The 1970s are remembered for towering classics like The Godfather, Jaws, and Star Wars, but there was a lot more going on than the usual greatest hits list suggests. This was a decade where Hollywood embraced paranoia, character-driven drama, and offbeat comedy. Along the way, some terrific movies slipped into cult status or fell almost completely out of the conversation.
If you have already worn out your copies of the big 70s tentpoles, it is time to dig a little deeper. Here are ten underrated 1970s movies you may have forgotten about, but are absolutely worth tracking down.
The Last Detail (1973)
Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, and Randy Quaid star in The Last Detail, a funny and quietly devastating story about two Navy lifers escorting a young sailor to prison. What starts as a routine job turns into an impromptu road trip as they decide to give him a taste of life before he is locked up. The movie is loose, vulgar, and unexpectedly emotional. Nicholson is excellent, but it is the sad, lived in tone that makes this feel like peak 70s character work.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Al Pacino and John Cazale headline Dog Day Afternoon, a bank-robbery movie that slowly mutates into a media circus and a character study. Based on a true story, it follows a desperate man whose plan unravels in real time as crowds gather outside and television cameras arrive. Pacino’s performance is electric, and the film’s mix of tension, dark humor, and social commentary feels incredibly modern. It is a classic, but it is not nearly as widely watched as his work in The Godfather.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
The original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is a gritty, funny, and surprisingly tense thriller about a group of men hijacking a New York City subway train. Walter Matthau plays the world weary transit cop trying to negotiate with a crew led by Robert Shaw. The movie is packed with great character actors, sharp dialogue, and a very specific 1970s New York vibe that later remakes never quite captured.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
The Conversation (1974)
Francis Ford Coppola may be best known for The Godfather films and Apocalypse Now, but The Conversation might be his most quietly haunting work. Gene Hackman plays a surveillance expert who becomes obsessed with the meaning behind a recording he has made. As he replays and reinterprets the audio, paranoia and guilt start to eat away at him. It is a slow burn, but once it gets under your skin, it stays there.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
The Parallax View (1974)
If you want pure 70s conspiracy energy, The Parallax View is essential. Warren Beatty stars as a reporter who stumbles onto a shadowy organization that appears to be recruiting political assassins. The movie leans into dread and ambiguity, offering few easy answers and no comforting resolutions. It pairs perfectly with The Conversation and other paranoia-era thrillers that feel disturbingly relevant again.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Badlands (1973)
Badlands was Terrence Malick’s debut feature, a dreamlike take on a lovers-on-the-run story inspired by real-life murders in the 1950s. Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek play a young couple drifting across the American Midwest, leaving bodies behind them. The violence is presented in a strangely detached way, which only makes the film more unsettling. The lyrical voiceover and painterly visuals hint at the style Malick would become famous for later.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Sorcerer (1977)
William Friedkin followed The Exorcist with Sorcerer, a tense survival thriller about four men hired to drive unstable explosives through a jungle to put out an oil fire. The title and marketing confused audiences, and the movie bombed on release, especially when it arrived in theaters the same year as Star Wars. Since then, it has been reclaimed as one of the great 70s films, full of jaw-dropping set pieces and relentless tension.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
The Onion Field (1979)
The Onion Field is a bleak, gripping crime drama based on a true story about two Los Angeles police officers kidnapped by criminals during a routine stop. The fallout from that night reverberates for years. John Savage and James Woods give intense performances, and the movie spends as much time on the emotional and legal aftermath as it does on the crime itself. It is not an easy watch, but it is a powerful one.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
The In-Laws (1979)
Before buddy action comedies became a standard studio template, there was The In-Laws. Peter Falk plays a possibly unhinged government operative who pulls his mild-mannered dentist, future in law, played by Alan Arkin, into a chaotic adventure involving secret agents, counterfeit money, and a fictional Latin American dictator. The plot is pure nonsense, but the chemistry between Falk and Arkin makes it one of the funniest and most quotable comedies of the era.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Paper Moon (1973)
Shot in crisp black and white, Paper Moon follows a con man and the young girl who may or may not be his daughter as they run Bible selling scams across Depression era America. Ryan O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal make a perfect duo, and Tatum’s performance earned her an Academy Award. The movie is funny, sharp, and a little sad, capturing the feel of a different era without ever turning into pure nostalgia.
Where to watch: Available to stream; sold on physical media and digitally.
Why These 1970s Movies Are Worth Revisiting
The 1970s were a decade of risk-taking, where studios were willing to bankroll weirder, darker, and more character-focused stories than they would in later eras. Movies like Dog Day Afternoon, Sorcerer, and The Last Detail helped define that mood, even if they slipped out of regular rotation. Rewatching them now is like opening a time capsule from the moment when Hollywood was at its most nervous and most interesting.
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Image Suggestions
- Featured image: Collage of The Last Detail, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Conversation.
Alt text: “Collage of underrated 1970s movies including The Last Detail, Dog Day Afternoon, and The Conversation.” - The Last Detail – Jack Nicholson and Randy Quaid walking in Navy uniforms.
Alt: “Jack Nicholson and Randy Quaid in uniform in The Last Detail.” - Dog Day Afternoon – Al Pacino standing in the bank doorway addressing the crowd.
Alt: “Al Pacino speaking to the crowd outside the bank in Dog Day Afternoon.”
