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'Saturday Night Fever' (1977) -

Tony Manero (John Travolta) from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn take us through the disco era in New York City.

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'Taxi Driver' (1976) -

Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is on a mission to "clean up" '70s New York. The city is definitely a key element in this Martin Scorsese movie.

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'Coming to America' (1988) -

An African prince (Eddie Murphy) moves to Queens in search of a wife. A pretty big culture shock ensues!

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'Goodfellas' (1990) -

'Goodfellas' portrays the Italian-American community in the city. Mostly set in Queens, but also in Brooklyn and Long Island.

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'King Kong' (1933) -

Who can forget King Kong on top of the Empire State Building fighting off planes?

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'The Godfather' (1972) -

Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece could only be set in New York, of course.

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'Midnight Cowboy' (1969) -

Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight play two shady characters roaming the streets of Manhattan (mostly Midtown).

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'Ghostbusters' (1984) -

We can see Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis all over Midtown. Their headquarters were located in Tribeca.

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'West Side Story' (1961) -

The famous musical give us a glimpse of life in New York's Upper West Side in the '50s.

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'Carlito’s Way' (1993) -

Former mobster Carlito (Al Pacino) returns home after being released from prison and wants out of his previous criminal life. There's a big shootout scene at Grand Central Terminal.

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'Desperately Seeking Susan' (1985) -

Madonna famously stars in this movie, mostly set in the rough Lower East Side. New York was certainly very different in the mid-'80s.

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'Annie Hall' (1977) -

New York is a quintessential element in Woody Allen movies. Here he is in a scene with Diane Keaton.

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'Wall Street' (1987) -

Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen star in this movie directed by Oliver Stone. And, of course, Wall Street, features in the film, as well as other NYC popular spots, such as Central Park.

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'Shaft' (1971) -

The detective take us through the streets of Greenwich Village and, like many other blaxploitation movies, Harlem.

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'The French Connection' (1971) -

Gene Hackman delivers an outstanding performance in the movie. Most of the film is set in Brooklyn.

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'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) -

This movie was based on a real bank robbery in Midwood, Brooklyn.

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'Manhattan' (1979) -

The movie is exactly what it says on the tin. Woody Allen's 'Manhattan' is a love letter to the city.

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'Mean Streets' (1973) -

Martin Scorsese takes us through life in the mean streets of Little Italy in the 1970s.

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'Big' (1988) -

Tom Hanks plays a teenager who wakes up in the body of an adult. The movie is set in several locations across NYC, from Greenwich Village to Soho. 

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'The Wolf of Wall Street' (2013) -

From Long Island to Manhattan, we can see Leonardo DiCaprio's character in different locations across the Big Apple.

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'He Got Game' (1998) -

A great part of this Spike Lee movie starring Denzel Washington is set in Coney Island.

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'Once Upon a Time in America' (1984) -

Sergio Leone's epic crime drama about gangster life in early 20th-century New York is outstanding.

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'Serpico' (1973) -

The movie takes us through the life of NYPD officer Frank Serpico and his struggle with corruption in the force.

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'25th Hour' (2002) -

Spike Lee's movie portrays the city in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

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'Kids' (1995) -

From drugs to sex, and HIV, Larry Clark's movie gives us some insight on what some teens in Manhattan (mostly Greenwich Village) were up to in the '90s.

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'Do the Right Thing' (1989) -

Yes, it's Spike Lee again. The movie portrays racial tensions in the city at the time. The story takes place in Brooklyn.

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'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze' (1991) -

It's safe to say that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are great ambassadors of New York-style pizza!

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'The Muppets Take Manhattan' (1984) -

From muggings to rats in kitchens, the Muppets bring a touch of realism to their take on the Big Apple.

Sources: (Complex)

See also: The most under and overrated attractions in the Big Apple

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