New York and Los Angeles are generally considered the premiere American cities as far as filmmaking is concerned. However, America's third-largest city, the "Windy City" of Chicago, has hosted some fantastic productions of its own, and the city is often a character in itself, owing to its rich history and culture.
From charming romantic comedies to stylish neo-noir thrillers, to gangster movies based on the real lives of the real bootleggers who ruled the city's underworld during prohibition, many a classic film has featured the storied streets of Chicago. Here are ten examples, ranked according to Rotten Tomatoes.
10 The Blues Brothers - 73%
The famous mall car chase scene in 1980's The Blues Brothers was filmed on location at the Dixie Square Mall in Harvey, IL, just south of Chicago. Much of the film was shot in Chicago itself, and the film is of course an iconic comedy that remains a classic to this day.
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd make for a once-in-a-lifetime duo, and even though the film isn't as beloved by critics as its reputation would suggest, it's a true crowd-pleaser, as evidenced by its 92% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
9 Ferris Bueller's Day Off - 81%
The late, great, John Hughes was one of Chicago's most prized filmmakers, having set most of his films in the Chicago metropolitan area. 1986's teen comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a beloved buddy film in which a notorious class cutter decides to play hooky one last time before graduation.
This time, he goes in style, driving through Chicago in his friend's father's Ferrari. Ferris, Sloane, and Cameron make a terrific trio, and the film is rightfully considered a bonafide '80s classic.
8 Chi-Raq - 82%
Director Spike Lee calls New York City home, and most of his films are set in and around the Big Apple. In response to the escalating gang violence in Chicago, however, he co-wrote and directed 2015's Chi-Raq, which is a modern retelling of the Ancient Greek comedy, Lysistrata.
The premise of the play is that the women of Greece go on a sex strike in order to bring about the end of the Peloponnesian War, and the women of Chicago take a page out of their book in this clever and exciting drama that's one of Lee's best latter year works.
7 The Untouchables - 83%
Perhaps the best gangster movie set in Chicago, 1987's The Untouchables is the story of special agent Eliot Ness' efforts to take down the infamous Al Capone, who built an underworld bootlegging empire during prohibition. Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner, and Sean Connery headline a terrific ensemble cast, and Brian De Palma delivers as he often does in the form of suspenseful high stakes action sequences.
Dark and violent, and endlessly entertaining, The Untouchables is a genre staple with high replay value, 34 years after its release.
6 High Fidelity - 91%
Chicago's own John Cusack stars in Stephen Frears' adaptation of the Nick Hornby novel, High Fidelity. Cusack stars as a cynical music aficionado and owner of the struggling record store called Championship Vinyl. He counts down his top five breakups of all time, and rekindles his relationship with one of them. The novel is set in London, but the film version is set in Chicago. Hysterically funny and genuinely heartfelt, the film is a joy to watch from beginning to end.
Cusack's second-person narration, which finds him breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience directly from time to time by looking directly into the camera, is a clever touch that makes his character all the more relatable.
5 The Dark Knight - 94%
In the original Batman comics, Gotham was modeled after New York City. Christopher Nolan, though, used Chicago for his rendering of Gotham City in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Given Nolan's preference for practical effects over CGI, the locations of his films always play a vital role.
The Dark Knight features Windy City landmarks such as the Criterion restaurant, the Chicago Theatre, the Old Chicago Main Post Office, and others. The film is perhaps the greatest superhero sequel of all time, doing the city proud.
4 The Fugitive - 96%
1993's The Fugitive is one of the great chase films of all time, starring Harrison Ford as the prime suspect in his wife's murder who must track down the actual killer while evading the U.S. Marshals who are hot on his trail. The film was a massive box office hit, grossing over $180 million worldwide.
It also earned a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards - a rarity for an unabashed genre action movie.The film was shot at over two dozen Chicago locations, many of which are in the downtown area near Grant Park.
3 Medium Cool - 96%
One of the most infamous events in Chicago's history is the tumultuous Democratic National Convention in 1968. Innovative director Haskell Wexler filmed Medium Cool during the convention, combining fact and fiction to create a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience. The plot centers around a TV cameraman who becomes politically radicalized when he finds out his network is collaborating with the FBI. Scenes were shot inside the actual convention, and outside during the actual riots.
The film submerges its actors into real-life historical events to create a landmark film that's both a narrative and a documentary feature at the same time.
2 Judas And The Black Messiah - 96%
2021's Judas and the Black Messiah is a riveting dramatic depiction of the FBI's infiltration of the Black Panther Party in Chicago in 1969, and their assassination of civil rights activist Fred Hampton. The movie simmers with righteous anger and a bold appreciation for Hampton's legacy, and has instantly become one of the year's must-see films.
Daniel Kaluuya is excellent as Hampton, and LaKeith Stanfield gives a haunting performance as the troubled Bill O'Neal who is coerced by the FBI into becoming an informant against the Panthers. It's an urgent and timely historical biopic that at times plays like a white-knuckled crime thriller, making it one of the best-reviewed Chicago-based films ever.
1 Hoop Dreams - 98%
The best-reviewed Chicago film of all time is the 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams, from director Steve James. It follows two teenagers, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who travel 90 minutes from their inner-city Chicago homes to a mostly white suburban high school known for their outstanding basketball program. Shot over the course of five years and boasting a nearly three-hour runtime, the film follows the students through their pursuit of NBA stardom as they struggle to overcome the social challenges that arise along the way.
The film is acclaimed for its tender and nonjudgmental approach to its subjects, as well as its adeptly photographed sports sequences, which will make a basketball fan out of everyone who sees it.
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