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Best Action Movies of the 1970s
#1 Star Wars (1977) · ★ 8.2 · 22,955 votes · 2h 1m · action, adventure, science-fictionPrincess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo tea…
#2 Dersu Uzala (1975) · ★ 7.9 · 658 votes · 2h 21m · action, adventure, dramaA military explorer meets and befriends a Goldi man in Russia’s unmapped forests. A deep and abiding bond evolves between the two men, one civilized in the usual sense, the other a…
#3 The Warriors (1979) · ★ 7.7 · 2,488 votes · 1h 34m · action, thrillerProminent gang leader Cyrus calls a meeting of New York's gangs to set aside their turf wars and take over the city. At the meeting, a rival leader kills Cyrus, but a Coney Island…
#4 They Call Me Trinity (1970) · ★ 7.6 · 1,499 votes · 1h 55m · action, comedy, westernThe simple story has the pair coming to the rescue of peace-loving Mormons when land-hungry Major Harriman sends his bullies to harass them into giving up their fertile valley. Tri…
#5 Dirty Harry (1971) · ★ 7.5 · 2,850 votes · 1h 42m · action, thriller, crimeWhen a madman dubbed 'Scorpio' terrorizes San Francisco, hard-nosed cop, Harry Callahan – famous for his take-no-prisoners approach to law enforcement – is tasked with hunting down…
#6 The French Connection (1971) · ★ 7.5 · 2,220 votes · 1h 44m · action, thriller, crimeTough narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle is in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a huge heroin-smuggling operation.…
#7 Watch Out, We're Mad (1974) · ★ 7.5 · 908 votes · 1h 42m · action, comedyAfter a tied 1st place in a local stunt race, two drivers start a contest to decide who of them will own the prize, a dune buggy. But when a mobster destroys the car, they are dete…
#8 The Day of the Jackal (1973) · ★ 7.5 · 707 votes · 2h 23m · action, thrillerAn international assassin known as ‘The Jackal’ is employed by disgruntled French generals to kill President Charles de Gaulle, with a dedicated gendarme on the assassin’s trail.…
#9 Sorcerer (1977) · ★ 7.5 · 691 votes · 2h 2m · action, adventure, thrillerFour men from different parts of the globe, all hiding from their pasts in the same remote South American town, agree to risk their lives transporting several cases of dynamite (wh…
#10 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) · ★ 7.5 · 632 votes · 1h 45m · action, comedy, thrillerIn New York, armed men hijack a subway car and demand a ransom for the passengers while the authorities question about the method of their escape.…
#11 The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978) · ★ 7.5 · 523 votes · 1h 56m · action, adventureDuring the Qing Dynasty, a fishmonger is killed by the reigning Manchu government for supporting the anti-government movement; his son manages to escape to Shaolin Temple, where he…
#12 Enter the Dragon (1973) · ★ 7.4 · 2,164 votes · 1h 42m · actionA martial artist agrees to spy on a reclusive crime lord using his invitation to a tournament there as cover.…
#13 Duel (1971) · ★ 7.4 · 2,136 votes · 1h 14m · action, tv-movie, thrillerTraveling businessman David Mann angers the driver of a rusty tanker while crossing the California desert. A simple trip turns deadly, as Mann struggles to stay on the road while t…
#14 The Way of the Dragon (1972) · ★ 7.4 · 1,343 votes · 1h 40m · action, crimeAfter a Chinese restaurant in Rome is threatened by the mafia, who will stop at nothing to acquire the property, the owner recruits a family friend in Hong Kong, kung fu expert Tan…
#15 Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) · ★ 7.4 · 1,295 votes · 1h 35m · action, adventure, dramaA few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire, a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon River in search of th…
#16 Drunken Master (1978) · ★ 7.4 · 1,178 votes · 1h 51m · action, comedyAfter getting into trouble, a mischievous young man is sent to train under a brutal, but slovenly old beggar, who teaches him the secret of the Drunken Fist.…
#17 Rocky II (1979) · ★ 7.3 · 4,977 votes · 1h 59m · action, dramaAfter Rocky goes the distance with champ Apollo Creed, both try to put the fight behind them and move on. Rocky settles down with Adrian but can't put his life together outside the…
#18 Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) · ★ 7.3 · 1,260 votes · 1h 31m · action, thriller, crimeA highway patrol officer, two criminals, and a station secretary form an unlikely alliance to defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang.…
#19 Jeremiah Johnson (1972) · ★ 7.3 · 728 votes · 1h 48m · action, adventure, dramaWhile slowly adapting to the grueling life of a mountain man in the Rocky Mountains, Jeremiah Johnson encounters the Crow and Flathead tribes as well as hunters, trappers and settl…
#20 Superman (1978) · ★ 7.2 · 4,446 votes · 2h 24m · action, adventure, science-fictionMild-mannered Clark Kent works as a reporter at the Daily Planet alongside his crush, Lois Lane. Clark must summon his superhero alter-ego when the nefarious Lex Luthor launches a…
#21 Fist of Fury (1972) · ★ 7.2 · 1,118 votes · 1h 48m · action, thriller, dramaDuring the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, Chen Zhen, the star pupil of a recently-deceased martial arts teacher battles a Japanese dojo which seeks the demise of his fighting sch…
#22 The Poseidon Adventure (1972) · ★ 7.2 · 1,027 votes · 1h 57m · action, adventure, thrillerWhen their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.…
#23 The Getaway (1972) · ★ 7.2 · 694 votes · 2h 3m · action, thriller, dramaA recently released ex-convict and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes wrong.…
#24 The Driver (1978) · ★ 7.2 · 526 votes · 1h 31m · action, thriller, crimeThe Driver specializes in driving getaway cars for robberies. His exceptional talent has prevented him from being caught yet. After another successful flight from the police a self…
#25 Magnum Force (1973) · ★ 7.1 · 1,257 votes · 2h 4m · action, drama, crime"Dirty" Harry Callahan is a San Francisco Police Inspector on the trail of a group of rogue cops who have taken justice into their own hands. When shady characters are murdered one…
#26 The Big Boss (1971) · ★ 7.1 · 873 votes · 1h 39m · actionCheng is a young Chinese mainlander who moves in with his expatriate cousins to work at an ice factory in Thailand. He does this with a family promise never to get involved in any…
#27 Vanishing Point (1971) · ★ 7.1 · 547 votes · 1h 45m · action, thriller, dramaKowalski works for a car delivery service, and takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to drive from Colorado to San Francisco. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the ca…
#28 Cross of Iron (1977) · ★ 7.1 · 505 votes · 2h 13m · action, drama, historyIt is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultim…
#29 The Towering Inferno (1974) · ★ 7.0 · 1,047 votes · 2h 45m · action, thriller, dramaAt the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.…
#30 Smokey and the Bandit (1977) · ★ 7.0 · 834 votes · 1h 36m · action, comedy, adventureA race car driver tries to transport an illegal beer shipment from Texas to Atlanta in under 28 hours, picking up a reluctant bride-to-be on the way.…
#31 Crime Busters (1977) · ★ 7.0 · 738 votes · 1h 55m · action, comedyAn attempted robbery turns to be an unexpected recruitment when two unemployed men mistakenly break into a police office instead of a store.…
#32 El Topo (1970) · ★ 7.0 · 701 votes · 2h 5m · action, adventure, dramaEl Topo decides to confront warrior Masters on a trans-formative desert journey he begins with his 6 year old son, who must bury his childhood totems to become a man.…
#33 Death Wish (1974) · ★ 6.9 · 991 votes · 1h 33m · action, drama, crimeAfter his wife is murdered by street punks, a pacifistic New York City architect becomes a one-man vigilante squad, prowling the streets for would-be muggers after dark.…
#34 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) · ★ 6.8 · 2,298 votes · 2h 5m · action, adventure, thrillerRussian and British submarines with nuclear missiles on board both vanish from sight without a trace. England and Russia both blame each other as James Bond tries to solve the ridd…
#35 Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) · ★ 6.8 · 673 votes · 1h 56m · action, comedy, adventureWith the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organise a daring new heist.…
#36 I'm for the Hippopotamus (1979) · ★ 6.8 · 538 votes · 1h 35m · action, comedy, adventureIn 1950, in Africa. Tom organizes safaris for tourists, secretly equipping them with guns loaded with blanks. When Slim, Tom’s cousin—a sly slacker and staunch environmentalist—arr…
#37 Capricorn One (1977) · ★ 6.8 · 529 votes · 2h 3m · action, thriller, dramaIn order to protect the reputation of the American space program, a team of NASA administrators turn the first Mars mission into a phony Mars landing. Under threat of harm to their…
#38 Mad Max (1979) · ★ 6.7 · 5,133 votes · 1h 31m · action, adventure, thrillerIn the ravaged near-future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face of a police f…
#39 The Enforcer (1976) · ★ 6.7 · 1,020 votes · 1h 36m · action, thriller, dramaDirty Harry Callahan returns again, this time saddled with a rookie female partner. Together, they must stop a terrorist group consisting of angry Vietnam veterans.…
#40 Logan's Run (1976) · ★ 6.6 · 1,089 votes · 1h 58m · action, science-fictionIn the 23rd century, inhabitants of a domed city freely experience all of life's pleasures — but no one is allowed to live past 30. Citizens can try for a chance at being "renewed"…