Best Mystery Movies of the 1970s

1. 1
   Chinatown 1974

   Directed by Roman Polanski · Streaming on MGM Plus, Kanopy, Hoopla
   7.9

   7.9 · 4.5K votes
2. 2
   Solaris 1972

   Directed by Andrei Tarkovsky · Streaming on HBO Max, Shout! Factory TV, YouTube Free
   7.7

   7.8 · 1.9K votes
3. 3
   All the President's Men 1976

   Directed by Alan J. Pakula · Streaming on YouTube Free, TCM
   7.6

   7.7 · 2.2K votes
4. 4
   Deep Red 1975

   Directed by Dario Argento · Streaming on Philo, AMC Plus, AMC+
   7.6

   7.7 · 1.7K votes
5. 5
   Sleuth 1972

   Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
   7.5

   7.7 · 754 votes
6. 6
   The Tenant 1976

   Directed by Roman Polanski · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla
   7.5

   7.6 · 1.3K votes
7. 7
   The Conversation 1974

   Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla, YouTube Free
   7.4

   7.5 · 2.1K votes
8. 8
   Suspiria 1977

   Directed by Dario Argento · Streaming on Philo, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
   7.4

   7.5 · 3.3K votes
9. 9
   The Long Goodbye 1973

   Directed by Robert Altman · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, Fandango at Home Free
   7.3

   7.4 · 832 votes
10. 10
    High Plains Drifter 1973

    Directed by Clint Eastwood · Streaming on YouTube Free, Fawesome
    7.3

    7.3 · 1.4K votes
11. 11
    Three Days of the Condor 1975

    Directed by Sydney Pollack · Streaming on MGM Plus, Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.2

    7.3 · 1.4K votes
12. 12
    One Way or Another 1976

    Directed by Elio Petri
    7.2

    7.7 · 190 votes
13. 13
    Hedgehog in the Fog 1975

    Directed by Yuri Norstein · Streaming on Eternal Family, Klassiki
    7.1

    7.5 · 277 votes
14. 14
    I... for Icarus 1979

    Directed by Henri Verneuil · Streaming on Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.1

    7.6 · 180 votes
15. 15
    Picnic at Hanging Rock 1975

    Directed by Peter Weir · Streaming on HBO Max, Criterion Channel, TCM
    7.1

    7.2 · 928 votes
16. 16
    The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed 1979

    Directed by Stanislav Govorukhin
    7.1

    8.1 · 90 votes
17. 17
    Murder on the Orient Express 1974

    Directed by Sidney Lumet · Streaming on fuboTV, Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.1

    7.1 · 1.6K votes
18. 18
    Death on the Nile 1978

    Directed by John Guillermin · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, The Roku Channel
    7.1

    7.2 · 964 votes
19. 19
    The Passenger 1975

    Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Fawesome, Tubi TV
    7.1

    7.2 · 568 votes
20. 20
    Murder by Death 1976

    Directed by Robert Moore · Streaming on The Roku Channel, YouTube Free, Fawesome
    7.0

    7.1 · 943 votes
21. 21
    The House with Laughing Windows 1976

    Directed by Pupi Avati · Streaming on Kanopy, ARROW
    7.0

    7.2 · 424 votes
22. 22
    The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 1970

    Directed by Dario Argento · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Kanopy, Hoopla
    7.0

    7.1 · 870 votes
23. 23
    Mr. Klein 1976

    Directed by Joseph Losey · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    7.0

    7.2 · 299 votes
24. 24
    Soylent Green 1973

    Directed by Richard Fleischer
    6.9

    6.9 · 1.5K votes
25. 25
    The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe 1972

    Directed by Yves Robert · Streaming on Darkroom
    6.9

    7.0 · 504 votes
26. 26
    Black Christmas 1974

    Directed by Bob Clark · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo
    6.8

    6.9 · 1K votes
27. 27
    The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane 1976

    Directed by Nicolas Gessner · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+
    6.8

    7.0 · 372 votes
28. 28
    The Psychic 1977

    Directed by Lucio Fulci · Streaming on Philo, AMC Plus, AMC+
    6.8

    7.0 · 265 votes
29. 29
    The Return of the Pink Panther 1975

    Directed by Blake Edwards · Streaming on The Roku Channel, Kanopy, YouTube Free
    6.7

    6.8 · 719 votes
30. 30
    Manila in the Claws of Light 1975

    Directed by Lino Brocka
    6.7

    7.4 · 78 votes
31. 31
    The Last of Sheila 1973

    Directed by Herbert Ross · Streaming on YouTube Free
    6.7

    7.0 · 180 votes
32. 32
    The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes 1970

    Directed by Billy Wilder · Streaming on fuboTV, MGM+, Philo
    6.7

    6.8 · 354 votes
33. 33
    Coma 1978

    Directed by Michael Crichton · Streaming on Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
    6.6

    6.8 · 482 votes
34. 34
    Equus 1977

    Directed by Sidney Lumet
    6.6

    7.0 · 147 votes
35. 35
    The Boys from Brazil 1978

    Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
    6.6

    6.7 · 472 votes
36. 36
    The Spider's Stratagem 1970

    Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci
    6.6

    7.1 · 99 votes
37. 37
    The Experiencer 1977

    Directed by Brian Helweg-Larsen
    6.6

    10.0 · 14 votes
38. 38
    What Have They Done to Your Daughters? 1974

    Directed by Massimo Dallamano · Streaming on Plex, Plex Channel, Eternal Family
    6.6

    7.1 · 94 votes
39. 39
    The Cat o' Nine Tails 1971

    Directed by Dario Argento · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, JustWatch TV Free, Philo
    6.6

    6.7 · 468 votes
40. 40
    Ransom for a Dead Man 1972

    Directed by Richard Irving · Streaming on Peacock Premium, Fandango at Home Free, Peacock Premium Plus
    6.6

    7.3 · 62 votes
41. 41
    The Medusa Touch 1978

    Directed by Jack Gold · Streaming on Pluto TV, YouTube Free, Plex
    6.6

    6.8 · 206 votes
42. 42
    The Night Stalker 1972

    Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
    6.6

    6.9 · 138 votes
43. 43
    The Castle of Sand 1974

    Directed by Yoshitarō Nomura · Streaming on Criterion Channel
    6.6

    7.3 · 61 votes
44. 44
    Obsession 1976

    Directed by Brian De Palma · Streaming on Artiflix, ARROW
    6.6

    6.7 · 336 votes
45. 45
    Morgiana 1972

    Directed by Juraj Herz
    6.6

    7.2 · 69 votes
46. 46
    The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh 1971

    Directed by Sergio Martino · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Plex
    6.6

    6.8 · 180 votes
47. 47
    The Most Wonderful Evening of My Life 1972

    Directed by Ettore Scola
    6.5

    7.2 · 63 votes
48. 48
    The Golden Fortress 1974

    Directed by Satyajit Ray
    6.5

    7.8 · 33 votes
49. 49
    Images 1972

    Directed by Robert Altman
    6.5

    6.8 · 172 votes
50. 50
    Legend of the Mountain 1979

    Directed by King Hu
    6.5

    7.4 · 47 votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes.

1. 1
   Under the Flag of the Rising Sun 1972

   Directed by Kinji Fukasaku
   6.5

   7.6 · 35 votes
2. 2
   Proof of the Man 1977

   Directed by Junya Satō
   6.4

   7.8 · 21 votes
3. 3
   The Wretches Are Still Singing 1979

   Directed by Nikos Nikolaidis
   6.3

   7.5 · 19 votes
4. 4
   Drizzle 1978

   Directed by Sergio Olhovich
   6.2

   7.5 · 12 votes
5. 5
   One of My Wives Is Missing 1976

   Directed by Glenn Jordan · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
   6.2

   7.3 · 15 votes
6. 6
   The Hart of London 1970

   Directed by Jack Chambers
   6.2

   7.0 · 17 votes
7. 7
   Capulina vs. the Vampires 1971

   Directed by René Cardona · Streaming on Pluto TV
   6.2

   6.8 · 24 votes
8. 8
   Murder by Natural Causes 1979

   Directed by Robert Day
   6.2

   6.9 · 18 votes
9. 9
   Dhund 1973

   Directed by B.R. Chopra
   6.2

   7.2 · 10 votes
10. 10
    Majboor 1974

    Directed by Ravi Tandon · Streaming on Eros Now Select
    6.2

    7.2 · 10 votes