New styles, new technology and new voices changed the film industrythroughout 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 filmsas 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.
Legendary directors of the 1970slike 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 genresand is still hard to stack up against, especially when comparing the quality of stunts and editing.
10The Driver (1978)
Directed By Walter Hill
The Driveris action legend Walter Hill’s second movie and possibly his most influential. If you have seen 2011’sDrive,you have seen the film most influenced by it. A silent and sparse film that never names its characters, it plays out as one ofthe best cat-and-mouse thrillersbetween 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 chasesput 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.
Marathon Man
Cast
Marathon Man follows a graduate student in New York, who becomes entangled in a mysterious conspiracy involving his brother, part of a covert organization. As he navigates danger and intrigue, the narrative delves into themes of trust and betrayal.
Adapted from a William Goldman novel of the same name,Marathon Manwas 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 performanceas 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.
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 watchingDuelthat he was able to make so many people afraid of the water withJaws, 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 bya mysterious and never revealed truckdriver.
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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 crushingas 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.
Rolling Thunder
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.
Rolling Thundershares 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.
6The 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 Threeproves 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.
5The Last Run (1971)
Directed By Richard Fleischer
An overlooked classic of crime cinema, Richard Fleischer’sThe Last Runis 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 Runtears through the south of France and Portugal with unprecedented speed.The film is also commendable for its use of sound,Jerry Goldsmith’s astonishing scoreand 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.
4Sorcerer (1977)
Directed By William Friedkin
The late great William Friedkinimplemented every trick in the book to makeSorcereras unnerving an experience as possible. Backed byTangerine 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 late, great William Friedkin helped redefine numerous genres with classic movies like The French Connection, The Exorcist, and Sorcerer.
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 watchingSorcerer.It descends into more and more disconcerting scenarios, never becoming boring with the ever present obstacles they find in their way.
3The Silent Partner (1978)
Dir. Daryl Duke
Disconcerting and undeniably eerie,The Silent Partneris 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 Partneralmost plays out like a horror moviewith 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.
The French Connection
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.
Exploding onto the screen in a violent and hectic flurry of chases and crashes,The French Connectionlaid 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.
5 Best Car Chases Of The 70s (& The 5 Best Of The 80s)
The 70s and 80s built and solidified what is required to make an amazing car chase in film. Here are the 10 best car chases in 70s and 80s movies.
The movie is filled with chaotic high-speed chases and action sequences through the dangerous streets of New York.Its car against train chaseis 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.
Dog Day Afternoon
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.
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 Afternoonsolidifies 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 Afternoonis a detail-driven look at a failed robbery, which is sure to leave any viewers sweating.
