New York has been the setting for some of the most defining stories in film. Its streets, skylines, and subways have inspired some of cinema’s most unforgettable moments. These ten films all rank in top 100 of the Letterboxd Four Favorites Interviews list, revealing just how deeply New York lives in the collective movie imagination.
Whether it’s the neon glow of Times Square in Taxi Driver or the tender chaos of When Harry Met Sally, these films reveal the many faces of New York. Any guesses which one tops the list?
The Godfather (1972) – #1
While its heart beats in both New York and Sicily, Francis Ford Coppola’s epic crime saga begins and ends in the Big Apple. From Little Italy to the Corleone family’s Long Beach compound, The Godfather captures the city’s power and danger like no other. Matt Damon, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Michael Fassbender all include it among their Four Favorites.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – #3
Montauk in winter, Long Island trains, and the ache of love lost — Michel Gondry’s surreal romance transforms everyday New York spaces into emotional dreamscapes.
Chris Evans and Toni Collette count it among their Four Favorites.
Goodfellas (1990) – #8
Martin Scorsese’s high-speed mob masterpiece roars through Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. From Copacabana nightclubs to back-alley getaways, it’s New York crime cinema at its most electrifying. Jeremy Allen White, LeBron James, and Idris Elba all have it in their Four Favorites.
When Harry Met Sally (1989) – #23
From Washington Square Park to Katz’s Deli, Nora Ephron’s beloved rom-com makes New York the ultimate third wheel in Harry and Sally’s slow-burn love story. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal’s banter practically echoes off the city streets.
Taxi Driver (1976) – #31
Scorsese again — but this time, it’s the city’s insomnia that takes center stage. Taxi Driver prowls the neon underbelly of 1970s Manhattan, capturing a dangerous, decaying New York that feels both cinematic and hauntingly real.
Malcolm X (1992) – #42
Spike Lee’s sweeping biopic grounds Malcolm X’s transformation in Harlem, where he rose to prominence and found his voice. It’s a film as powerful and layered as the city that shaped him.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) – #48
Based on a true story, this Al Pacino classic traps viewers in a tense Brooklyn bank heist gone wrong — complete with sweltering summer heat, chaotic crowds, and that unmistakable New York edge.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968) – #49
Manhattan never felt so unsettling. Roman Polanski’s horror landmark takes place almost entirely in the Dakota on Central Park West, turning upscale city living into a nightmare of paranoia and possession. Sydney Sweeney, Zoë Kravitz, and Julianne Moore count it among their Four Favorites.
The Apartment (1960) – #52
In Billy Wilder’s bittersweet satire, mid-century Manhattan gleams with ambition and loneliness. Office towers, elevators, and love affairs intertwine in one perfectly New York story. Emma Thompson includes it in her Four Favorites.
Midnight Cowboy (1969) – #91
A Texas dreamer meets a streetwise hustler in the rough heart of late-’60s Manhattan. Gritty, tender, and devastatingly human, it captures a city at its rawest. Francis Ford Coppola, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hanks all include it among their Four Favorites.
Fun fact: It’s the only X-rated film ever to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
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