New York is one of the most iconic cities on the globe. It is a true melting pot where all cultures live side by side, either right next door to each other or in adjacent neighborhoods. The Big Apple hasn’t always been the easiest place to live, with periods of extreme poverty, high crime, and corruption. And when areas do become safe, the cost of living skyrockets, making these areas available only to those who can afford it.
Despite its problems, the denizens of the populated metropolis love it with all their hearts. As a celebration of this magnificent east coast city, here are ten best New York films from the naughts. Not all of them are directly about the city, but they all heavily feature it to the point where one could say the city itself is a character.
Top 5
Chris Rock directs this movie about a comedian spending the day in his hometown while a reporter interviews him for a profile article in the New York Times. Throughout the course of the film, he visits old family members, recalls jeopardizing career moments, and falls a little bit in love.
In addition to an all-star cast featuring Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, and Rosario Dawson, the run time prominently features Chris’s hometown in an honest light. It looks almost like a documentary, as if the camera was a pair of eyes looking in on the drama and comedy taking place.
Run All Night
Run All Night is a standout entry in the genre of Liam Neeson thrillers. It’s a more grounded, personal tale detailing the character’s attempts to protect his son and family after a botched organized crime deal. They run through the pitch-black streets of New York, dueling with assassins sent by the character’s former crime boss employer.
Each fight is nail-bitingly intense, save for one weird scene where a character is strangled to death with the most durable roll of paper towel in existence.
Good Time
Robert Pattinson got a bad wrap for his involvement in Twilight. For the longest time, people saw him as nothing more than a teen heartthrob. In the years following that cultural phenomenon, he has slowly been proving the naysayers wrong, with standout performances in several films. One of the best of these is Good Time.
A criminal rushes to save his mentally handicapped brother from police custody after a failed robbery. The plot would feel right at home with the likes of Dog Day Afternoon or The French Connection but is made wholly unique with twenty-first-century conventions.
The Other Guys
The Other Guys is not only one of the standout comedies from the past twenty years but it also manages to be an exciting action romp. The chemistry between Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg makes their interactions pure bliss to behold, as they continually insult each other in the most inane ways imaginable.
The film also teaches New Yorkers an important lesson - be careful where your car is parked, lest you desire a visit from Dirty Mike and the boys. Residents of Yonkers, a smaller city located just outside the city that never sleeps, may recognize a couple of locations in the movie as well.
Trainwreck
Amy Schumer’s classic romantic comedy is set entirely in the big apple. The story follows the awkward growing relationship between a writer and a sports doctor. The romance is filled with hilarity but so is every other moment of the film.
John Cena plays a supporting role as the main character’s boyfriend at the start of the film. This was the first time audiences started to realize the wrestler’s surprising comedic talents. In addition to the main cast, a slew of cameos show up from stars like Matthew Broderick, Marisa Tomei, and Daniel Radcliffe.
Precious
All the films thus far have either been larger than life stories or well-to-do people dealing with their issues. Not every New York resident is lucky enough to have a middle-class lifestyle.
Precious tells the story of a teenager growing up in an abusive environment, resulting in two pregnancies from her own father, and no future prospects. It’s an oppressive film but important. It’s also not without the slightest ray of hope from the few characters who show the titular character kindness and compassion.
Gangs Of New York
This one is an outlier on the list for taking place more than one hundred years in the past. As any historian would relay, knowing the past is just as important as knowing what’s going on today. Gangs of New York talks about the racial tension and class division that led to the infamous Draft Riots in July 1963.
Since the city is a microcosm of the American dream and culture, it would be remiss not to talk about the tension between people of different backgrounds. Especially since this has been a problem plaguing the United States for many years.
Red Hook Summer
Spike Lee was born in Georgia but moved to Brooklyn at an early enough age to consider it his hometown. As a result, his films set in the city’s largest borough are love letters to the place that raised him. At the same time, they never shy away from the issues residents face on a daily basis.
Red Hook Summer is another one of his numerous films set in Brooklyn. While not a classic like Do the Right Thing or She’s Gotta Have It, it’s a worthy successor to those older entries in his filmography.
You Were Never Really Here
A crime drama set in the big apple seemed like the last thing Lynne Ramsay would do, but it turned out to be the perfect project for her. You Were Never Really Here feels like if Andrei Tarkovsky or Sergei Parajanov directed Taxi Driver, but Lynne also has a visual style all her own.
Joaquin Phoenix delivers one of the most powerful performances of his career as a veteran who helps track down missing teenagers. It’s a stunningly visual movie, showcasing the beautiful city while displaying the movie’s gritty, upsetting narrative.
Requiem For A Dream
Hubert Selby is one of the 20th century’s definitive New York authors, with Requiem for a Dream standing as one of his most revered works. The downward spiral of the four main characters was adapted by Darren Aronofsky in 2000, and it’s still considered one of the most upsetting movies ever.
As a Brooklyn native, Darren was perfectly equipped to tackle this tragic New York tale.
Next: 10 Most Quintessential New York Shows, Ranked
