8 Best Movies of 1971

By Vlad Zakh · June 26, 2026

1971 was a high point for gritty, boundary-pushing cinema. Straw Dogs pushes a mild mathematician to violent extremes, Duel has a salesman terrorised by an unseen truck driver, and The French Connection has detectives chasing a drug-smuggling operation. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Last Picture Show, Harold and Maude, Dirty Harry and A Clockwork Orange round out the eight.

Straw Dogs (1971)

TMDB ★ 7.1

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

Directed by Sam Peckinpah · 1h 56m · Rated R

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Duel (1971)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A travelling salesman is relentlessly pursued on a desert highway by a menacing, unseen truck driver.

Directed by Steven Spielberg · 1h 14m · Rated PG

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 84% Metacritic 67

A poor boy's golden ticket wins him a tour through the strangest candy factory in the world.

Directed by Mel Stuart · 1h 40m · Rated G

Nominated for 1 Oscar3 wins & 4 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The French Connection (1971)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 97% Metacritic 94

Two detectives chase a massive heroin shipment through the streets of New York.

Directed by William Friedkin · 1h 44m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars22 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Last Picture Show (1971)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Teenagers in a dying Texas town navigate love and loss as their local movie theatre faces closure.

Directed by Peter Bogdanovich · 1h 59m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Harold and Maude (1971)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A death-obsessed young man who stages elaborate fake suicides falls for a life-loving elderly woman.

Directed by Hal Ashby · 1h 32m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dirty Harry (1971)

TMDB ★ 7.5

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

Directed by Don Siegel · 1h 42m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 86% Metacritic 77

A violent young delinquent undergoes an experimental treatment designed to condition away his behaviour.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick · 2h 17m · Rated NC-17

Nominated for 4 Oscars12 wins & 26 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · 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

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. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

8 Best Movies of 1971

Straw Dogs (1971)

Duel (1971)

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

The French Connection (1971)

The Last Picture Show (1971)

Harold and Maude (1971)

Dirty Harry (1971)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

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