These films were released all the way back in the 70s but still hold up today: they have a certain gritty charm that today's movies just can't replicate.
1. "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three" (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding passengers for ransom, leading to a tense standoff with the authorities.
2. "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
An aging small-time criminal facing a prison sentence becomes an informant, navigating a dangerous path between the FBI and his criminal associates.
3. "The Conversation" (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
A surveillance expert becomes obsessed with a recording he made for a mysterious client, suspecting it may be related to a murder plot, leading to paranoia and a crisis of conscience.
4. "Family Plot" (1976)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
A lighthearted thriller about a phony psychic and her taxi driver boyfriend who become entangled in a mystery involving a wealthy, missing heir and a couple who kidnap wealthy businessmen.
5. "Klute" (1971)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
A small-town detective investigates the disappearance of his friend and becomes entangled with a high-priced escort, leading them into a world of conspiracy and danger.
6. "Frenzy" (1972)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
In London, a serial killer is on the loose, and an innocent man is suspected of the crimes, leading to a frantic attempt to prove his innocence.
7. "The Day of the Jackal" (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
An English assassin known as 'The Jackal' is hired to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle, setting off a desperate manhunt to stop him.
8. "The Parallax View" (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A reporter investigates a secretive organization, the Parallax Corporation, suspected of orchestrating political assassinations, only to find himself drawn into a deadly conspiracy.
9. "The Passenger" (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%
A burnt-out journalist assumes the identity of a dead man only to find himself embroiled in a world of intrigue and danger.
10. "Get Carter" (1971)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
A London gangster travels to Newcastle to investigate his brother's mysterious death, leading to a violent and vengeful journey.
11. "Three Days of the Condor" (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
A CIA researcher returns from lunch to find all his co-workers murdered and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.
12. "The French Connection II" (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 84%
NYPD Detective Popeye Doyle pursues the French heroin smuggler he lost in New York to Marseille, France, resulting in a gritty manhunt.
13. "Night Moves" (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
A Los Angeles private detective's investigation into the disappearance of a teenage girl leads him into a web of intrigue and deceit.
14. "Straight Time" (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
After being released from prison, a career criminal struggles to adapt to life on the outside, leading him back into a life of crime.
15. "The Last Wave" (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
An Australian lawyer defends a group of Aboriginal men accused of murder, only to discover a mystical world and a prophecy of a great disaster.
16. "Sorcerer" (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 82%
Four men with nothing to lose and a shady past are tasked with transporting unstable dynamite through the South American jungle, leading to a tense and treacherous journey.
17. "Marathon Man" (1976)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
A graduate student and avid runner unwittingly becomes embroiled in a deadly plot involving stolen diamonds, a Nazi war criminal, and a government agency.
18. "Charley Varrick" (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%
A small-time crook accidentally steals a large sum of mob money, leading to a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with both the police and the mob on his trail.
19. "The Driver" (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%
A stoic getaway driver for robberies faces off against an obsessed detective determined to catch him.
20. "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" (1976)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 79%
A nightclub owner with gambling debts is pressured by mobsters to commit a murder to settle his score.
21. "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" (1974)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 78%
A bartender and his girlfriend go on a ruthless quest to collect the bounty on a man named Alfredo Garcia, leading them into a spiral of violence and despair.
22. "The Anderson Tapes" (1971)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
Fresh out of prison, a career criminal plans an ambitious heist unaware that his every move is being recorded by various surveillance devices.
23. "Scarecrow" (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
Two drifters, an ex-con and a former sailor, team up on a journey to Pittsburgh, where they plan to start a car wash business.
24. "The Silent Partner" (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 75%
A bank teller discovers a robbery plan and devises a way to steal the money for himself, leading to a dangerous game with the thief.
25. "Black Sunday" (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 74%
A terrorist plot to detonate a bomb at the Super Bowl is uncovered, leading to a race against time to prevent the disaster.
26. "The Seven-Ups" (1973)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%
A tough NYPD detective leads an elite squad known as The Seven-Ups that uses unconventional and often illegal means to capture criminals.
27. "Obsession" (1976)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 73%
A wealthy New Orleans businessman becomes obsessed with a young woman who resembles his deceased wife, uncovering dark secrets and a twisted plot.
28. "The Boys from Brazil" (1978)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%
A Nazi hunter discovers a sinister plot to clone Adolf Hitler and must stop an infamous Nazi doctor from fulfilling his plan.
29. "The Eiger Sanction" (1975)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%
A retired assassin is forced back into action for one last mission, which takes him to the Swiss Alps for a dangerous climb.
30. "Rollercoaster" (1977)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 53%
A terrorist causes accidents at amusement parks to extort money from the park's management, leading to a tense showdown.