” is a bit more polarizing, as the works of David O. Russell tend to be. It was a big hit, though, and it also earned 10 Oscar nominations. It’s about the lead-up to, the execution of, and the fallout from the FBI’s Abscam sting operation, which started in the late 1970s and ended in the early 1980s. While some of that effort takes place in New Jersey, New York plays a large part in “American Hustle” as well.

Once upon a time, Donald Trump was just a New York real estate guy from a rich family that people in the city thought was mostly a joke, but at least an amusing one. “The Apprentice” harkens back to those days. It focuses not just on Trump’s personal and professional highs and lows in the 1970s and 1980s, but also on Trump’s protégé-like relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn, a social-climbing New Yorker as craven as Trump himself.

Literally, they were live from New York. “Saturday Night” is a look at the beginning of “Saturday Night Live,” NBC’s eternal, iconic sketch-comedy show. Though it is, as such, significantly a behind-the-scenes showbiz movie, it’s also very much a 1970s New York movie. Part of what made “Saturday Night Live” pop was that it captured the chaotic, sometimes dangerous energy of the city. Also, they did a lot of cocaine. Like David O. Russell, Jason Reitman is a polarizing filmmaker, but he got to making a proper “SNL” movie first, and he made a 1970s New York movie in the process.