8 Best Movies of 1970

By Vlad Zakh · June 26, 2026

A look back at 1970, one of cinema’s most memorable years, ranking the films that have best stood the test of time. In Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970): A powerful police chief murders his mistress and deliberately plants evidence implicating himself, testing whether his authority is truly untouchable. Equally memorable is They Call Me Trinity (1970): A lazy gunslinger and his outlaw brother team up to defend a peaceful Mormon settlement from a corrupt land baron.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

TMDB ★ 6.2

An astronaut searching for a missing crewman discovers a mutant society worshipping a doomsday bomb beneath the ruined Earth.

Directed by Ted Post · 1h 35m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

MAS*H (1970)

TMDB ★ 6.9

Irreverent army surgeons cope with the horrors of the Korean War through dark humor and constant pranks.

Directed by Robert Altman · 1h 56m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

TMDB ★ 7.1

An American writer in Rome becomes obsessed with solving a series of brutal murders after witnessing an attack.

Directed by Dario Argento · 1h 36m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Philo, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, FlixFling, IndieFlix · Rent: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, FlixFling, Bloodstream · Buy: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Aristocats (1970)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A scheming butler abandons a wealthy Parisian cat and her kittens in the countryside to claim their owner's fortune.

Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman · 1h 18m · Rated G

Where to watch

Stream: Disney Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Kelly's Heroes (1970)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A renegade group of American soldiers goes AWOL behind enemy lines to steal a fortune in Nazi gold.

Directed by Brian G. Hutton · 2h 24m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Patton (1970)

TMDB ★ 7.4

The brilliant but controversial World War II general leads Allied forces across North Africa and Europe.

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner · 2h 52m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Philo · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

They Call Me Trinity (1970)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A lazy gunslinger and his outlaw brother team up to defend a peaceful Mormon settlement from a corrupt land baron.

Directed by Enzo Barboni · 1h 55m · Rated G

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

TMDB ★ 8.2

A powerful police chief murders his mistress and deliberately plants evidence implicating himself, testing whether his authority is truly untouchable.

Directed by Elio Petri · 1h 51m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1970

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

M*A*S*H (1970)

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

The Aristocats (1970)

Kelly's Heroes (1970)

Patton (1970)

They Call Me Trinity (1970)

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

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MAS*H (1970)