Soylent Green (1973)

Set in a choking, overpopulated New York City in the year 2022, Soylent Green follows weary NYPD detective Robert Thorn as he investigates the apparent burglary-murder of a powerful Soylent Corporation board member. As Thorn digs through the city’s crowded tenements, gated luxury towers and the corridors of corporate power—joined by his thoughtful partner Solomon “Sol” Roth—he uncovers corruption, political interference, and a conspiracy that reaches to the heart of the food supply that keeps millions alive. Watching the film, you’ll experience a moody, noir-flavored detective thriller wrapped in bleak science-fiction worldbuilding: smog-choked streets, heat, water and food rations, stark class divides, and claustrophobic urban crowds. The pace alternates tense police-procedural investigation with moments of melancholy and moral reflection, culminating in a shocking, unforgettable revelation about the true source of Soylent Green that reframes everything you’ve seen (spoiler: the product’s ingredient is horrifyingly human). The film’s atmosphere is as much social commentary as it is suspense—evoking dread, pity, and outrage as it examines how a collapsed environment and ruthless institutions devalue human life. Overall, Soylent Green delivers a grim, powerful experience: a mystery that hooks you, a dystopia that unsettles you, and an emotional final act that lingers long after the credits.

Actors: Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Leigh Taylor-Young

Director: Richard Fleischer

Runtime: 97 min

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi

6.7 /10 66 /100 7.0 /10 6.8 /10