Private investigator Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton) is a man living with Tourette’s syndrome and who works for detective agency owner and mentor Frank Minna (Bruce Willis) in 1950s New York. When Frank is murdered during an investigation, Lionel becomes determined to uncover who was responsible, using his sharp memory and obsessive attention to detail to follow the clues left behind. Lionel’s search leads him to powerful urban planner Moses Randolph (Alec Baldwin), whose redevelopment projects are tied to corruption and community displacement. Along the way, Lionel is helped by activist Laura Rose (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and encounters key figures connected to the conspiracy, including Paul Randolph (Willem Dafoe) and Tony Vermonte (Bobby Cannavale), as he seeks justice and struggles to define his own identity beyond his mentor’s influence.

West 148th Street (btw Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) Manhattan.

Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Bridge, Harlem River Lift Span, Harlem, New York.

Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, East River, Manhattan.

Hansborough Recreation Center, 35 West 134th Street & Lenox Terrace Place, Harlem.

Asser Levy Public Baths, 392 Asser Levy Place and East 23rd Street, Manhattan.

New York County Supreme Court, 60 Centre Street and Worth Street, Manhattan.

Henry Street (btw Orange Street and Pineapple Street) Brooklyn.

otsoNY Comments: 54 Below is a nonprofit cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performers as Patti LuPone, Ben Vereen, Sierra Boggess, Peggy King, Lea Salonga, Marilyn Maye, Luann de Lesseps and Barbara Cook.

54 Below, 254 West 54th Street (btw Broadway and 8th Avenue) Manhattan.

otsoNY Comments: St. Nick’s Pub was one of Harlem’s longest continuously operating jazz clubs, celebrated for its deep connection to both jazz and blues heritage. Its history stretches back to the early twentieth century, when in the 1930s it operated under the name Poosepahtuck.

otsoNY Comments: By the 1940s, the venue had been re-established as Lucky’s Rendezvous, owned by the legendary pianist and composer Luckey Roberts, a highly influential figure who mentored icons such as Duke Ellington and George Gershwin.

otsoNY Comments: Over the decades, St. Nick’s Pub became an important cultural landmark, providing a stage for both established and emerging musicians and helping to preserve Harlem’s reputation as a centre of American jazz. Despite its rich musical legacy, St. Nick’s Pub closed in December 2011 after failing to secure the renewal of its liquor licence.

otsoNY Comments: On March 22, 2018, tragedy struck when a fire severely damaged the building while it was being used as a filming location for "Motherless Brooklyn". The incident sadly resulted in the death of FDNY firefighter Michael R. Davidson, marking a devastating chapter in the history of a venue that had long stood as a symbol of Harlem’s musical and cultural identity.

otsoNY Comments: In 2019, the building was demolished.

St. Nick's Pub, 773 St Nicholas Avenue and West 149th Street, Manhattan.

400 West 149th Street and St Nicholas Avenue, Upper Manhattan.

The Robert Moses Building, Randalls and Wards Islands, New York.

New York Public Library, 476 5th Avenue (btw East 40th and 42nd Streets) Manhattan.

482 Willoughby Avenue (btw Nostrand Avenue and Marcy Avenue) Brooklyn.

Washington Square North and 5th Avenue, Manhattan.

Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, Manhattan.