The Best Movie Of Each Year From 1925-2025

Honourable Mentions: Husbands, Patton, Ryan's Daughter

Another touchstone of the New Hollywood era (and also one of its most snubbed), Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces remains one of the most gutting and affecting films of the 1970s, and features one of the greatest performances in Jack Nicholson's illustrious career.

After blazing a trail with a supporting role in countercultural touchstone Easy Rider the previous year, Nicholson returned to embark on what would become a defining period in his filmography, starting with Rafelson's film of working-class crisis and the decay of the American Dream. Nicholson is typically electric, with Karen Black delivering a seminal performance as a small-town waitress yearning for something bigger.