10 Action Movies From The 70s You Have To Watch

The 70s were a turning point for action movies. Rules were loosened, violence was pushed further and filmmakers weren't afraid to take risks. From gritty, street-level crime stories to globe-spanning spectacle, this decade delivered some of the most iconic thrills the genre has ever seen. So which films defined action in an era that played rough and didn't apologize for it? Let's find out. This is the 10 Best Action Movies of the 70s. Street gang life is nasty, so when someone tries to push the idea of a truce, it makes sense that the whole thing would collapse fast. In The Warriors, one gang gets hit with the worst of it. After being blamed for the death of their respected peace seeker Cyrus, they're chased by a whole lineup of gangs. The end result is a full manhunt packed with loads of hand-to-hand fights and eerie face-offs in what become a major 70s cult classic. It doesn't get much cooler than John Shaft in this Gordon Parks-directed black exploitation riot. When a mob boss puts him on a kidnapping case, the private detective shifts into full attitude mode and doesn't let up. And when it comes time to move, the instructions are simple. Open that door like the gun is about to take your head off. He dishes out beatdowns like they're never going out of fashion, dodges sprays of machine gun fire, and if the action alone doesn't win you over, his jive talk might. Imagine something like Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Running Man colliding with George Orwell's 1984. The story takes place in a future society where the biggest sport on the planet is a wild, over-the-top event called rollable. Even without war and crime, violence still thrives because this so-called recreational activity keeps it flowing. Corporate society handles everything, and even if roller skating sounds harmless on paper, this movie delivers plenty of smashed skulls and ruined backs. With its strong lead performances and fast action beats, it brings a lot to the table, and then some. In this Michael Winner-directed film, Charles Bronson plays Paul Kersey, a vigilante driven by revenge after his wife is murdered and his daughter is raped. And with another double killing hitting the city, the news point to the same figure they've labelled as the vigilante. This movie doesn't just bring the violence, it also tracks how the main character changes, shifting from a bright, hopeful thinker into something cold and hateful. It's a rough, classic Charles Bronson action shooter. This classic centres on an LA police station getting ambushed by a ruthless street gang that's out to crack skulls. And when the tension spikes, the situation becomes clear fast. Written and directed by John Carpenter, this 1976 film is loaded with non-stop shootouts, suicide rushes and tense, thrilling perspectives from both sides of the fight. The violence stands out against most action films of the era because it goes in with the gloves off with a no-holds-barred mindset. And yes, the ice cream moment says it all. Two old-school detectives get pulled into a drug smuggling case that involves a certain French connection, and they quickly realise they may have taken on more than they can handle. From bursting into bars full of criminals to through the streets, partners Doyle and Russo, they're not just throwing hands, they're also chasing trains. And seriously, the train chase is absolutely incredible. Before we jump into the top 4, here are some honourable mentions. Tower Inferno, Death Race 2000 and the original Gone in 60 Seconds. As the guy who takes on San Francisco's nastiest work, homicide inspector Harry Callaghan is exactly as tough as his reputation. So when the Scorpio killer starts picking people off with his sniper rifle, Dirty Harry gets the call to bring him in. Along with his famous lines, Clint Eastwood delivers tense chases and brutal beatdowns, but once the legendary .44 Magnum comes out, this action thriller really clamps onto you. It did so well it led to 4 sequels, including 1976's The Enforcer. James Bond In this entry, we jump into the world of international espionage. James Bond is pulled into a global crisis that forces him into an uneasy alliance with a rival agent as both sides chase the same threat with world-ending stakes. With its blend of classic spy thrills and large-scale action, with globe-hopping set-pieces, underwater sequences and some of the most ambitious stunts the series has attempted up to that point, the movie raises the bar for a Bond action movie by leaning heavily into spectacle, combining exotic locations, elaborate gadgets and a villain plan that operates on an almost military scale. With its confident pacing, memorable action moments, this film helped define what a blockbuster Bond movie could be. In this dystopian action movie, an Australian policeman goes after a motorcycle gang to get revenge after they kill his partner and his family. With the iconic look and the iconic wheels, Mad Max sets out to eliminate the people responsible one by one. What comes next is a string of high-octane chases that usually end up with someone getting obliterated or launched off a bridge. Between the strange outfits and the cheesy but still super awesome shootouts, this search-and-destroy ride didn't just put Mel Gibson on the map, it also locked itself into the hearts of action fans. Even though he's only sent in to look into Han's deadly tournament, Bruce Lee quickly takes over the screen in this martial arts landmark. Driven by revenge for his sister, Lee has to defeat whoever he's matched against and he does that with flying kicks, nunchakus and plenty of screaming punches. There's nothing like watching the father of mixed martial arts tear through wave after wave of bad guys and this delivers exactly that. And there you have it, that wraps up our 10 best action movies from the 70s. Did you agree with our list or did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for watching, please like, subscribe and I'll see you in the next one.