Looking to take a walk on the wild side of cinema? These lesser-known action classics are a good place to start.
10. The Getaway (1972)
Sam Peckinpah's "The Getaway" kicks into gear with the kind of intensity that only the '70s could cook up. Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen), the quintessential anti-hero, is paroled from prison thanks to his wife Carol's (Ali MacGraw) dirty deal with a crooked politician. The catch? One last job.
The heist is a high-octane affair, but the getaway is where the real action starts. Betrayals stack up like poker chips as Doc and Carol blaze across Texas with both the law and their double-crossing partners in hot pursuit.
9. The Eiger Sanction (1975)
Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this high-altitude thriller with an edge sharp as a pickaxe. Dr. Jonathan Hemlock, an art professor and collector, lives a double life as a retired assassin. When he's coerced into one last hit, it's not the urban jungle he's navigating but the sheer cliffs of the Eiger Mountain. Each handhold is a potential death grip, every climber a potential enemy agent.
The plot ascends as Hemlock's targets are hidden amongst an international climbing team, making friends and foes indistinguishable until they make their move.
8. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Sam Peckinpah makes the list again with a film that's as raw as it is gripping. Warren Oates plays Benny, a piano player with a bone to pick and a bounty to collect – the head of Alfredo Garcia. It's a grim task, taking him through a Mexican hellscape of cutthroats and criminals.
Oates embodies Benny with a sweaty desperation, a man whose soul is as much on the line as his life. The action is dirty, mean, and fueled by a personal vendetta.
7. Death Wish (1974)
This is the film that spawned a franchise and defined a genre. Charles Bronson becomes the embodiment of vigilante justice as Paul Kersey, an architect who turns to retribution after his wife is murdered and his daughter assaulted. New York City is the anvil, and Kersey's resolve is the hammer, striking down muggers and rapists with a steely gaze and a .32 revolver.
The film is a slow burn of righteous fury, a cathartic release of one man's pent-up vengeance against the rising tide of urban crime.
5. Rollerball (1975)
In the corporate-controlled dystopian future of 2018, where governments have crumbled and companies rule, there's Rollerball – a violent sport meant to satiate the masses and quash individualism. James Caan steps into the arena as Jonathan E., the sport's top player, whose skill on the track is unmatched. As he speeds around, ball in hand, bodies collide with a brutality that thrills the crowd.
But when the corporate bosses want Jonathan to retire, he's pulled into a game far deadlier than Rollerball. With each match rigged for more violence and chaos, Jonathan decides to defy the system.
4. The Mechanic (1972)
Charles Bronson, the epitome of 70s cool, hits the mark as Arthur Bishop, a 'mechanic' – a hitman with a talent for making his kills look like accidents. Always alone, he's as precise as a Swiss watch, handling his assignments with an icy professionalism.
But his well-oiled life grinds when he takes on a brash young apprentice, Steve McKenna (Jan-Michael Vincent), who's the son of Arthur's recently 'deceased' friend.
3. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
Subway cars become vessels of suspense in this under-the-radar gem. It's a typical day in New York City until four men, color-coded as Mr. Blue, Mr. Green, Mr. Grey, and Mr. Brown, hijack the Pelham 123 train.
Walter Matthau brings a sardonic charm to the role of Lt. Garber, the transit cop thrust into negotiating with these hijackers. The hijackers want a hefty ransom, and they're not shy about deadlines – one hour, or passengers start dying.
2. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
This is no flashy, bang-bang shoot 'em up; it's the gritty story of Eddie 'Fingers' Coyle (Robert Mitchum), a small-time gunrunner with a problem – he's facing a stint in the clink that he's too old to handle.
Eddie's a middleman, supplying guns to bank robbers in Boston's underbelly. His world is one of dim bars and backroom deals, where loyalty is as thin as the beer. With his back to the wall, Eddie becomes an informant for the ATF, tipping the scales against his 'friends' to keep his own skin safe.
1. The Warriors (1979)
The Warriors, a gang from Coney Island, are framed for the murder of a gang leader during a citywide truce. With every gang in New York out for their blood, the night becomes an odyssey of survival. Through the neon-soaked streets and the graffiti-tagged subways, Swan (Michael Beck), the gang's war chief, must lead his Warriors against the unending onslaught of rival gang members.
From the Baseball Furies wielding bats to the seductive allure of the Lizzies, the film is a non-stop barrage of street-level warfare