Always down for a movie thread. Always glad to see someone take interest in cinema before the 80s. If you want recommendations you've come to right person.
Fairly well known ones that haven't been named:
Taxi Driver - I mean c'mon it's one of the most iconic 70s films ever
Bonnie and Clyde - one of the premiere period crime films of the 60s, paved the way for the genre in the 70s. Downer ending for the ages
Manchurian Candidate - one hell of a mindtrip. Plus Frank Sinatra has a bourne style apartment karate fight against Henry Silva, the first of its kind in Hollywood
Serpico - Pacino as the straightest cop ever, fights corruption everywhere and takes no shit from anyone. Inspired by a true story
Straw Dogs - hard edged Peckinpah stuff. Dustin Hoffman sweating up a storm
Repulsion - Some psychedelic black and white horror, one of Silent Hill's big inspirations
The Getaway - One of Steve McQueen's best, one of Peckinpah's most entertaining
Drunken Master - Not as good as the sequel, but prime example of a 70s Kung Fu movie and Jackie's first breakout hit
Fist of Fury - Where would action films be without Bruce Lee? Classic master revenge story, lots of iconic fights starring Bruce Lee in what might be a his most rounded movie
Enter the Dragon - Very cheesy, and the action scenes aren't very good, but if you want Bruce Lee at his most intense this is it
Tokyo Drifter - proto John Wick yakuza movie, one of those "escape the criminal underworld" stories. An art film and an action film with very cool style
The 60s were home to some big studio WWII war films. A bity creaky now but big blockbusters back in their day. My favorites:
Where Eagles Dare - Clint Eastwood in an early role, already an action hero. The buildup is slow but the last half hour is straight primo action. Spielberg's favorite WWII movie I've heard
Dark of the Sun - super entertaining action movie with chainsaw fights and lots of machine gun fire. So macho it could've been an 80s movie
Play Dirty - really gritty desert desperation drama crossed with some intense action. Plus Michael "Nevah" Caine
What would the 1970s be without practically shot, muscle car bound, car chase films?
The Driver - Could be the best car chase film of all time. Inspired Drive, Baby Driver, and probably countless others
Gone in 60s Seconds - The original, sans Nick Cage. This is actually an indie film, and the story is nonsense, but watch for the insane 40 minute Mustang car chase.
Death Race 2000 - before Wacky Races, Robocop, and Speed Racer, there was Death Race 2000. Amazing satire, colorful racers race across the continental US in a televised race to the death. Oh Stallone is in it.
Sugarland Express - One of Spielberg's earliest, and he already displays so much talent
Duel - Another Spielberg one, super intense, more of a horror than car chase film
Lesser known genre movies that deserve to be seen:
Prime Cuts - Lee Marvin and Sissy Spacek star this super weird but very exciting action thriller. Oh it's got Gene Hackman chewing scenery as a human cattle baron.
Point Blank - Lee Marvin wants his money and he'll do anything to get it. Kick ass thriller
Assault on Precinct 13 - One of Carpenter's earliest, it's what he does best: characters, action, and horror perfectly blended
The Taking of Pelham 123 - Terrorist take a subway train full of passengers hostage, this is one of the original blockbusters that paved the way
Three Outlaw Samurai - One hell of an action film, hard to believe a movie from the 60s could have sword fights this good. Fun and fast paced too
Sword of Doom - Watch a man descend into madness as his bloodlust overtakes him. Samurai Classic
Shogun Assassin - Technically an 80s movie but technically 2 70s samurai movies cut into 1 with an awesome synthscore, if you like badass fights and blood geysers this is it
Lady Snowblood - A bloody good time, female revenge samurai flick with more blood sprays than anything. Iconic performance from Meiko Kaji
Zatoichi - A wandering blind swordsman who appears bumbling until someone crosses him, fun pulpy adventure. There's like 27 films and Criterion Collection has them all
Street Mobster - Super gritty rise to power Yakuza movie, very simple premise but bleak as hell and very character driven
Seconds - a very modern thriller with a very interesting twist
Freebie and the Bean - might be the first buddy cop movie ever, and it's already fully formed. Action packed and funny. Also RIP James Caan
Truck Turner - fast paced blaxploitation classic full of colorful characters
Coffy - Pam Grier is an icon and this is why
Vengeance! (1970) - Chang Cheh was John Woo's mentor and a master of kung fu cinema. This is one of the best of the era, one hell of a knife fight at the end
Dragon Inn - the "noodle eastern" to Leone's spaghetti westerns, characters with different motivations get tangled up at an inn in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful shots, fast fight scenes
A Touch of Zen - same director as Dragon Inn, if you liked that one watch this too
Heroes of the East - Good humored kung fu rom com about a married couple trying to prove their respective country's better. Don't see that everyday
Emperor of the North Pole- More Lee Marvin, an action adventure about Hobos on trains, much more exciting than it sounds
Mr. Majestyk - Charles Bronson made a lot of movies in the 70s besides Death Wish, and I think this is one of his best
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro - If you like retro anime and Studio Ghibli, this is Miyazaki's first feature film as director, fun and quirky, very 1970s
The Italians ripped off Hollywood a lot during the 60s and 70s, but some real gems emerged from the pile:
Django - completely unrelated to Tarantino, but he did steal the title song. This inspired Gungrave, you will know when you see it. Very comic book, very badass
The Big Gundown - Ultra cool spaghetti western with Lee Van Cleef in the starring role. Really tight storytelling
The Great Silence - super bleak twist on the classic spaghetti western. In the snow. Don't expect a happy ending
The Big Racket - Italian cop films are really gritty, this is one of the best. Expect lots of awesome shootouts and fights
Live Like a Cop, Die like a Man - Hilarious buddy cop movies about two out of control cops who does what they want. Trashy but fun.
These are some of the films off the top of my head. Should keep you busy. Have Fun! (EDIT: added trailers)
