New styles, new technology and new voices changed the film industry throughout the 1960s and left the 1970s a brave new frontier for movies. As on-location shooting and lower-budget film making grew in popularity, it allowed for new kinds of stories to be told. Thriller films as we know them were born in this era, with many of the best coming from it. Smaller cameras and experimentation with editing expanded the realm of what was possible when creating these types of stories.
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Legendary directors of the 1970s like Steven Spielberg, Sidney Lumet, and Francis Ford Coppola cut their teeth in this genre and helped establish the language for thrillers yet to come. The decade was amazing for thrillers of all genres and is still hard to stack up against, especially when comparing the quality of stunts and editing.
You are watching: 10 Action Thrillers From The 1970s That Had Edge-Of-Your-Seat Intensity
10 The Driver (1978)
Directed By Walter Hill
The Driver is action legend Walter Hill’s second movie and possibly his most influential. If you have seen 2011’s Drive, you have seen the film most influenced by it. A silent and sparse film that never names its characters, it plays out as one of the best cat-and-mouse thrillers between a cool driver played by Ryan O’Neal and a malicious cop played by Bruce Dern.
The movie is littered with some of the greatest car chases put on screen, handled with a realism and grit that only emphasizes the tension. Dern is a particular highlight, providing the tough edge that makes many ’70s thrillers so intense. The film takes full advantage of its destructive chases, making nail-biting tension out of any moment the driver gets behind the wheel. Its script, style and effortless cool have inspired a great many filmmakers and is always worth a look.
9 Marathon Man (1976)
Directed By John Schlesinger
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Marathon Man RThriller Where to Watch
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*Availability in US Release Date October 8, 1976 Writers William Goldman Cast Dustin Hoffman , Laurence Olivier , Roy Scheider , William Devane , Marthe Keller , Fritz Weaver Runtime 125 minutes Director John Schlesinger Main Genre Thriller Expand
Adapted from a William Goldman novel of the same name, Marathon Man was John Schlesinger’s first thriller, and it wouldn’t be his last. Following a young college student who is drawn into a conspiracy after the murder of his brother. As the title suggests, the film is notable for the almost constant motion it keeps its lead in, having Dustin Hoffman push his body to the limit for the sake of survival. Laurence Olivier gives a great performance as an immensely frightening villain who carries a retractable blade.
The film is notable as well for its use of sound and editing, which pushes every button to get you to the edge of the seat. So many of the movie’s most iconic scenes come from the sheer tension they induce. Whether it be the dentist torture scene or the absolutely riveting bath tub sequence, there are so many moments to get you tense.
8 Duel (1971)
Directed By Steven Spielberg
Duel (1971) PGActionThrillerTV Movie
Release Date November 13, 1971 Writers Richard Matheson Cast Dennis Weaver , Jacqueline Scott , Eddie Firestone , Lou Frizzell , Gene Dynarski , Lucille Benson , Tim Herbert , Charles Seel , Shirley O’Hara Runtime 89 Minutes Director Steven Spielberg Main Genre Action Expand
Spielberg’s first film and definitely one to take note of for how quickly he took to creating high octane tension. It is no surprise after watching Duel that he was able to make so many people afraid of the water with Jaws, because this will certainly make you skeptical of trucks. Told over the course of one drive, it follows a traveling salesman as he finds himself tormented by a mysterious and never revealed truck driver.
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Set in the Mojave Desert, the movie is bursting with sunlight, and causes Dennis Weaver’s protagonist to feel trapped within a hotbox as he attempts to steer clear of the enormous truck. It is claustrophobic and crushing as we experience the tense, almost psychedelic experience of attempting to survive on the road. It captures some truly incredible moments between the dueling cars and proves Spielberg was always destined for amazing things.
7 Rolling Thunder (1977)
Directed By John Flynn
Rolling Thunder RActionDramaCrime
Major Charles Rane returns from Vietnam to a hero’s welcome, only to face a brutal attack that leaves his family dead and himself gravely injured. Teaming up with his war comrade Johnny, Rane embarks on a revenge-fueled journey against the perpetrators.
Release Date November 2, 1977 Studio(s) American International Pictures Writers Paul Schrader , Heywood Gould Cast William Devane , Tommy Lee Jones , Linda Haynes , James Best , Dabney Coleman Runtime 100 Minutes Director John Flynn Main Genre Action Expand
Rolling Thunder shares a great deal in common with another ’70s movie penned by Paul Schrader, Taxi Driver. It is an exposing portrait of a man’s return to Vietnam and the events following the murder of his family. There is a dense and bubbling tension that hangs above the whole film, waiting for its explosive climax with excruciating anxiety. It is pure ’70s pulp, even just witnessing him load his shotgun with a hooked hand is a sight to behold.
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William Devane delivers the performance of his career as a man detached from the world he supposedly fought for and ready to fight back. The movie’s Texas setting provides the exact sweat-glossed tension that you would expect from the thrillers of the 70s. It is a high point of the revenge genre and provides enough anger to back up its violent and biting finale.
6 The Taking Of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Directed By Joseph Sargent
The movie so tense they remade it twice. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three proves how much tension can be drawn from a confined space. The film follows the hijacking of a train car by four gunmen in an attempt to receive a million dollar ransom. The film plays out in the train car and in the operating booth for the trains as the authorities attempt to thwart the hijackers’ attempts.
It kicks into gear at high speed, immediately starting with the hijacking and never letting up on the momentum from that moment. Any conversation is tense as the police attempt to outsmart the criminals that hold their cards close to the chest. The movie is about as nuts and bolts as a thriller can get, but it is precisely that reason which makes it great. Joseph Sargent’s detached style helps accentuate the intelligence involved in the hijacking and helps maintain the ever present stakes.
5 The Last Run (1971)
Directed By Richard Fleischer
An overlooked classic of crime cinema, Richard Fleischer’s The Last Run is an exemplary entry into the thriller genre. It carries a great deal of emotional weight, without ever easing up on the accelerator. Elevated by an immensely strong George C. Scott performance, the movie follows a retired getaway driver as he accepts a job for the first time in years to transport a criminal and his girlfriend to France.
John Huston was originally attached to direct before dropping out due to tension between him and George C. Scott.
Set against the beautiful landscapes of the Mediterranean, The Last Run tears through the south of France and Portugal with unprecedented speed. The film is also commendable for its use of sound, Jerry Goldsmith’s astonishing score and the roaring engines tearing you from the tranquility of the environment. It is a stunning achievement, and Fleischer should be commended for the ways in which he captured every chase.
4 Sorcerer (1977)
Directed By William Friedkin
The late great William Friedkin implemented every trick in the book to make Sorcerer as unnerving an experience as possible. Backed by Tangerine Dream’s greatest score, this movie refuses to hold back when it comes to the perilous journey it carves through South America. Four men, each without a home to return to, find themselves hiding in a small town where they are offered the opportunity to drive two trucks filled with unstable nitroglycerin.
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The movie plays out as the most stressful road trip put on screen, where every turn and every bump could end the journey in a second. Whether it is the excellent opening sequences which reveal each character’s backstory or the iconic bridge crossing in the rain, there is always something to be tense about when watching Sorcerer. It descends into more and more disconcerting scenarios, never becoming boring with the ever present obstacles they find in their way.
3 The Silent Partner (1978)
Dir. Daryl Duke
Disconcerting and undeniably eerie, The Silent Partner is a strong entry into the thriller genre by Daryl Duke. The movie follows a bank teller who uses an unsuccessful robbery as a guise to stage his own theft, but finds himself haunted by the original thief. Elliot Gould is great as the bored teller who takes on a daring robbery and helps to maintain the paranoia that sinks in throughout the runtime.
The movie also boasts an especially threatening performance from Christopher Plummer as the thief who wants his revenge. There is a spattering of insane moments, such as the Santa Claus heist and a fish tank decapitation. The Silent Partner almost plays out like a horror movie with how well it infuses its characters with paranoia and fills its frames with shadowy imagery. It is a worthwhile entry into the thriller genre and deserving of the attention it never garnered.
2 The French Connection (1971)
Directed By William Friedkin
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The French Connection RThriller
The French Connection is a 1971 crime thriller directed by William Friedkin. It stars Gene Hackman as Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle and Roy Scheider as his partner Buddy Russo. The film follows their efforts to dismantle a major heroin smuggling operation. Known for its gritty realism and intense action sequences, The French Connection received critical acclaim and won several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Hackman.
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*Availability in US Release Date October 7, 1971 Cast Gene Hackman , Fernando Rey , Roy Scheider Runtime 104 Minutes Director William Friedkin
Exploding onto the screen in a violent and hectic flurry of chases and crashes, The French Connection laid out the blueprint for the modern action movie as we know it. Friedkin’s combination of handheld cinematography and hectic motion, propels the movie forward with unprecedented ferocity. It plays out as the relatively simple story of an obsessed cop’s attempt to take down a French drug lord. It is a cat-and-mouse chase filled with explosive rage and twisted metal.
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The movie is filled with chaotic high-speed chases and action sequences through the dangerous streets of New York. Its car against train chase is still one of the greatest sequences put on screen, utilizing aggressive cutting and even more aggressive driving to create a truly pulse-pounding sequence. The technical aspects paired with Gene Hackman’s incendiary performance provide for a truly kinetic experience that is still hard to top.
1 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Directed By Sidney Lumet
Dog Day Afternoon RCrimeBiographyDrama
A man tries to rob a bank to pay for his lover’s operation, who ends up in a hostage situation besieged by the media.
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*Availability in US Release Date December 25, 1975 Cast Al Pacino , John Cazale , Penelope Allen , Carol Kane , Marcia Jean Kurtz Director Sidney Lumet Main Genre Crime
Sidney Lumet proved in his directorial debut, 12 Angry Men, that he could turn a single space into an intense and claustrophobic experience. Dog Day Afternoon solidifies his ability to do so, delivering a suffocatingly paranoid experience that refuses to let the viewer breathe. Inspired by a true story, the film follows two men as they attempt to take on a bank and everything that proceeds to go wrong.
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The movie is anchored by what may be Al Pacino’s greatest performance, perfectly paranoid and constantly making little mistakes that amount to bigger failures. Lumet perfectly captures the anxiety that ratchets up throughout, never leaving much room for rest. The robbery quickly turns into a media circus and, as the stakes seem to spiral out of control, as do the thieves. Dog Day Afternoon is a detail-driven look at a failed robbery, which is sure to leave any viewers sweating.
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