The 1970s are often romanticized in American pop culture for good reason. Video games started blooming for the masses, rock and disco music was all the rage, with some of the best artists of all time dominating the charts, and Hollywood ushered in a novel era of storytelling and superstars. Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert De Niro are just a few of the iconic names that made this decade one of cinema’s finest yet.
It’s hard to believe that this incredible period is 50 years in the rearview mirror now. Even with several new generations of filmmakers creating novel series and building on older techniques since then, the 1970s represent a legendary pinnacle for genres like the mobster film and science fiction movies. Without the special effects of today, these films from the past were forced to hone in on the essence of their story with great writing and crafty direction behind the camera. These are the best 70s movies to relive over again on streaming.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver showed the world that Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese could be just as effective outside of the mafia genre as they are embroiled in it. The plot follows the troubled and disturbing life of De Niro’s Travis Bickle as he grapples with existential gripes and trauma from the Vietnam War while driving passengers around New York. The movie rebranded Scorsese as a deeper and more daring director who wanted to examine the motivations of the Italian-American population in the wake of cultural upheaval in the 60s. A young Jodie Foster showed off her talents in this one and received an Academy Award nomination.
Mean Streets (1973)
The first joint effort from Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro remains one of the duo’s best. Mean Streets deals with all sorts of mafia matters as Charlie Cappa tries to overcome the baggage of his loser best friend and the cutthroat viciousness of the mob in Little Italy, Manhattan. The New York setting oozes Scorsese’s personality and De Niro set a standard of how he would want to portray characters in future mafia films. David Proval, an actor who would later famously grace the second season of The Sopranos, is an excellent supporting star in the film.
The Conversation (1974)
Gene Hackman and John Cazale are never better than in The Conversation. This espionage film made the way easier for every spy film director in the next 50 years. The movie’s plot gets more complex and tense as the main character can’t decide how to investigate a potential murder before it happens. The movie is a great example of a film that was made on a small budget, barely made any money, and yet lives on a half-century later.
The Godfather (1972)
The Godfather’s reputation as one of the best movies of all time holds up all these decades later because it executed a clear vision. Francis Ford Coppola wanted Americans to see the corrupt underbelly of the mafia family in a new way. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino turned in career-defining performances as members of the Corleone family as they struggled to mix family business with crime business. The Godfather’s sequels are equally famous, but the original makes the list for its creativity and vitality in the mob category.
Chinatown (1974)
Roman Polanski’s American filmmaking career culminated in this terrific thriller about an investigator who gets in over his head while checking out the misdoings of a cheating spouse. Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway are fantastic as Nicholson gets closer to the truth and deeper into trouble as the detective. The movie is a period piece itself (set in the 1930s) which allows audiences today to have fun seeing the ways Polanski and his crew oriented a time that is now nearly a century in the past.
Star Wars (1977)
Star Wars is a corny, revolutionary masterpiece that has grown into a cult and mainstream phenomenon simultaneously. It’s hard to believe that almost 50 years later, this classic has spawned dozens of sequels, prequels, TV series, and merchandising efforts globally. The first film presented here in 1977 can still be enjoyed for its unadulterated efforts to produce something novel and magical. Harrison Ford might not be at his best until he believed in the script more in later movies, but the chaotic and cheesy portrayals of these characters in a faraway galaxy endear us all the same.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
Surprise! Jack Nicholson appears on the list yet again in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. He plays a criminal who feigns craziness and must serve time in a psych ward to cure him of his “mental health problems”. As he gets more ingrained in the culture of the institute, he learns that the person running the ward may just be more nuts than any of the patients. The film is one of the best book adaptations of all time and gives credence to people suffering from internalized issues, even if the way the story goes about it is now outdated.
