Top 10 Badass Movies of the 70's
If you weren't around in the 70's you might have heard the older folks talking saying stuff like "yes, my generation is a generation of when men were men" or "we made real movies and real music". Sometimes I can agree.
The 1970s brought some classic macho movies full of classic bad guys, good guys, and lots of kicking ass. Most of these films paved ways to generations of new comers who try to emulate the story lines and sometime just do a total remake of the film(which usually fails)
Here's our Top 10 Badass films of the 70s. If you haven't yet watched them and crave some nostalgia or retro viewing, depending on your age, then check out these:
| 1. The Godfather - (1972, Francis Ford Coppola) (Marlon Brando, Al Pacino) and The Godfather part II - (1974, Francis Ford Coppola) (Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro) | |
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The Godfather Storyline: "The story begins as "Don" Vito Corleone, the head of a New York Mafia "family", oversees his daughter's wedding. His beloved son Michael has just come home from the war, but does not intend to become part of his father's business. Through Michael's life the nature of the family business becomes clear. The business of the family is just like the head of the family, kind and benevolent to those who give respect, but given to ruthless violence whenever anything stands against the good of the family. Don Vito lives his life in the way of the old country, but times are changing and some don't want to follow the old ways and look out for community and "family". An up and coming rival of the Corleone family wants to start selling drugs in New York, and needs the Don's influence to further his plan. The clash of the Don's fading old world values and the new ways will demand a terrible price, especially from Michael, all for the sake of the family." The Godfather II Storyline: "The continuing saga of the Corleone crime family tells the story of a young Vito Corleone growing up in Sicily and in 1910s New York; and follows Michael Corleone in the 1950s as he attempts to expand the family business into Las Vegas, Hollywood and Cuba." |
| 2. A Clockwork Orange - (1971, Stanley Kubrick) (Malcolm McDowell, Patrick MaGee) | |
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Storyline: "Protagonist Alex is an "ultraviolent" youth in futuristic Britain. As with all luck, his eventually runs out and he's arrested and convicted of murder and rape. While in prison, Alex learns of an experimental program in which convicts are programed to detest violence. If he goes through the program his sentence will be reduced and he will be back on the streets sooner than expected. But Alex's ordeals are far from over once he hits the mean streets of Britain that he had a hand in creating." |
| 3. Apocalypse Now - (1979, Francis Ford Coppola) (Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall) | |
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Storyline: "It is the height of the war in Vietnam, and U.S. Army Captain Willard is sent by Colonel Lucas and a General to carry out a mission that, officially, 'does not exist - nor will it ever exist'. The mission: To seek out a mysterious Green Beret Colonel, Walter Kurtz, whose army has crossed the border into Cambodia and is conducting hit-and-run missions against the Viet Cong and NVA. The army believes Kurtz has gone completely insane and Willard's job is to eliminate him! Willard, sent up the Nung River on a U.S. Navy patrol boat, discovers that his target is one of the most decorated officers in the U.S. Army. His crew meets up with surfer-type Lt-Colonel Kilgore, head of a U.S Army helicopter cavalry group which eliminates a Viet Cong outpost to provide an entry point into the Nung River. After some hair-raising encounters, in which some of his crew are killed, Willard, Lance and Chef reach Colonel Kurtz's outpost." |
| 4. Dog Day Afternoon - (1975, Sydney Lumet) (Al Pacino, John Cazale) | |
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Storyline: "Based upon a real-life story that happened in the early seventies in which the Chase Manhattan Bank in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was held siege by a gay bank robber determined to steal enough money for his male lover to undergo a sex change operation. On a hot summer afternoon, the First Savings Bank of Brooklyn is held up by Sonny and Sal, two down-and-out characters. Although the bank manager and female tellers agree not to interfere with the robbery, Sonny finds that there's actually nothing much to steal, as most of the cash has been picked up for the day. Sonny then gets an unexpected phone call from Police Captain Moretti, who tells him the place is surrounded by the city's entire police force. Having few options under the circumstances, Sonny nervously bargains with Moretti, demanding safe escort to the airport and a plane out of the country in return for the bank employees' safety." |
| 5. Patton - (1970, Franklin J. Schaffner) (George C. Scott, Karl Malden) | |
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Storyline: ""Patton" tells the tale of General George S. Patton, famous tank commander of World War II. The film begins with patton's career in North Africa and progresses through the invasion of Germany and the fall of the Third Reich. Side plots also speak of Patton's numerous faults such his temper and habit towards insubordination. Faults which would, eventually, lead to his being relieved as Occupation Commander of Germany."
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| 6. Dirty Harry - (1971, Don Siegel) (Clint Eastwood, Harry Guardino) | |
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Storyline: "In the year 1971, San Francisco faces the terror of a maniac known as Scorpio- who snipes at innocent victims and demands ransom through notes left at the scene of the crime. Inspector Harry Callahan (known as Dirty Harry by his peers through his reputation handling of homicidal cases) is assigned to the case along with his newest partner Inspector Chico Gonzalez to track down Scorpio and stop him. Using humiliation and cat and mouse type of games against Callahan, Scorpio is put to the test with the cop with a dirty attitude." |
| 7. A Bridge Too Far - (1977, Richard Attenborough) (James Caan, Michael Caine) | |
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Storyline: "This WWII film follows the perspectives of American, Polish and British soldiers attempting to capture key bridges behind German lines in a complicated parachute and armoured assault" |
| 8. The Deer Hunter - (1978, Michael Cimino) (Robert DeNiro, Christopher Walken) | |
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Storyline: "Michael, Steven and Nick are young factory workers from Pennsylvania who enlist into the Army to fight in Vietnam. Before they go, Steven marries the pregnant Angela and their wedding-party is also the men's farewell party. After some time and many horrors the three friends fall in the hands of the Vietcong " and are brought to a prison camp in which they are forced to play Russian roulette against each other. Michael makes it possible for them to escape, but they soon get separated again." |
| 9. Serpico - (1973, Sydney Lumet) (Al Pacino, Tony Roberts) | |
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Storyline: "Serpico is a cop in the early 1970s. Unlike all his colleagues, he refuses a share of the money that the cops routinely extort from local criminals. Nobody wants to work with Serpico, and he's in constant danger of being placed in life threatening positions by his "partners". Nothing seems to get done even when he goes to the highest of authorities. Despite the dangers he finds himself in, he still refuses to 'go with the flow', in the hope that one day, the truth will be known" |
| 10. Mean Streets - (1973, Martin Scorsese) (Harvey Keitel, Robert DeNiro) | |
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Storyline: "The future is set for Tony and Michael - owning a neighbour- hood bar and making deals in the mean streets of New York city's Little Italy. For Charlie, the future is less clearly defined. A small-time hood, he works for his uncle, making collections and reclaiming bad debts. He's probably too nice to succeed. In love with a woman his uncle disapproves of (because of her epilepsy) and a friend of her cousin, Johnny Boy, a near psychotic whose trouble-making threatens them all - he can't reconcile opposing values. A failed attempt to escape (to Brooklyn) moves them all a step closer to a bitter, almost preordained future" |
You might notice that some of these films stars, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino and Clint Eastwood. These are 3 badass actors of their time, and still legends today. So maybe the 70s did breed some real men!
[via imdb]
by Janine Wallace


















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