‘Drop Dead City’ Review: A Gripping Look at How New York City Almost Went Bankrupt in 1975, Foreshadowing the Current Moment

‘Drop Dead City’ Review: A Gripping Look at How New York City Almost Went Bankrupt in 1975, Foreshadowing the Current Moment

The reason I call "Drop Dead City" wonkish is that the film isn’t a seamy urban-cultural biography; it really is about the money. And the more the film follows the money, the more it tells a story larger than New York — a story with direct application to today.

Drop dead again? New film finds NYC’s 1975 fiscal crisis still haunting the city today.

“Drop Dead City,” a new documentary about New York City teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and ruin in 1975, premieres at the IFC Center on Friday.