Christopher Reeve flies through the air in a cape as the title character in the 1978 movie 'Superman.'
Movies

Best '70s action movies

Written by:
November 4, 2022
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Best '70s action movies

Stacker compiled a list of the best '70s action movies of all time based on our own Stacker score, a weighted index split evenly between IMDb user rating and Metascore. To qualify, the film had to have action as one of its genres on IMDb, have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 IMDb user votes. Ties were broken by votes.

 

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#50. The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)

- Director: Guy Hamilton
- Stacker score: 75.1
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 43
- Runtime: 125 minutes

#49. Rollerball (1975)

- Director: Norman Jewison
- Stacker score: 75.4
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 56
- Runtime: 125 minutes

#48. Midway (1976)

- Director: Jack Smight
- Stacker score: 75.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 48
- Runtime: 132 minutes

#47. Capricorn One (1977)

- Director: Peter Hyams
- Stacker score: 75.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 38
- Runtime: 123 minutes

#46. Le Mans (1971)

- Director: Lee H. Katzin
- Stacker score: 76.0
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 52
- Runtime: 106 minutes

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#45. Mr. Majestyk (1974)

- Director: Richard Fleischer
- Stacker score: 76.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 103 minutes

#44. Live and Let Die (1973)

- Director: Guy Hamilton
- Stacker score: 76.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 121 minutes

#43. Shaft (1971)

- Director: Gordon Parks
- Stacker score: 76.4
- IMDb user rating: 6.6
- Metascore: 66
- Runtime: 100 minutes

#42. The Enforcer (1976)

- Director: James Fargo
- Stacker score: 76.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 96 minutes

#41. The Mechanic (1972)

- Director: Michael Winner
- Stacker score: 76.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 51
- Runtime: 100 minutes

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#40. Silver Streak (1976)

- Director: Arthur Hiller
- Stacker score: 76.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 41
- Runtime: 114 minutes

#39. Logan's Run (1976)

- Director: Michael Anderson
- Stacker score: 77.2
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 53
- Runtime: 119 minutes

#38. French Connection II (1975)

- Director: John Frankenheimer
- Stacker score: 77.7
- IMDb user rating: 6.7
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 119 minutes

#37. Coffy (1973)

- Director: Jack Hill
- Stacker score: 77.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 60
- Runtime: 90 minutes

#36. Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

- Director: Hal Needham
- Stacker score: 77.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 50
- Runtime: 96 minutes

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#35. Death Wish (1974)

- Director: Michael Winner
- Stacker score: 78.0
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 51
- Runtime: 93 minutes

#34. The Hot Rock (1972)

- Director: Peter Yates
- Stacker score: 78.4
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 101 minutes

#33. The Wind and the Lion (1975)

- Director: John Milius
- Stacker score: 78.6
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 67
- Runtime: 119 minutes

#32. The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)

- Director: Gordon Hessler
- Stacker score: 78.8
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 105 minutes

#31. Walking Tall (1973)

- Director: Phil Karlson
- Stacker score: 78.9
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 60
- Runtime: 125 minutes

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#30. Mad Max (1979)

- Director: George Miller
- Stacker score: 79.3
- IMDb user rating: 6.8
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 88 minutes

#29. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

- Director: Lewis Gilbert
- Stacker score: 79.5
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 125 minutes

#28. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

- Director: Michael Cimino
- Stacker score: 80.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 115 minutes

#27. The Driver (1978)

- Director: Walter Hill
- Stacker score: 80.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 56
- Runtime: 91 minutes

#26. Westworld (1973)

- Director: Michael Crichton
- Stacker score: 80.7
- IMDb user rating: 6.9
- Metascore: 77
- Runtime: 88 minutes

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#25. The Towering Inferno (1974)

- Director: John Guillermin
- Stacker score: 80.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.0
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 165 minutes

#24. The Way of the Dragon (1972)

- Director: Bruce Lee
- Stacker score: 81.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 90 minutes

#23. Magnum Force (1973)

- Director: Ted Post
- Stacker score: 81.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 124 minutes

#22. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

- Director: Ronald Neame
- Stacker score: 82.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 117 minutes

#21. Vanishing Point (1971)

- Director: Richard C. Sarafian
- Stacker score: 82.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 61
- Runtime: 99 minutes

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#20. The Getaway (1972)

- Director: Sam Peckinpah
- Stacker score: 82.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 55
- Runtime: 123 minutes

#19. The Three Musketeers (1973)

- Director: Richard Lester
- Stacker score: 82.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 77
- Runtime: 106 minutes

#18. Fist of Fury (1972)

- Director: Wei Lo
- Stacker score: 82.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 107 minutes

#17. Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)

- Director: Richard Fleischer
- Stacker score: 83.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 46
- Runtime: 144 minutes

#16. The In-Laws (1979)

- Director: Arthur Hiller
- Stacker score: 84.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 103 minutes

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#15. Drunken Master (1978)

- Director: Woo-Ping Yuen
- Stacker score: 85.1
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 111 minutes

#14. The Warriors (1979)

- Director: Walter Hill
- Stacker score: 85.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.5
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 93 minutes

#13. Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

- Director: John Carpenter
- Stacker score: 86.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 89
- Runtime: 91 minutes

#12. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)

- Director: Sam Peckinpah
- Stacker score: 86.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 112 minutes

#11. Get Carter (1971)

- Director: Mike Hodges
- Stacker score: 86.3
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 112 minutes

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#10. Superman (1978)

- Director: Richard Donner
- Stacker score: 86.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.4
- Metascore: 81
- Runtime: 143 minutes

#9. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

- Director: Joseph Sargent
- Stacker score: 87.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 68
- Runtime: 104 minutes

#8. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

- Director: Hayao Miyazaki
- Stacker score: 87.6
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 72
- Runtime: 102 minutes

#7. Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

- Director: Don Siegel
- Stacker score: 88.0
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 76
- Runtime: 112 minutes

#6. Lady Snowblood (1973)

- Director: Toshiya Fujita
- Stacker score: 88.4
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 97 minutes

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#5. Enter the Dragon (1973)

- Director: Robert Clouse
- Stacker score: 88.7
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: 83
- Runtime: 102 minutes

#4. Dirty Harry (1971)

- Director: Don Siegel
- Stacker score: 90.2
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 87
- Runtime: 102 minutes

#3. Badlands (1973)

- Director: Terrence Malick
- Stacker score: 90.8
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 93
- Runtime: 94 minutes

#2. The French Connection (1971)

- Director: William Friedkin
- Stacker score: 90.9
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 94
- Runtime: 104 minutes

#1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

- Director: George Lucas
- Stacker score: 100.0
- IMDb user rating: 8.6
- Metascore: 90
- Runtime: 121 minutes

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