Best Films Of 1972
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- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMarlon BrandoAl PacinoJames CaanThe aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.One of my all time favs. 9.5/10
- DirectorMilton KatselasStarsGoldie HawnEdward AlbertEileen HeckartA blind man moves into his own apartment against the wishes of his overprotective mother and befriends the freethinking young woman next door.Funny, intelligent, and just a whole lot of fun. 8.5/10
- DirectorShun'ya ItôStarsMeiko KajiRie YokoyamaYayoi WatanabeAfter being used and betrayed by the detective she had fallen in love with, young Matsu is sent to a female prison full of sadistic guards and disobedient prisoners.AKA; Female Prisoner #701: Scorpion
Her Song Of Vengeance
Some films, while not entirely believable are still able to pull you into them and make you invest your interest and full attention in them nonetheless. This is such a film. While it's not entirely believable, to me it's a film that is still extremely interesting and enjoyable. Of its subject matter, this may truly be the best film of its kind. Even with its age and fairly low budget, somehow it still comes across to me as very poetic. Violent poetry no less, but there's certainly much more to it than just violence. This film inspired at least 6 sequels I believe, and it has been an inspiration for many remakes and imitators too. The Kill Bill films are two of them at least to some degree, they certainly draw inspiration from this at least. This is overall quite an amazing little film. It's brutal, yet still somehow it is also quite beautiful. These are not easy things to balance in the art of filmmaking, but here it is on wonderful display.
8.5/10 - DirectorJohn BoormanStarsJon VoightBurt ReynoldsNed BeattyIntent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's dammed and turned into a lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a canoeing trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.8/10
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsMarlon BrandoMaria SchneiderMaria MichiA young Parisian woman meets a middle-aged American businessman who demands their clandestine relationship be based only on sex.7.5/10
- DirectorAlfred HitchcockStarsJon FinchBarry FosterBarbara Leigh-HuntA serial murderer is strangling women with a necktie. The London police have a suspect, but he is the wrong man.Not nearly the best Hitchcock film, but still one well worth watching.
- DirectorAndy MilliganStarsLaura CannonNeil FlanaganHarry ReemsA streetwalker desperately seeks love and acceptance against the backdrop of NYC's Times Square.Only mature exploitation fans will likely enjoy this, or even see it and appreciate it for what it is. If you're just looking for the exploitation aspect, this likely won't be nearly enough for you in that sense. For a certain audience however, this is definitely a somewhat unique and compelling film that only the 1970's could produce. To me, it's a little uneven at times. There are a few drastic flaws to the film, but there are also a lot of exceptional aspects. At this point in time, it's a highly underappreciated and little seen film. There certainly is a big audience out there that would appreciate this, but for now this remains a fairly obscure cult film. 7.5/10
- DirectorSam PeckinpahStarsSteve McQueenAli MacGrawBen JohnsonA recently-released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry.See my list - Let's Rob A Bank
- DirectorMichael RitchieStarsLee MarvinGene HackmanSissy SpacekA vicious Kansas City slaughterhouse owner and his hick family are having a bloody "beef" with the Chicago crime syndicate over profits from their joint illegal operations. Top enforcer Nick Devlin is sent to straighten things out.7.5/10
- DirectorJoe ViolaStarsCarmen ArgenzianoAndrea CaganMargaret MarkovHot action and lust in the steamy tropical jungle, as heroines break out of a women's prison and start a local revolution.Generally regarded as an old exploitation women in prison film, but in a very real sense, it is neither. To today's standards at least, it's really hard to even call this much of an exploitation film. Women are held against their will in the film, but by gorilla revolutionaries and there really isn't much of a prison setting here at all. The film was partially written by Jonathan Demme, who later went on to direct hit films such as The Silence of the Lambs and 1993's Philadelphia with Tom Hanks. In my view, the film is not only fairly entertaining, it is also somewhat interesting in that it deals politically in the kinds of things we have rarely ever seen in cinema. At least I've rarely, if ever seen revolutionary topics talked about to this depth on film, and I've seen a ridiculous amount of films. Perhaps I've just missed them all so far, I guess it's hard to be certain of that, as there are what seems like an infinite amount of films out there. Anyway, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this little low budget early 1970's flick. If you have some interest in it, I definitely say give this one a try. 7/10
- DirectorMichael WinnerStarsCharles BronsonJack PalanceJames WhitmoreIn 1870s New Mexico, a half-breed kills a bigoted sheriff in self-defense but the posse that eventually hunts him finds itself in dangerous territory.Solid entertaining Western. 7/10
- DirectorSergio MartinoStarsEdwige FenechAnita StrindbergLuigi PistilliA series of murders are committed near the estate of a degenerate author and his mistreated wife.A pretty solid Italian Giallo with Edwige Fenech providing most of the eye candy. 7/10
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsMarcello MastroianniSydne RomeHugh GriffithDuring her Italian vacation, a young and beautiful American tourist finds herself as a guest in a coastal villa inhabited by some odd people.Many ratings on this site have become far from reliable. A 5.6 at the moment for this film? I assure you, if you're not a prude, it isn't nearly that bad. 7/10
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsKlaus KinskiRuy GuerraHelena RojoIn the 16th century, the ruthless and insane Don Lope de Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado.6/10
- DirectorWes CravenStarsSandra PeabodyLucy GranthamDavid HessTwo teenage girls heading to a rock concert for one's birthday try to score marijuana in the city, where they are kidnapped and brutalized by a gang of psychopathic convicts.6/10
- DirectorRobert AltmanStarsSusannah YorkRene AuberjonoisMarcel BozzuffiWhilst writing a children's book, a woman interrupted by images unsure if they may, or may not be realI would actually have to say that I feel this film is generally a little overrated. It's well made and there's nothing overly bad about it really, though I think it fairly could be said that it is a little slow and also somewhat predictable. Which really isn't usually a great combination. In a sense, the film is much like Polanski's Repulsion from about 7 years earlier, but it's not nearly as effectively done, nor is it nearly as interesting. Perhaps I'm being slightly hard on the film, maybe a 6.5 is a more accurate overall rating as there are some good things here. However I'm such a huge fan of Repulsion, and I've seen it numerous times, so this film really did little for me. Repulsion's insanity gets into your skin if you get into it. This feels far less immersive really, so for me I found it somewhat ineffective and dull by comparison...and because I am such a fan of it, I really can't help but compare them because there really is so much in common between the films. 6/10