Gritty early 70's movies.

I loves me some gritty early 70's movies.

These are some that I can think of off the top of my head.

CHARLEY VARRICK (1973)
DIRTY HARRY (1971)
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
KLUTE (1971)
THE LONG GOODBYE (1973)
MAGNUM FORCE (1973)
MARATHON MAN (1976)
NIGHT MOVES (1975)
PRIME CUT (1972)

I put in MAGNUM FORCE, though I don't find it as striking as the others that I listed.

Anybody got some more to suggest? I might expand it include films like this from the late 60's, like POINT BLANK.

I'd maybe throw in BULLITT and THE PARALLAX VIEW. One I want to see is Siegel's MADIGAN. Only seen the opening credits.

EDIT ADDON: Originally I was only thinking of 1970-1975, but I've kinda expanded. I just tend to prefer the 70's films to the 60's ones. Like CHARLEY VARRICK compared to Siegel's COOGAN'S BLUFF.

How about...

The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974)

Duel (1971)

?

And while I wouldn't consider LALD to be gritty, the part set in New York is pritty gritty by Bond standards.

Forgot PELHAM, thanks. :)

I haven't seen DUEL.

DIRTY HARRY and THE FRENCH CONNECTION are tops for me. Tux, you should definitely give DUEL a watch.

Few more:

LIGHTFOOT AND THUNDERBOLT (1974)
THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974)
THE GETAWAY (1972)
GET CARTER (1971)
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL (1973)
THX 1138 (1971)
STRAW DOGS (1971)
BRING ME THE HEAD OF ALFREDO GARCIA (1974)

To quote....

A good number of critics in 1970 believed that Soldier Blue had set a new mark in cinematic violence, as a result of its graphic scenes of Cheyenne women and children being slaughtered, and had thus lived up – or down – to its U.S. poster boast that it was “The Most Savage Film in History.”

A massive hit in Great Britain and much of the rest of the world, Soldier Blue was, in the words of its maverick director, Ralph Nelson, “not a popular success” in the United States. This probably had less to do with the picture’s groundbreaking violence, and more to do with the fact that it was the U.S. Cavalry who were breaking new ground. For Nelson’s portrayal of the boys in blue as blood crazed maniacs, who blow children’s brains out and behead women, shattered for ever one of America’s most enduring movie myths – that of the cavalry as good guys riding to the rescue – and rendered Soldier Blue one of the most radical films in the history of American cinema. The film’s failure in its homeland might also have had something to do with the perception in some quarters – prompted by production company publicity material – that it was a deliberate Vietnam allegory.

Sharky wrote:

LIGHTFOOT AND THUNDERBOLT (1974)

I wanna see that so much.

Don't forget the justice/revenge classic Walking Tall (1973) with Joe Don Baker as Sheriff Buford Pusser, in the film that made Baker's name. Also starring Mr. Wint himself, Bruce Glover, two years removed from DAF as Pusser's Deputy.

"His most powerful weapon was the truth" and his big stick.

Buford: "There's only two rules, and thats all... But don't ever forget them. Number one we enforce the law equally. Number two, any man caught taking a bribe gets his head knocked off by me."

Callie: You got a warrent?
Buford: Yeah, I keep it in my shoe!

Buford: I'm gonna take, and take, and take, till they ain't got nothin left to give but BLOOD!... And I'm gonna take that, one drop at a time!



===

Then there was Tom Laughlin in another make-good violent justice/revenge classic, Billy Jack (1971)



Both movies spawned sequels and in Walking Tall's case a bad 2004 re-do starring The Rock.

The White Tuxedo wrote:

I loves me some gritty early 70's movies.

These are some that I can think of off the top of my head.

CHARLEY VARRICK (1973)
DIRTY HARRY (1971)
THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
KLUTE (1971)
THE LONG GOODBYE (1973)
MAGNUM FORCE (1973)
MARATHON MAN (1976)
NIGHT MOVES (1975)
PRIME CUT (1972)

I put in MAGNUM FORCE, though I don't find it as striking as the others that I listed.

Anybody got some more to suggest?

Yes. THE LAST DETAIL (1973). If you haven't seen it, you must. It's a superb film, and looking at your list I reckon you'd love it.

Good call on NIGHT MOVES. Funny that THE CONVERSATION is still worshipped (rightly, perhaps), while NIGHT MOVES has been forgotten (I don't think it's even available on DVD in Britain).

I'll also recommend THE YAKUZA (1974). It's perhaps not especially gritty (although the action scenes still pack a surprising degree of punch), but it's downbeat and poignant in that early 1970s manner. Amazing film, too.

Oh, and while it wasn't made in the early 1970s, CUTTER'S WAY (1981) is a splendid throwback to that era. It's discussed here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jun/04/cutters-way-is-a-cinematic-masterpiece

Across the 110th Street
The Parallax View

The Laughing Policeman
Hickey & Boggs (starring Robert Culp & Bill Cosby)
Death Wish
The Stone Killer (also with Charles Bronson, and 'based' on John Gardner's A Complete State of Death, but not noticalbly so)
Blowout
The Eiger Sanction
Serpico
Newman's Law (George Peppard)
Taxi Driver

Some of these, like Serpico, Hicky & Boggs and The Stone Killer, were twisted and depressing as well as gritty - does that count?

Great call on Serpico, AMC.

Some great films mentioned 'French Connection' being a particular favourite of mine but it always goes hand in hand with a lesser but still decent film with Roy Schieder

The Seven Up's. 1973

Great car chase too.

I have to admit that, although I've seen almost all of the films listed so far, I didn't enjoy many of them.

Unlike Tuxie, I've never been much of a fan of this genre. For me, the early 70s were a depressing enough time without bumming out further with films like these (the exception being anything with Clint Eastwood in it). I loved me my Bond movies, Irwin Allen disaster flicks, and anything with submarines in.

American Graffiti = good times;
Lords of Flatbush = bummer.

lachesis wrote:

Some great films mentioned 'French Connection' being a particular favourite of mine but it always goes hand in hand with a lesser but still decent film with Roy Schieder

The Seven Up's. 1973

Great car chase too.

The car chase was the only memorable thing for me, but I always like to see Scheider in the driver's seat, starring-in-a-movie wise.

I've evil, so I like this moment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vACWV5sRcY#t=2m40s

I wanna see THE LAUGHING POLICEMAN.

On a vaguely related note there is to be a reissue of the French Connection on Blu-Ray and the print has been remastered - the original release was criticised for being washed out and over bright, the remaster looks to have sorted that issue - you pays your money and takes your choice.....or at least you will be able to soon!

Fuck that. I've already bought the Blu ray, featuring an extensive interview with Bill Freidman on the restoration process. What a scam.

Sharky wrote:

Fuck that. I've already bought the Blu ray, featuring an extensive interview with Bill Freidman on the restoration process. What a scam.

Occupational hazard for any film collector/fan these days sadly, the original restoration did get heavily criticised by the films original cinematographer I suspect that led to the revision but more details can be found here

The New Centurians
Electra Glide in Blue

I'm finding it hard to remember what feel-good movies I did see in the early 70s!

One of my favourite things I love about this era is how daring and at times avant-garde the scores for these films were. You had David Shire's pioneering serial funk score for THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE, Don Ellis's dirty microtonal jazz and high modernist soundscapes for the two FRENCH CONNECTION films, and Harrison Birtwhistle's one-off, terrifying score for THE OFFENCE. Hell, even Irwin Allen's POSEIDON ADVENTURE had a pretty out-there score by John Williams, in the spirit of Toru Takemitsu and others.

Just goes to show how conservative and downright reactionary the climate is for film scores are today. You'd think it was the 1930s.