Exploring 14 Hidden Gems in Vintage Cinema

04/18/2025 3:59 am by Pixel Pusher

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• Action
• British Gangster
• Cinema
• film
• hiddenGems
• movies
• NostalgicPixel
• Swimmer

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I have been exploring older films. Here are some real heavy hitters. In no particular order. Well that is not true. This is a list for me that tells a story. If you went straight down the list This would be a wild ride. Only really one comedy. There are some real tough guy films. Then you have some real emotional roller coasters, These are not family films. They range from late 60’s to early 80’s.

• The Swimmer (1968) – Burt Lancaster great film had a limited release and since got remastered. Powerful film. The premise is simple. A man at a friend’s house decides to walk home. He cuts through the neighborhood, swimming in all their pools along the way.

• The Silent Partner (1978) – Elliot Gould, Christopher Plummer. An exciting film about a bank heist and the fallout. This is an exciting caper film that really takes off after the heist. I don’t want to give much away. It is filmed takes place in Canada and has an early cameo of John Candy.

• Local Hero (1983) – Burt Lancaster sends a man to Ireland to buy land. You can enjoy this one even on mute great sights. This is a movie you could watch on mute the sights are so nice. A young Dr.Who is in this as well.

• The Long Goodbye (1973) – Elliot Gould. A contemporary look at a classic California private detective this Inherent Vice before Inherent Vice. This is a Robert Altman directed classic.

• Get Carter (1971) – Micheal Caine. It’s a classic British gangster film. Micheal Caine’s brother dies, and he is going to cause trouble to find out who did it.

• The Long Good Friday (1980) – Bob Hoskins another British gangster film Helen Mirren also in this. Hoskins performance put him on the map and sent him to Hollywood. This movie kind of works backwards. Bob Hoskins plays a head gangster. Someone is making a run at him. He tries to figure out who before they get to him.

• The Hit (1984) – John Hurt, Tim Roth in his first movie. Another British gangster film. A road film. Quinton Tarantino hired Tim Roth from seeing this movie. This cast is mostly 4 people in a car where one person is certain they will not walk away.

• Rolling Thunder (1977) – William Devance plays a former POW who returns home. It turns out to be a revenge film. Tommy Lee Jones plays his bad ass I will walk into hell for you friend. Real tough guy movie. You see this movie a 70’s style hardcore revenge film that others used as blueprint.

• Gloria (1980) – Gena Rowlands stars in this. It is like a reverse Leon the Professional. Except she not a hired hitman. She a middle aged woman that can be real tough when she needs to. Strong female lead great time. John Cassavetes is the independent film director knocked this one out of the park.

• The Driver (1978) – Ryan O’Neal This is the version you haven’t seen maybe. Great car chase scenes. They had to do it all in camera and it looks great. Aged so well. Exciting The cinematography is top notch and acting is solid.

• The Deep (1977) – Robert Shaw, Nick Noltie and Jacqueline Bisset in a white T-shirt you will never forget. From the author of Jaws. A couple on vacation find sunken treasure and drama begins. This is Into the Blue before Into the Blue.

• Murder by Death (1976) – Capote, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Maggie Smith, and Peter Falk. This is a comedy parodying all the different murder mystery films before. It is Clue before Clue. If you haven’t seen Clue, see it and also see this. You might think you would have to be familiar with the movies this parodies but that is not true. The humor is delivered straight like Airplane and Naked Gun.

• The Late Show (1977) – Art Carney and Lily Tomlin in a great detective murder mystery. They pair up to solve a murder of a friend. Great duo the over the hill PI and the young energetic intern. Art Carney plays a role of a lifetime. Also a young Lily Tomlin plays a great partner. This is the unlikely duo that really gel.

• The Sorcerer (1977) – Roy Sheider. This gem had the bad luck of releasing in theaters at the same time as Star Wars. Also the title is confusing. It is a name of a truck. This is a road trip movie. Four men in South America are hiding from the world. They get pulled into a near suicide mission. They transport old and temperamental dynamite 300 miles through the jungle. This is to help put out a raging oil well fire. This is amazing film. A real nail biter. I had to go with the screenshot above to help sell this intense film. This film suffered in the theater because it was up against Star Wars.

Those are some great but some lesser known today. I understand to some these are not hidden just older films. Hidden only to those that are not in the know. These movies are very much worth a watch or re-watch if you haven’t seen in a long while. I hope you enjoyed this As I plan to list more films that are deserving of viewing. These movies are not ranked. I would say if you want to group some in here to watch one after another. I recommend watching 3 British Gangster films in this order. Start with Get Carter. Continue with The Long Good Friday. End with the Hit.