7.1/10
55,897
288 user 161 critic

Soylent Green (1973)

PG | | Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi | 9 May 1973 (USA)
Soylent Green Poster
Trailer
3:27 | Trailer
In the world ravaged by the greenhouse effect and overpopulation, an NYPD detective investigates the murder of a big company CEO.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Stanley R. Greenberg (screenplay), Harry Harrison (novel)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Leigh Taylor-Young | See full cast & crew »
66
Reviews
Popularity
2,542 ( 430)
3 wins & 1 nomination. See more awards »

Videos

See all 1 video  »

Photos

See all 62 photos »
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston ... Detective Thorn
Leigh Taylor-Young ... Shirl
Chuck Connors ... Tab Fielding
Joseph Cotten ... William R. Simonson
Brock Peters ... Chief Hatcher
Paula Kelly ... Martha
Edward G. Robinson ... Sol Roth
Stephen Young ... Gilbert
Mike Henry ... Kulozik
Lincoln Kilpatrick ... The Priest
Roy Jenson ... Donovan
Leonard Stone ... Charles
Whit Bissell ... Gov. Santini
Celia Lovsky ... The Exchange Leader
Dick Van Patten ... Usher #1
See full cast »
Learn more

More Like This 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
The Ωmega Man (1971)
Action | Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

Lone survivor, doctor Robert Neville, struggles to create a cure for the plague that wiped out most of the human race while fighting The Family, a savage luddite death cult formed by the zombie-like infected to erase the past.

Director: Boris Sagal
Stars: Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind Cash
Next »
Logan's Run (1976)
Action | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

An idyllic science fiction future has one major drawback: life must end at the age of thirty.

Director: Michael Anderson
Stars: Michael York, Jenny Agutter, Richard Jordan
Next »
Westworld (1973)
Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A robot malfunction creates havoc and terror for unsuspecting vacationers at a futuristic, adult-themed amusement park.

Director: Michael Crichton
Stars: Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, James Brolin
Next »
The Andromeda Strain (1971)
Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A team of top scientists work feverishly in a secret, state-of-the-art laboratory to discover what has killed the citizens of a small town and learn how this deadly contagion can be stopped.

Director: Robert Wise
Stars: James Olson, Arthur Hill, David Wayne
Next »
Planet of the Apes (1968)
Adventure | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

An astronaut crew crash-lands on a planet in the distant future where intelligent talking apes are the dominant species, and humans are the oppressed and enslaved.

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Stars: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter
Next »
THX 1138 (1971)
Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

In the twenty-fifth century, a time when people have designations instead of names, a man, THX 1138, and a woman, LUH 3417, rebel against their rigidly controlled society.

Director: George Lucas
Stars: Robert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro Colley
Next »
Silent Running (1972)
Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

In a future where all flora is extinct on Earth, an astronaut is given orders to destroy the last of Earth's botany, kept in a greenhouse aboard a spacecraft.

Director: Douglas Trumbull
Stars: Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin
Next »
The Time Machine (1960)
Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A man's vision for a utopian society is disillusioned when travelling forward into time reveals a dark and dangerous society.

Director: George Pal
Stars: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux
Next »
Rollerball (1975)
Action | Sci-Fi | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.

Director: Norman Jewison
Stars: James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams
Next »
Forbidden Planet (1956)
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.6/10 X  

A starship crew goes to investigate the silence of a planet's colony only to find two survivors and a deadly secret that one of them has.

Director: Fred M. Wilcox
Stars: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen
Next »
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

An alien lands and tells the people of Earth that they must live peacefully or be destroyed as a danger to other planets.

Director: Robert Wise
Stars: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
Next »
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.1/10 X  

The sole survivor of an interplanetary rescue mission searches for the only survivor of the previous expedition. He discovers a planet ruled by apes and an underground city run by telepathic humans.

Director: Ted Post
Stars: James Franciscus, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans
Edit

Storyline

In 2022, Earth is overpopulated and totally polluted; the natural resources have been exhausted and the nourishment of the population is provided by Soylent Industries, a company that makes a food consisting of plankton from the oceans. In New York City, when Soylent's member of the board William R. Simonson is murdered apparently by a burglar at the Chelsea Towers West where he lives, efficient Detective Thorn is assigned to investigate the case with his partner Solomon "Sol" Roth. Thorn comes to the fancy apartment and meets Simonson's bodyguard Tab Fielding and the "furniture" (woman that is rented together with the flat) Shirl and the detective concludes that the executive was not victim of burglary but executed. Further, he finds that the Governor Santini and other powerful men want to disrupt and end Thorn's investigation. But Thorn continues his work and discovers a bizarre and disturbing secret of the ingredient used to manufacture Soylent Green. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

cannibalism | dystopia | overpopulation | conspiracy | food | See All (85) »

Taglines:

It's the year 2022... People are still the same. They'll do anything to get what they need. And they need SOYLENT GREEN. See more »

Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the theatrical trailer further dialogue from the end sequence can be heard from Charlton Heston that does not feature in the film. The film itself goes to freeze frame & the soundtrack is cut, in the trailer Heston's further pleas can be heard. See more »

Goofs

When Thorn is chasing the assassin; Thorn gets shot in the right leg and it starts bleeding profusely. But in the following scene when he is fighting Tab in his apartment; he kicks Tab numerous times with the right leg as if there is no wound. Not only does the leg show no effect of a wound; the leg is also not showing any blood nor are there any blood stains on the pants. Additionally he walks exists Tab's apartment without a limp. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Voice over PA: First stage removal. First stage removal. Streets prohibited to non-permits in one hour. Streets prohibited to non-permits in one hour.
See more »

Alternate Versions

Deleted scene: When Tab Fielding (Chuck Connors) goes shopping with Shirl, he is mugged, and wins the fight. This scene was filmed, but deleted. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Supernatural: The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

Peer Gynt Suite No.1, Op.46: I. 'Morning'
Edvard Grieg
See more »

User Reviews

Very believable.
24 January 2004 | by magellan333 – See all my reviews

This movie paints a very bleak future for planet Earth. What makes this movie so good is that the future seen may very well be a reality someday. A poisoned environment, an overpopulated planet and total disregard for human life all seem to be in there early stages today. Soylent Green is a very good and very believable film.
58 of 93 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 288 user reviews »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How closely does the movie follow the book?
Q: The opening montage was brilliant! Who is responsible for it?
Q: Is "Soylent Green" based on a book?
See more »
Edit

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Release Date:

9 May 1973 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Make Room! Make Room! See more »

Filming Locations:

The Promenade Marina City Club Apartments, 4333 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, California, USA See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

We've Got Your Streaming Picks Covered

Looking for some great streaming picks? Check out some of the IMDb editors' favorites movies and shows to round out your Watchlist.


Clear your history

Recently Viewed