Life can be dull. In a city like New York, this might seem like a silly sentiment to make considering all that goes on within the city, but when you’re stuck on the FDR in between some guy playing his music on full blast and an ambulance that just won’t shut up– it might be a good time to watch a good movie and get your mind into a happier place– while still never leaving the city you call home.
“The Warriors” (1979)
In the late 1970s, youth gang violence was a major problem for New York– and the most pre-eminent film example of this is “The Warriors.” Hated by critics upon the film’s initial theatrical release in 1979, Walter Hill’s thrilling, action-packed adventure has found its new place as cult-classic time capsule of the 1970s.
Following a group of a rumblin’-and-tumblin’ street gang named The Warriors, they’re blamed for the assassination of a gang leader and must make it back to their home base of Coney Island– before every other gang in New York gets to them first. Each obstacle our titular group faces is equally unique, always to one essential question: how are the Warriors going to get out of this one? It’s a moody and uniquely underground New York-ian odyssey with an amazing soundtrack to boot.
“After Hours” (1985)
If you’re looking for someone to highlight the wild idiosyncrasies of New York City, there’s no better master of the form than the great Martin Scorsese. But unlike his undeniably great crime epics set in the city, “After Hours” is an oft-overlooked black sheep of Scorsese’s filmography, but just might be one of the best films he has to offer.
With Griffin Dunne as hapless everyman Paul Hackett, “After Hours” feels like a dive into a fresh, New York-branded hell– with obstacles so absolutely, phenomenally improbable that you can’t help but laugh at the absolute absurdity of almost everything on screen. Bouncy, energetic, hilarious– “After Hours” is all of that rolled into one tight hundred-minute package. An essential viewing from an essential filmmaker.
“West Side Story” (2021)
With a story from Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents, music from Leonard Bernstein and lyrics from Stephen Sondheim– the original musical “West Side Story” (and its 1961 film adaptation) is seen as an epic masterwork from maestros at the top of their game. So when Steven Spielberg’s remake was announced some years ago, critics may have been right to meet the news with skepticism.
But who were we to doubt the great Steven Spielberg? Even in the later years of his career, his grand, beautifully shot vision (thanks to cinematographer Janusz Kamińsky) of 1950s New York is an unbelievable sight to behold. With kinetic choreography by Justin Peck, a pitch-perfect script from Tony Kushner and a star-making debut performance from Rachel Zegler as Maria, Spielberg’s “West Side Story” is a late-career masterpiece that just might be one of the greatest musical films ever made.
“The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” (1974)
If you’re looking for a thrilling action flick from the 1970s set in New York– there’s no shortage of options. But “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” is one that should not go missed– it’s breezy, thrilling and just a bit unhinged. With fantastic leading performances from Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw, this one just may be a cut above the rest.
Switching between multiple different perspectives with rapid ease, the film follows a group of four color-coded criminals who take a subway train hostage (the titular Pelham 6) and the chaotic efforts to stop them. With one million dollars on the move, an hour time limit and the lives of hostages on the line, the film can be tense, funny and all-around fun (lest we forget to mention the incredible jazzy score from David Shire). It’s astonishingly entertaining and should not be missed by any measure necessary.
