Leofwine_draca
THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR is one of those classic '70s thrillers that's all about paranoia and the mistrust of government entities. It has the same low key and gritty approach as other '70s greats as MARATHON MAN and SERPICO, and yet as a film it's quite unique, depicting the events in a mature, deeply political way that ignores stock action sequences in favour of surprising character twists and the like. Robert Redford is very well cast as a somewhat ignorant CIA agent who survives the brutal opening massacre sequence (an astonishing sequence) only to go on the wrong as assassins and corrupt agents close in. I could have done without the sub-plot involving Faye Dunaway's extraneous character, but I understand the value of its presence in humanising the main characters. The rest is an solid exercise in film-making, subdued and involving, surprising and engaging. Watch out for Max Von Sydow in one of his best roles.
Andy Howlett
It's not often I go above 8 in my scores, but for Three Days of the Condor I'll do it. We've watched this film four times now and it gets better each time. I'm not sure what genre this film fits into - thriller, conspiracy, espionage (probably 70's paranoia) - but it's a fine effort. It's a slow-burner, sets several red-herrings early on and leaves the viewer to make his own way, working out what could be going on rather than being propelled onward by intrusive re-caps and fancy effects. The tension starts early on in the office where Turner finds his colleagues murdered and it never really lets up. As well as a fine performance by Redford, Max von Sydow puts in a chillingly quiet turn as the well-mannered killer. A superb film for discerning viewers, and it has that 'seventies vibe', one of the reasons I watch these films.
ashleybrownmedia
Do you ever have those moments where, once a film's credits roll, you just sit back and say to yourself - "man, that was good fun".Yes? No? Maybe it's just me. But, that's exactly how I reacted once 'The Three Days of the Condor" drew to a close and I got up to contemplate what I'd just seen.In this 70s conspiracy flick Robert Redford plays a booksmart CIA analyst. One day the office in which he works is the scene of a brutal killing - everyone apart from him is killed, he only manages to escape as he was out buying lunch at the time! How's that for luck?The rest of the story follows Redford as he evades some enemy agents who are out to get him - some being a little closer to home that he'd expected.While this is an old film, it holds up well and entertained me throughout. Reford plays a good, resourceful lead and I certainly found myself rooting for him. Also, look out for Max Von Sydow - who plays a cultured assassin.There's a subplot involving a hostage who Redford uses - Fay Dunnaway. They have a strange, almost slightly forced romance that I really didn't enjoy. I think she's a great actress, don't get me wrong, but I feel as if her role wasn't really necessary.All in all, a good enjoyable experience and a chance for those who don't remember the era to really revel in and enjoy a classic 70s slice of spy action. Look out for one of the tensest endings in the genre too...good stuff!
tomgillespie2002
There was once a time that paranoid thrillers such as Sydney Pollack's magnificent Three Days of the Condor would have seemed like the mad ramblings of an extreme lefty. The government were not made up of powerful men with our best interests at heart, but a bunch of powerful men plotting, scheming and murdering their way to further themselves or whatever organisation-within-an-organisation they were working for. After the Watergate scandal, such cynicism didn't seem so out-there. It inspired a wave of great films, some of the finest in American history, with director Sydney Pollack and actor Robert Redford very much at the forefront.Here Redford plays Joseph Turner, a CIA bookworm tasked with reading everything - books, newspapers, magazines - in the search for hidden codes and revolutionary ideas, operating from a small office with a close assortment of colleagues. After he pops out for lunch one day, he returns to find all of his co-workers murdered, and is plunged into a world of deep paranoia. When he seeks protection from the 'Company', he is almost murdered as he meets the man he thinks is bringing him in. With no-one to turn to, he kidnaps an artist named Kathy (Faye Dunaway) at gunpoint and shacks up with her, gradually bringing her to his side as his situation becomes utterly desperate.Turner, now lumped with the knowledge that he can trust nobody, is forced to re-evaluate everything he knows about how his employees operate. The CIA are summed up in the film by two characters - the seemingly emotionless killer Joubert (Max von Sydow) and slick- talking suit Higgins (Cliff Robertson). It's a terrifying thought to think that someone may be listening to every phone call or reporting your whereabouts, and that every time there's a knock at the door it may be the delivery man with a machine-gun. It is Joubert's chilling monologue towards the end of the film that really speaks volumes about the men Turner is fleeing from. Pollack's direction is tight and clinical, effortlessly building suspense through Redford's increasingly rugged performance. An exciting, intelligent thriller from the greatest period in American cinema.
AD
