"Gritty" 70's films. I'm totally addicted!

The Exterminator

Extremely early 80's movie about a Vietnam vet taking on the mob and NY creeps.

 

The New Centurions and The Choir boys are decent but I don't think set in NY but LA.

 

I saw this at Loews Metropolitan in Brooklyn ! (As in the ad)

 

Film Forum in NYC had a series this summer covering NY in the 70s, featuring a lot of the films mentioned : "Taking of Pelham 123", "French Connection", "Taxi Driver", "Midnight Cowboy", "Serpico" , "Dog Day Afternoon"...One that I wish that I had caught because I never saw it before was "Born to Win" from 1971 with George Segal and Robert DeNiro in a small role- I've seen stills and it looks like a lot of it was filmed in Times Square (I love seeing photos and films of the "old" Times Square)

 

I don't know if they make the cut, but two that come to mind are:

The Warriors - 1979
Defiance - 1980 (close enough) with Jan Michael Vincent

Two of my favorite movies growing up.

 

Andy Kaufman has a brief but memorable appearance in that one...

 

Blue Collar

 

I was just going to add The Warriors. I, surprisingly, had never seen it until this year and loved it.

No Wave movies such as Permanent Vacation, The Blank Generation, Wild Style, Smithereens have a lot of NYC back in the day. They won't hold up to some of the classics mentioned in this thread but are good for a fix.

 

I really like Thief, which is so similar to the best movies listed here, but it falls slightly into the 80s and is in Chicago.

 

Me too, although I would've had trouble coming up with the name.

 

This dramedy from 1974 was one I watched repeatedly on HBO. Funny and poignant stuff. Difficult to find on dvd but youtube has it up. Ernest Borgnine and Karen Black are hilarious.

 

Tenement, Savage Streets, Combat Shock, Fight For Your Life

 

Mean Streets and The Last Detail are two of my favorites.

I find lots of tourists come to NY now because it is safe and clean with lots of Mall Stores, and are disappointed that it's not like it appears in those 197o's movies. That's the romanticized mental image they have of NY. Ironically when NY was like that most of them were too scared to come and visit.

Not to mention there would have been no where for them to stay. Traditionally tourism was only about 5% of the NYC economy.

 

There really is something special about the films of the late 60s up through the 70s in my opinion. They seemed to have no boundaries. Great films such as The Graduate, Dirty Harry, The Taking Of Pelham Station 123 Rosemary's Baby, Easy Rider, The Exorcist, Death Wish, etc... could have never been made in any other time.

This is definitely my favorite time period for films.

 

Lots of great suggestions in this thread, but I want to direct everyone here who doesn't already know about it to the Every 70s Movie blog:

Every 70s Movie

I read it every day and am always finding new films of interest.

 

1980 movie Times Square, although maybe a different feel, it captures a time and place that no longer exist. Also a fantastic soundtrack album.

 

Smithereens (1982) is well worth a watch.

 

great film but not one I think of as New York City Gritty. But worth it for "refund??? REFUND??"

love it!

 

Cisco Pike - Kris Kristofferson's first movie role, with Gene Hackman, Karen Black
1970s LA area

 

A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Minnie and Moskowitz (1971)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Gloria (1980)
Alex in Wonderland (1970)
Little Murders (1971)

 

Scum (1979)

 

I'll make a left-field choice and suggest Saturday Night Fever. People forget what a dark film that really is. It's like Mean Streets with disco dancing.

 

Shafts Big Score and though not quite gritty, The President's Analyst features some limited street scenes in late 60s new york. You gotta have some Coburn in any 70s marathon.

 

Really great movie!! and soundtrack!