Category: 1970s

A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker!): Sergio Leone’s spectacular ‘Zapata’ Western starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn was also his most political film

Duck You Sucker (1971) aka Giù la testa aka A fistful of Dynamite is the final Western from spaghetti western maestro, Sergio Leone. The film starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn in lead roles is set during the Mexican revolution of the 1910s. Opening with a quote from Mao Zedong that describes Revolution as violence & … Continue reading A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker!): Sergio Leone’s spectacular ‘Zapata’ Western starring Rod Steiger and James Coburn was also his most political film →

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Comes a Horseman: James Caan and Jane Fonda saddles up for a moody ’70s Western from Alan J. Pakula

Comes a Horseman(1978) is a moody, meditative, revisionist Western directed by Alan J. Pakula. The film stars Jane Fonda, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth and Jason Robards. Alan J. Pakula, Gordon Willis, James Caan, Jane Fonda, these are not names one usually associate with the Western genre. Director, Pakula, is more famous for his paranoid thrillers … Continue reading Comes a Horseman: James Caan and Jane Fonda saddles up for a moody ’70s Western from Alan J. Pakula →

Charley Varrick: Walter Matthau excels as the titular antihero in Don Siegel’s solid Crime Thriller

Charley Varrick (1973), starring Walter Matthau, Andy Robinson, John Vernon and Joe Don Baker, is a thrilling Crime\gangster drama directed by genre veteran Don Siegel. Siegel made this film immediately after his iconic cop thriller, "Dirty Harry," and in many ways this film is the definitive Don Siegel film. Director, Don Siegel, is most famous … Continue reading Charley Varrick: Walter Matthau excels as the titular antihero in Don Siegel’s solid Crime Thriller →

The Wild Geese: Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Roger Moore are aging mercenaries in this action-packed ‘Men on a Mission’ adventure

The Wild Geese (1978), directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Roger Moore as aging 'soldiers of fortune' fighting in Africa, is a worthy addition to the subgenre of 'Men on a Mission' war\action picture. In 1968, British thespian, Richard Burton teamed up with then up and coming American star. … Continue reading The Wild Geese: Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Roger Moore are aging mercenaries in this action-packed ‘Men on a Mission’ adventure →

Frenzy: Alfred Hitchcock returned to Britain (and returned to vintage form) and created his last great macabre thriller

Frenzy (1972) was the great director Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate movie. This serial killer thriller, starring Jon Finch and Barry Foster in lead roles, finds the British director returning to his homeland to create his best film since the 1960's Psycho. Film Director, Alfred Hitchcock, started making films in Cinema's silent era, in the 1920s. After … Continue reading Frenzy: Alfred Hitchcock returned to Britain (and returned to vintage form) and created his last great macabre thriller →

The Spy Who Loved Me: In the year of ‘Star Wars,’ James Bond kept the ‘British end up’ with the best Roger Moore Bond film

The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was the third film to feature Roger Moore as Ian Fleming's James Bond. With the massive success of this film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, James Bond made a grand comeback after a tumultuous decade that saw diminishing box office returns and three different actors embodying Bond. The year 1977 … Continue reading The Spy Who Loved Me: In the year of ‘Star Wars,’ James Bond kept the ‘British end up’ with the best Roger Moore Bond film →

Play Misty for Me: Clint Eastwood made a confident debut as director with this proto-‘Fatal Attraction’ romantic thriller

Play Misty for Me (1971) was the first film directed by Clint Eastwood. Clint also starred alongside Jessica Walter in this romantic thriller set in and around Clint's hometown, Carmel. 1971 was a big year for Clint Eastwood. He had three releases that year- Two of which was directed by his pal & mentor, Don … Continue reading Play Misty for Me: Clint Eastwood made a confident debut as director with this proto-‘Fatal Attraction’ romantic thriller →

Mr. Majestyk: Elmore Leonard mixed colorful characters, quirky dialogue and explosive action in creating one of the best ’70s Charles Bronson Actioners

Mr. Majestyk (1974) is an action thriller written by Elmore Leonard and directed by Richard Fleischer. The film stars Charles Bronson as a Colorado Watermelon farmer who comes into conflict with gangsters lead by Al Lettieri. So, after 'breaking his back' for more than two decades - starting out with bit parts, progressing to villainous … Continue reading Mr. Majestyk: Elmore Leonard mixed colorful characters, quirky dialogue and explosive action in creating one of the best ’70s Charles Bronson Actioners →

The Way We Were: At the height of gritty ’70s cinema, Sydney Pollack brought Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand together for this glossy old-fashioned romantic drama

The Way We Were (1973) is a lush romantic drama directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford in lead roles. This film, released at the height of the gritty, experimental 'New-Hollywood cinema' period, was a throwback to the glossy, star-driven romantic melodramas from golden-age Hollywood. Hubbell Gardiner: People are more important … Continue reading The Way We Were: At the height of gritty ’70s cinema, Sydney Pollack brought Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand together for this glossy old-fashioned romantic drama →

Ryan’s Daughter: David Lean’s unfairly maligned masterpiece finds the great British director returning to his roots to create his most personal and ambitious epic

Ryan's Daughter (1970) is considered to be the great British director David Lean's lone artistic misfire. But this film, an epic romance set on the wild west coast of Ireland and starring such stalwarts like Robert Mitchum, Trevor Howard, John Mills and Sarah Miles, is one of Lean's most personal and ambitious films. In a … Continue reading Ryan’s Daughter: David Lean’s unfairly maligned masterpiece finds the great British director returning to his roots to create his most personal and ambitious epic →

The Gauntlet: Clint Eastwood’s over-the-top send-up of his ‘Dirty Harry’ films is fun, fast-paced and packed with baroque action sequences

The Gauntlet(1977), directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and co-starring Sondra Locke, was an attempt by Clint to send up his 'Dirty Harry' films by exaggerating and parodying the tropes associated with those cop thrillers. Originally conceived as a starring vehicle for Marlon Brando and Barbara Streisand, and then, after Brando's withdrawal, as a vehicle … Continue reading The Gauntlet: Clint Eastwood’s over-the-top send-up of his ‘Dirty Harry’ films is fun, fast-paced and packed with baroque action sequences →

Superman: Richard Donner’s dazzling, delightful & star-studded superhero epic set the template for comic-book adaptations

Superman (1978), directed by Richard Donner and starring Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Christopher Reeve as the eponymous 'Man of Steel,' was the first serious attempt at making a big budget studio feature film about a comic-book superhero, and it also remains one of the best. "This is no Fantasy" This is the first line … Continue reading Superman: Richard Donner’s dazzling, delightful & star-studded superhero epic set the template for comic-book adaptations →

Barry Lyndon: Stanley Kubrick’s ice-cold exercise in pure cinema is also his most emotionally rich and perfect movie

Barry Lyndon(1975), adapted for the screen by Stanley Kubrick from William Thackeray's novel, is perhaps Kubrick's greatest film. The film, starring Ryan O'Neal and Marisa Berenson, charts the rise and fall of its amoral hero, Redmond Barry, in the backdrop of the tumultuous events in Eighteenth-century Europe. I find Stanley Kubrick to be a bundle … Continue reading Barry Lyndon: Stanley Kubrick’s ice-cold exercise in pure cinema is also his most emotionally rich and perfect movie →

Force 10 from Navarone: Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford topline this rather silly but reasonably entertaining sequel to ‘The Guns of Navarone’

Force 10 from Navarone (1978), directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Robert Shaw, Harrison Ford, Franco Nero and Edward Fox in lead roles, is a sequel to the classic WWII adventure, 'The Guns of Navarone.' Though not as good as the original by a long shot, the film is reasonably entertaining with some interesting plot … Continue reading Force 10 from Navarone: Robert Shaw and Harrison Ford topline this rather silly but reasonably entertaining sequel to ‘The Guns of Navarone’ →

Get Carter: Michael Caine’s iconic star turn and Roy Budd’s pulsating score powers this classic British Crime drama

Get Carter(1971), written & directed by Mike Hodges, and starring Michael Caine as the amoral titular gangster, is a gritty & nihilistic British crime Drama. It was not well received upon its release, but it's now revered as one of the greatest British films ever made. "Pint of Bitter..... in a thin glass" One of … Continue reading Get Carter: Michael Caine’s iconic star turn and Roy Budd’s pulsating score powers this classic British Crime drama →

The Man with the Golden Gun: Despite a solid premise and a spectacular villain, Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond almost ended up killing the franchise

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was the second film to feature Roger Moore as James Bond. Despite having a great antagonist in Christopher Lee's Francisco Scaramanga, the film turned out to be such a critical and commercial dud that it almost became the last film in the Bond film franchise. Francisco Scaramanga aka … Continue reading The Man with the Golden Gun: Despite a solid premise and a spectacular villain, Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond almost ended up killing the franchise →

The Godfather: Coppola, Brando and Pacino transformed Mario Puzo’s gangster saga into a mesmerizing meditation on power, succession and moral corruption

The Godfather (1972), directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is a strong candidate for the title of 'the greatest American film ever made'. The film, adapted form Mario Puzo's bestselling novel, tells the story of the fictional Corleone family and starred Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in lead roles. When Mario Puzo set out to write … Continue reading The Godfather: Coppola, Brando and Pacino transformed Mario Puzo’s gangster saga into a mesmerizing meditation on power, succession and moral corruption →

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: Bob Dylan’s heavenly music elevates Sam Peckinpah’s final Western into a haunting elegy on the death of the old-West

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan is legendary director, Sam Peckinpah's final Western. Dylan also provided the music for this film, which includes the very popular song, "knockin' on heaven's door." There's guns across the river about to pound youThere's a lawman on your trail like … Continue reading Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: Bob Dylan’s heavenly music elevates Sam Peckinpah’s final Western into a haunting elegy on the death of the old-West →

From Noon till Three: Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland bring their endearing real-life chemistry to this delightful rom-com Western

From Noon till Three (1976) is an amusing romantic comedy set in the old-west. The film, directed by Frank D. Gilroy from his own novel, stars the real-life husband & wife team of Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland met for the first time in 1963 when Bronson was filming "The … Continue reading From Noon till Three: Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland bring their endearing real-life chemistry to this delightful rom-com Western →

Red Sun: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon came together in Terence Young’s unique ‘Cowboys & Samurais Vs Indians’ Western adventure

British Director, Terence Young, brought together three movie icons, Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon, alongside Bond-Girl, Ursula Andress, in the 1971 Euro-Western, Red Sun. Long before Quentin Tarantino unleashed his 'Grindhouse-homage', "Kill Bill(2003)," starring Uma Thurman and David Carradine, with its mesmerizing mixture of (among other genres) Westerns, Martial arts films & Samurai … Continue reading Red Sun: Charles Bronson, Toshiro Mifune and Alain Delon came together in Terence Young’s unique ‘Cowboys & Samurais Vs Indians’ Western adventure →