Top Results for Early 70S

"Wattstax" is a 1973 American documentary film directed by Mel Stuart that chronicles the Wattstax music festival held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1972. The event commemorated the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots and featured performances by prominent Stax Records artists such as I...

"Shaft" is a 1971 American action film directed by Gordon Parks and based on the novel by Ernest Tidyman. The plot follows John Shaft, a private detective working in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, as he navigates the criminal underworld to locate a kidnapped mobster's daughter. Starring Richar...

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is a 1971 independent film written, directed, produced by, and starring Melvin Van Peebles. It follows a Black sex performer who flees after killing two police officers who were attacking a young Black Panther. The film was self-financed and distributed independentl...

Across 110th Street is a 1972 American crime thriller directed by Barry Shear, starring Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, and Antonio Fargas. The narrative depicts a violent, multi-sided conflict involving the Mafia, local Harlem criminals, and the police following a lucrative bank robbery. It is widely...

Super Fly is a 1972 American blaxploitation crime film directed by Gordon Parks Jr. The plot centers on Youngblood Priest, a Harlem cocaine dealer attempting to secure one final deal to leave the illicit drug trade. The film is widely recognized for its stylish visual aesthetic and its highly influe...

"The Mack" is a 1973 American crime drama directed by Michael Campus, starring Max Julien as "Goldie," a recently released convict who pursues dominance as a successful pimp in Oakland, California. The film explores his conflicts with rival pimps, corrupt police officers, and his own revolutionary b...

Coffy is a 1973 American blaxploitation action film written and directed by Jack Hill. Pam Grier plays Flower Child Coffin, an emergency-room nurse whose younger sister becomes addicted to heroin; Coffy then pursues the dealers and other figures she holds responsible for the drug trade and related v...

Black Caesar is a 1973 American crime drama written, directed, and produced by Larry Cohen, with Fred Williamson playing Tommy Gibbs, a Harlem criminal who builds power after beginning as a shoeshine boy. The film follows Gibbs’s rise through organized crime and its consequences in New York. Its mus...

Five on the Black Hand Side is a 1973 American comedy film directed by Oscar Williams and adapted from Charlie L. Russell's play. It centers on Mr. Brooks, an authoritarian African American barbershop owner whose wife and children challenge his control over the household and his assumptions about ma...

Trouble Man is a 1972 American crime film directed by Ivan Dixon and starring Robert Hooks as a Los Angeles private investigator and fixer known as Mr. T. The story places him between rival criminal groups after he becomes involved in a conflict that includes threats, deception, and an accusation of...

They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! is a 1970 American crime film directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Sidney Poitier as San Francisco police lieutenant Virgil Tibbs. Tibbs investigates the murder of a prostitute after a prominent preacher and political activist, played by Martin Landau, becomes connected...

Cotton Comes to Harlem is a 1970 American crime comedy directed by Ossie Davis and based on Chester Himes's 1965 novel of the same name. It follows Harlem detectives Coffin Ed Johnson and Grave Digger Jones as they investigate a fraudulent fundraising scheme involving money supposedly collected to s...

Blacula is a 1972 American horror film directed by William Crain and starring William Marshall as Mamuwalde, an African prince who is transformed into a vampire by Count Dracula. The story moves between an eighteenth-century origin and modern Los Angeles, using the vampire narrative to address racia...

Watermelon Man is a 1970 American satirical comedy directed by Melvin Van Peebles and written by Herman Raucher. Godfrey Cambridge plays Jeff Gerber, a white insurance salesman whose sudden transformation into a Black man forces him to experience racial hostility and changes in his relationships, wo...

Detroit 9000 is a 1973 American crime film directed by Arthur Marks. The story follows a Black police detective and a white colleague as they investigate the robbery of valuable jewelry in Detroit. The film belongs to the blaxploitation cycle of the early 1970s, while also using the structure of a p...

Cleopatra Jones is a 1973 American action and crime film starring Tamara Dobson as the title character. Cleopatra Jones is presented as a government agent who confronts a drug-trafficking operation and its leader. The film is associated with the blaxploitation movement and is distinguished by placin...

Scream Blacula Scream is a 1973 American horror film and sequel to Blacula. William Marshall reprises his role as Mamuwalde, an African prince who was transformed into a vampire, while Pam Grier plays Lisa Fortier, a woman involved in a struggle for control of a voodoo lineage. Set in Los Angeles, t...

Come Back, Charleston Blue is a 1972 crime comedy film starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques. It follows Harlem detectives Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed as they investigate a series of gangland murders connected with the return of a criminal figure known as Charleston Blue. The film i...

Shaft's Big Score! is a 1972 action film directed by Gordon Parks and the second feature film centered on private detective John Shaft. The story begins with the murder of Shaft's friend and develops into an investigation involving a large smuggling operation linked to organized crime. The film belo...

Hit! is a 1973 American crime thriller starring Billy Dee Williams and Richard Pryor. The story follows a federal agent who assembles a group to pursue those responsible for his daughter's death. The film combines revenge, organized crime, and drug-trafficking themes and belongs to the period's cycl...

Hell Up in Harlem is a 1973 American crime film directed by Larry Cohen and a sequel to Black Caesar. It follows Tommy Gibbs as he seeks to recover control of his criminal organization while facing corrupt law-enforcement officers and rival gangsters. The film is part of the 1970s blaxploitation tra...

Shaft in Africa is a 1973 American action film directed by John Guillermin and starring Richard Roundtree as private detective John Shaft. In the story, Shaft travels to Ethiopia while investigating a network involved in modern slavery. The film continues the Shaft series and is the third entry in t...

Hit Man is a 1972 American blaxploitation crime film starring Bernie Casey. It follows a former professional football player who seeks revenge after his brother is killed. The film is loosely based on the premise of the 1967 film Point Blank, adapting its revenge-driven crime story to an urban setti...

Book of Numbers is a 1973 American crime drama directed by Raymond C. St. Jacques. Set in the 1930s, it depicts a numbers racket operating within the Black community. The film is relevant to viewers interested in period crime stories, the social setting of illegal gambling, and early-1970s blaxploit...

Slaughter is a 1972 action film starring Jim Brown. Its central character is a former Green Beret who seeks revenge against the mobsters responsible for killing his parents. The film is distinguished by its military-trained protagonist, action-centered plot, and connection to a successful film franc...

Trick Baby is a 1972 crime film based on a novel by Iceberg Slim. It follows a biracial con artist and his mentor as they swindle wealthy targets, presenting their work as a series of street hustles. The film is relevant to viewers interested in urban crime narratives, con artists, blaxploitation ci...

Gordon's War is a 1973 American action and crime film directed by Ossie Davis. The story follows Gordon Hudson, a Vietnam veteran, and several fellow veterans who return to Harlem and confront drug dealers operating in their neighborhood. The film belongs to the blaxploitation tradition and combines...

Black Mama, White Mama is a 1973 action and exploitation film starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov. The two leads play prisoners who are transported in chains in the Philippines and escape while being forced into an uneasy alliance. The film draws on the prisoner-partnership structure associated w...

Cool Breeze is a 1972 American crime and heist film directed by Barry Pollack. It follows a group of Black thieves who plan and carry out a major jewelry robbery, adapting the basic setup of The Asphalt Jungle to an urban blaxploitation context. The film is intended for viewers interested in ensembl...