8 Best Movies of 1974

By Vlad Zakh · June 27, 2026

A look back at 1974, one of cinema’s most memorable years, ranking the films that have best stood the test of time. In The Godfather Part II (1974): The Corleone family’s power expands even as it reveals the corrosive cost of the empire’s founding. Another standout is Chinatown (1974): A private detective investigating a case of adultery uncovers a vast conspiracy involving Los Angeles’s water supply.

The Towering Inferno (1974)

IMDb ★ 7.0 RT 69% Metacritic 69

Guests at the opening gala of the world's tallest skyscraper fight to escape a raging fire.

Directed by John Guillermin · 2h 45m · Rated PG

Won 3 Oscars13 wins & 14 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A famed detective investigates a murder among the diverse passengers trapped aboard a snowbound train.

Directed by Sidney Lumet · 2h 08m · Rated PG

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

Blazing Saddles (1974)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A Black railroad worker is appointed sheriff of a racist frontier town as part of a corrupt scheme.

Directed by Mel Brooks · 1h 33m · 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

Badlands (1974)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A young couple embarks on a killing spree across the Dakota badlands in the late 1950s.

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Conversation (1974)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A paranoid surveillance expert becomes consumed by guilt after suspecting his latest recording will lead to murder.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · 1h 55m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Young Frankenstein (1974)

TMDB ★ 7.9

The grandson of the infamous scientist inherits his estate and inevitably follows in his monster-making footsteps.

Directed by Mel Brooks · 1h 46m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Chinatown (1974)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 92

A private detective investigating a case of adultery uncovers a vast conspiracy involving Los Angeles's water supply.

Directed by Roman Polanski · 2h 10m · Rated R

Won 1 Oscar21 wins & 24 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · 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

The Godfather Part II (1974)

IMDb ★ 9.0 RT 96% Metacritic 90

The Corleone family's power expands even as it reveals the corrosive cost of the empire's founding.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola · 3h 22m · Rated R

Won 6 Oscars17 wins & 21 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · 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

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 1974

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Badlands (1974)

The Conversation (1974)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Chinatown (1974)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

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