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The Best '70s Movies 

Ranker Community
Originally by Ranker Community
Updated October 21, 2019 72k votes 3.6k voters 148.2k views 591 items

List Rules Vote up the best movies released between 1/1/70 and 12/31/79

This list of the best movies of the '70s includes all of the top films from the 1970s, including some of the best movies ever featuring some of the greatest actors and actresses of all time. The greatest action films from the '70s, the best dramas of the decade, and the funniest movies from the '70s are all on this list of the top movies of the 1970s.

The 1970s were a great era for filmmaking, with a dark and dirty New York City for storytellers to play in. Practical special effects were reaching their peak, and artistic styles were unrestrained. Remember, this is the decade that brought us Rocky, Jaws, and even Star Wars. The death throes of the Hays Code were finally over and Hollywood was free to enter a new Golden Age, as you'll see when perusing this list of the best '70s films.

What is the greatest movie of the 1970s? Vote and find out! If your favorite '70s film isn't on the list, please feel free to add it to the list of the best '70s films yourself. If you disagree with what others are voting up as the best movie of the decade, vote for your favorite films from the 1970s and vote down the most overrated films from the '70s.
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list ordered by
1
The Godfather is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall

Released: 1972

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

The Godfather is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel by Mario Puzo. The aging patriarch (Marlon Brando) of an organized crime dynasty transfers ...more

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2
Jaws is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider

Released: 1975

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Jaws is a 1975 American thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. The prototypical summer blockbuster, its release is regarded as a ...more

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3
Star Wars is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill

Released: 1977

Directed by: George Lucas

Star Wars is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. The first release in the Star Wars franchise, it stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter ...more

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4
The Godfather Part II is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall

Released: 1974

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

The Godfather Part II is a 1974 American epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay co-written with Mario Puzo, starring Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. ...more

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5
Alien is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Ian Holm

Released: 1979

Directed by: Ridley Scott

Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott. The crew of the commercial space tug Nostromo encounter the eponymous Alien, a deadly and aggressive extraterrestrial set ...more

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6
One Flew Over the Cuckoo... is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd

Released: 1975

Directed by: Miloš Forman

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a 1975 drama film written by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman and directed by Miloš Forman.

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7
Apocalypse Now is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Marlon Brando, Harrison Ford, Robert Duvall

Released: 1979

Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola

Apocalypse Now is a 1979 American epic adventure war film set during the Vietnam War. Produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando, Martin Sheen, and Robert Duvall. ...more

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8
Taxi Driver is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Martin Scorsese

Released: 1976

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Taxi Driver is a 1976 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. Set in New York City soon after the end of the Vietnam War, the film ...more

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9
Rocky is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Sylvester Stallone, Joe Frazier, Burgess Meredith

Released: 1976

Directed by: John G. Avildsen

Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen. A small-time boxer (Sylvester Stallone) gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion (Carl Weathers) in ...more

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10
The Exorcist is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair

Released: 1973

Directed by: William Friedkin

The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. The book, inspired by the 1949 ...more

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11
Dirty Harry is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best '70s Movies
RodneyBlair added Clint Eastwood, Don Siegel, Andrew Robinson

Released: 1971

Directed by: Don Siegel

Dirty Harry is a 1971 American action film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco ...more

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12
A Clockwork Orange is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Malcolm McDowell, Warren Clarke, Steven Berkoff

Released: 1971

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 dystopian crime film adapted, produced, and directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Anthony Burgess's 1962 novella A Clockwork Orange. It employs disturbing, violent ...more

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13
The Deer Hunter is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken

Released: 1978

Directed by: Michael Cimino

The Deer Hunter is a 1978 American epic drama film co-written and directed by Michael Cimino about a trio of Russian American steelworkers and their service in Vietnam. The film stars Robert De ...more

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14
Deliverance is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty

Released: 1972

Directed by: John Boorman

Deliverance is a 1972 American dramatic thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their ...more

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15
The Sting is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw

Released: 1973

Directed by: George Roy Hill

The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936, involving a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss. The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who had ...more

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16
Young Frankenstein is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Gene Hackman, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder

Released: 1974

Directed by: Mel Brooks

Young Frankenstein is a 1974 American comedy film directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder as the title character, a descendant of the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The supporting ...more

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17
Halloween is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Donald Pleasence

Released: 1978

Directed by: John Carpenter

Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher horror film directed and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with producer Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her ...more

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18
Monty Python and the Hol... is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best '70s Movies
John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle

Released: 1975

Directed by: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1975 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group of Monty Python, and directed by Gilliam and Jones. It was conceived during the hiatus ...more

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19
Dog Day Afternoon is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Al Pacino, Carol Kane, Charles Durning

Released: 1975

Directed by: Sidney Lumet

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20
American Graffiti is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, Suzanne Somers

Released: 1973

Directed by: George Lucas

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21
Chinatown is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, Roman Polanski

Released: 1974

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film, directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne, starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. The film was inspired by the ...more

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22
The French Connection is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, Fernando Rey

Released: 1971

Directed by: William Friedkin

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23
Willy Wonka & the Ch... is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Tim Brooke-Taylor

Released: 1971

Directed by: Mel Stuart

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24
Close Encounters of the ... is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Carl Weathers

Released: 1977

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film, written and directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, ...more

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25
Blazing Saddles is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best '70s Movies
Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Anne Bancroft

Released: 1974

Directed by: Mel Brooks

Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman ...more

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