8 Best Movies of 1971

By Vlad Zakh · June 26, 2026

Drama thought provokingintense

A look back at 1971, one of cinema’s most memorable years, ranking the films that have best stood the test of time.

Straw Dogs (1971) 01

Straw Dogs (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.1

A mild-mannered American mathematician is pushed to violent extremes defending his home in a hostile English village.

Duel (1971) 02

Duel (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.4

A traveling salesman is relentlessly pursued and terrorized by an unseen, menacing truck driver on a lonely highway.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) 03

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.5

A poor boy who wins a golden ticket tours an eccentric chocolatier's fantastical and dangerous factory.

The French Connection (1971) 04

The French Connection (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.5

Two tenacious New York detectives pursue an international drug smuggling operation through the city's streets.

The Last Picture Show (1971) 05

The Last Picture Show (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.6

The residents of a dying small Texas town navigate love, boredom, and disillusionment in the early 1950s.

Harold and Maude (1971) 06

Harold and Maude (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.6

A death-obsessed young man forms an unlikely, life-affirming romance with a free-spirited 79-year-old woman.

Dirty Harry (1971) 07

Dirty Harry (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.5

A ruthless San Francisco detective bends the rules to hunt down a sadistic serial killer terrorizing the city.

A Clockwork Orange (1971) 08

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

IMDb ★ 8.2

A violent young delinquent undergoes a controversial experimental treatment meant to eliminate his criminal impulses.

Vlad Zakh

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.