The thriller genre of film has grown more and more popular among audiences as the years go on. With enough suspense for those that are not fans of horror, enough drama for those who don’t enjoy dramatic or romantic films, and enough action for those who don’t like pure action movies, thriller films have something for everybody. Plus, some of the most iconic films of all time (Vertigo, Psycho, On the Waterfront) are a part of the thriller genre.
Updated June 28th, 2023: If you’re a fan of the thriller genre, you’ll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional content and films.
The 1970s were a great and often experimental era for film and storytelling. Genres like crime (with The Godfather), horror (Halloween), and war (Apocalypse Now) were all growing and expanding their skills and impact. But thrillers may have been the biggest genre-grower of the ’70s, with many iconic thriller films (and movies in general) being created in that decade. Here are the best thriller films of the ’70s, ranked.
15 Coma (1978)
On top of being a best-selling author, Michael Crichton was also a film director, with a few credits to his name during the 70s and a good portion of the 90s. The plot of Coma follows a young doctor trying to uncover a horrifying conspiracy after several patients in the hospital he works at mysteriously fall into comas during routine surgeries. With no answers, he begins to suspect something shady is happening with the hospital directives.
The movie is directed by Crichton and written by Robin Cook; the all-star cast includes familiar faces like Michael Douglas alongside working actors such as Geneviève Bujold and Richard Widmark. This chilling medical thriller touches upon multiple themes related to the dark tales of the healthcare system while highlighting the fear of losing our sense of self.
14 Capricorn One (1977)
Incredible as it may seem, this film is the basis for one too many conspiracy theorists. Capricorn One is a weird story recounting a series of events where a team of astronauts realizes they are being used as pawns by the government in a conspiracy to fake a Mars landing. One too many fans of conspiracies used the movie to affirm the Moon landing of 1969 was faked.
The film is written and directed by Peter Hyams and features the talents of Elliott Gould, James Brolin, and Brenda Vaccaro. We follow the trio of astronauts to realize what is happening, and now it’s up to them to expose the truth. This superb thriller explores themes of political power, deception, paranoia, and government trust.
13 Silent Running (1972)
Imagine for a moment a world without green spaces. No rainforest, not even an open field. The last remnants of vegetal life are safeguarded in Saturn’s orbit until one day, a command comes along to destroy all plants and return to Earth without explanation. That scenario is depicted in Silent Running, a film directed by Douglas Trumbull, written by Deric Washburn, and starring Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, and Ron Rifkin.
The eerie story takes place in a dystopian future where all plant life on Earth has gone extinct. The last remaining botanist fights to preserve a single forest in a space station, becoming a fugitive from the corporation that wants to destroy it. It’s a film made 51 years ago, but it dangerously reflects our current reality, raising questions about environmentalism and our relationship with nature.
12 All the President’s Men (1976)
Hollywood wasted no time adapting the Watergate scandal into a major motion picture. All the President’s Men came out just four years after the event that broke Richard Nixon came to light. Warner Bros got busy making one of the best political thrillers of the 70s. The film is directed by Alan J. Pakula and written by William Goldman, the high profile talent includes people like Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, and Jason Robards.
This gripping political thriller chronicles all the events of the Watergate scandal as two journalists from The Washington Post uncovered a web of corruption and cover-ups that reached the highest levels of government. The story picks up the most important beats of the book written by Carl Bensen about this unprecedented event showcasing the power of investigative journalism and the pursuit of truth in the face of immense pressure.
11 Chinatown (1974)
Roman Polanski always had a flair for the extravagant, and he pushed the boundaries of taste with Chinatown. Directed by Polanski, based on a script by Robert Towne, the film stars Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, and John Huston. The neo-noir piece follows the misadventures of a private detective uncovering a web of corruption, deceit, and murder while investigating what seems to be a seemingly straightforward case at first.
The story is set in 1930s Los Angeles; the intricate plot quickly delves into political intrigue and twisted family relationships. It’s a film full of memorable characters but also full of darkness aided by a haunting atmosphere. The masterful story touches upon corruption, political compromise, incest, and dependence. It can be overwhelming, but well worth the watch.
10 Marathon Man (1976)
Dustin Hoffman joins Laurence Olivier and Roy Scheider in the tense thriller Marathon Man, with The Graduate star portraying a history graduate student who becomes embroiled in a deadly international conspiracy between the government and a sinister Nazi war criminal involving smuggled diamonds.
The pulse-pounding picture is based on the William Goldman novel of the same name and features a stellar performance from famed cinema great Olivier, who brilliantly portrayed the infamous Nazi antagonist Dr. Christian Szell; he went on to nab an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award in the lauded thriller.
9 Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Silver screen legend Clint Eastwood stars alongside Fred Ward and Jack Thibeau in the critically-acclaimed hit Escape from Alcatraz, which recounts the true story of three fearless convicts who concoct a daring escape from the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1962. Eastwood appears as savvy criminal and ringleader Frank Morris, who, along with fellow inmates John and Clarence Anglin, departed the island via an improvised inflatable raft and faced the dangerous waters of the San Francisco Bay; their true fate remains a mystery. The gripping prison thriller was a knockout with critics and audiences alike, with the Los Angeles Times declaring it “could serve as a textbook example in breathtakingly economical, swift and stylish screen storytelling.”
8 The Day of the Jackal (1973)
Fred Zinnemann’s thrilling masterpiece The Day of the Jackal features Edward Fox as the lethal titular assassin who is tasked with eliminating French president Charles de Gaulle but finds his mission challenged by a cunning Parisian detective determined to identify the mysterious killer.
Upon its release, critics raved about the suspense-packed picture and its spectacular screenplay, pacing, and performances, with Time Magazine commenting, “In short, as so often happens, a second-rate fiction has been transformed into a first-rate screen entertainment.” The Day of the Jackal was the recipient of numerous accolades, winning a BAFTA Award and earning both an Academy Award nomination and three Golden Globe nods.
7 The Conversation (1974)
Directed by the famed Francis Ford Coppola and featuring a plethora of cast members that would later be in Apocalypse Now, The Conversation follows surveillance expert Harry Caul, who, after bugging a random couple’s conversation, discovers that there may have been a murder.
Almost certainly inspired by the Watergate Scandal, The Conversation sensationally captures the suspense of Caul as he gets increasingly paranoid about the potential of his client committing murder. Nominated for nearly two dozen awards, The Conversation was a success, still holding a 96% percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and four stars from Roger Ebert.
6 The China Syndrome (1979)
Touting a stellar cast led by Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, and Michael Douglas, The China Syndrome centers on determined television news reporter Kimberly Wells as she and her cameraman Richard inadvertently stumble upon a cover-up of safety hazards at a California nuclear power plant, putting them firmly in the middle of a dangerous conspiracy that threatens their lives.
Wells and Richard find their paranoia growing as they become targeted by powerful forces that wish to ensure their silence. The riveting and taut thriller went on to earn four Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, and Lemmon was the recipient of the Best Actor Prize at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where the film also competed for the Palm d’Or.
5 Frenzy (1972)
Yet another Alfred Hitchcock classic, the underrated Frenzy, follows Royal Air Force member Richard Blaney, who must go on the run with his friend Bob Rusk after his wife is murdered by a serial killer who is stalking London. What makes this film suspenseful and thrilling is the implication and suspicion that Rusk himself may actually be the serial killer.
A critically acclaimed film, both script and directing wise, Frenzy went on to be nominated for four Golden Globe Awards (Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Picture, and Best Score); and currently holds 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, 92% from Metacritic, and four stars from Roger Ebert.
4 Klute (1971)
The first installment of director Alan Pukula’s “Paranoia” trilogy (alongside The Parallax View and All The President’s Men), Klute is a classical neo-noir film that follows detective John Klute who, with the help of a known call-girl (played by Jane Fonda), takes on the missing persons case for a chemical company executive named Tom Gruneman.
With a terrifying string of murders, the suspense of the hunt and being watched, and the thrill of mystery, Klute was a fantastic and sensual take on the noir genre. Nominated for 14 awards across multiple associations (winning all but five), Klute was a striking start to the Paranoia trilogy and arguably the best of the bunch.
3 Taxi Driver (1976)
Highlighted by the all-time great combination of director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro, the iconic film Taxi Driver follows war veteran Travis Bickle, a man suffering from insomnia whose mind deteriorates into dreams of saving the world through questionable actions, with each night he spends driving his taxi cab.
With his falling apart psyche, along with grasping at straws with a woman named Betsy, and a young prostitute, Bickle takes drastic actions to try and do the right thing (one of which inspired the assassination of President Reagan). A smashing success, Taxi Driver was nominated for over thirty different awards from twenty different film associations, winning twenty-three of them.
2 The French Connection (1971)
Based on the 1969 Robin Moore novel of the same name, The French Connection follows Jimmy and Buddy, two New York Police Department (NYPD) detectives who are attempting to take down a very wealthy French heroin smuggler.
A high-octane crime thriller featuring not only the French drug dealers but the American mafia as well, along with guns, shootouts, and car chases, The French Connection became one of the most well-received films of the ’70s and one of the best films in American history. Nominated for eight Academy Awards (winning five) and chosen for preservation in 2005 for the National Film Registry, The French Connection has stood the test of time, although Warner Bros. recent decision to censor the movie is troubling.
1 Jaws (1975)
With one of the most iconic movie posters, one of the most sensational scores of all time, and one of the best original stories, Jaws is the ultimate horror/thriller film. Directed by Stephen Spielberg, Jaws follows the town of Amity Island as their warm, sandy beach is being terrorized by a giant, man-eating shark.
Considered to be the first summer blockbuster movie, Jaws raked in an astonishing $472 million USD off of a mere $10 million USD budget. Only losing Best Picture to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jaws transcended history to become one of the best horror/thriller films of all time, one that audiences continue to watch on a regular basis.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
