Best Movies of 1972

The highest-rated films from 1972 according to MovieMagicScore. Rankings based purely on what viewers actually think.

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The Godfather

1972 · 23,238 ratings

Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.

8.7

Solaris

1972 · 1,726 ratings

A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.

7.8

Cries and Whispers

1972 · 743 ratings

As Agnes slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so immersed in their own psychic pains that they are unable to offer her the support she needs.

7.9

Sleuth

1972 · 668 ratings

A man who loves games and theater invites his wife's lover to meet him, setting up a battle of wits with potentially deadly results.

7.7

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

1972 · 1,179 ratings

A few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire, a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon River in search of the lost city of El Dorado. When great difficulties arise, Aguirre’s men start to wonder whether their quest will lead them to prosperity or certain death.

7.5

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie

1972 · 863 ratings

In Luis Buñuel’s deliciously satiric masterpiece, an upper-class sextet sits down to dinner but never eats, their attempts continually thwarted by a vaudevillian mixture of events both actual and imagined.

7.5

The Way of the Dragon

1972 · 1,213 ratings

Tang Lung arrives in Rome to help his cousins in the restaurant business. They are being pressured to sell their property to the syndicate, who will stop at nothing to get what they want. When Tang arrives he poses a new threat to the syndicate, and they are unable to defeat him. The syndicate boss hires the best Japanese and European martial artists to fight Tang, but he easily finishes them off.

7.4

Deliverance

1972 · 1,716 ratings

Intent on seeing the Cahulawassee River before it's turned into one huge lake, outdoor fanatic Lewis Medlock takes his friends on a river-rafting trip they'll never forget into the dangerous American back-country.

7.3

Cabaret

1972 · 931 ratings

Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and an impish emcee sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force.

7.4

#10

Play It Again, Sam

1972 · 618 ratings

A neurotic film critic obsessed with the movie Casablanca attempts to get over his wife leaving him by dating again with the help of a married couple and his illusory idol, Humphrey Bogart.

7.5

#11

Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii

1972 · 209 ratings

British progressive rock band Pink Floyd perform at the ancient Roman Amphitheater in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy in 1971. Although the band perform a typical live set from the era, there is no audience beyond the basic film crew.

8.1

#12

Fist of Fury

1972 · 1,021 ratings

Chen Chen returns to his former school in Shanghai when he learns that his beloved instructor has been murdered. While investigating the man's death, Chen discovers that a rival Japanese school is operating a drug smuggling ring. To avenge his master’s death, Chen takes on both Chinese and Japanese assassins… and even a towering Russian.

7.2

#13

Jeremiah Johnson

1972 · 652 ratings

A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians when he proves to be the match of their warriors in one-to-one combat on the early frontier.

7.3

#14

What's Up, Doc?

1972 · 423 ratings

The accidental mix-up of four identical plaid overnight bags leads to a series of increasingly wild and wacky situations.

7.4

#15

The Adventures of Pinocchio

1972 · 318 ratings

Mastro Geppetto is a poor carpenter with no wife and no children. The man is very lonely, and after trading a piece of wood with his colleague Mastro Ciliegia, decides to build himself a puppet to keep him company.

7.5

#16

Don't Torture a Duckling

1972 · 396 ratings

A reporter and a promiscuous young woman try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town rife with superstition and a distrust of outsiders.

7.3

#17

Frenzy

1972 · 999 ratings

London is terrorized by a vicious sex killer known as The Necktie Murderer. Following the brutal slaying of his ex-wife, down-on-his-luck Richard Blaney is suspected by the police of being the killer. He goes on the run, determined to prove his innocence.

7.1

#18

Caliber 9

1972 · 266 ratings

Just out of prison, ex-con Ugo Piazza meets his former employer, a psychopathic gangster Rocco who enjoys sick violence and torture. Both the gangsters and the police believe Ugo has hidden $300,000 that should have gone to an American drug syndicate boss. Caliber 9 is the first part in Di Leo's "Milieu" Trilogy of poliziotteschi films. It was followed by "The Italian Connection" (1972) and "The Boss" (1973).

7.5

#19

The Poseidon Adventure

1972 · 945 ratings

When their ocean liner capsizes, a group of passengers struggle to survive and escape.

7.1

#20

The Getaway

1972 · 615 ratings

A recently released ex-convict and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes wrong.

7.1

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About 1972 Movies

These are the best-rated movies released in 1972 according to MovieMagicScore. Our ranking system aggregates genuine viewer ratings to give you an honest picture of what audiences actually think about these films.

From blockbusters to indie gems, discover what made 1972 memorable in cinema based on the collective opinion of movie lovers worldwide.

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