Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, and Max von Sydow
Directed by Sydney Pollack
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***
I have a problem when conspiracy thrillers become so convoluted that the viewer is unable to follow them. As we watch, we know that there's something nefarious going on, but because of the way the film is structured, we're at a loss to explain things. That's the issue with Three Days of the Condor, a flick that starts off quite promisingly, but falters in the last half because it falls into the trap of too many twists and tangles.
The most successful aspect of the film is Robert Redford's performance as the bookish Joseph Turner who, along with seven colleagues, has been hired by the government to study foreign texts to determine if they contain secret codes or messages. While out getting lunch one afternoon, all of Turner's co-workers are shot down in their offices. When Turner returns and discovers the horror, he calls his government superior and soon discovers that something shady is underfoot -- a conspiracy that may lead all the way to the top of the CIA.
I was incredibly fond of this film for the first sixty minutes. It was tense, nicely plotted, and provided Redford with a nice opportunity to slowly morph from "the nerd" to "the action star." However, around the halfway point, there's an awkward sex scene between Redford and the miscast Faye Dunaway (whose character and romantic subplot are completely unnecessary) and things start to falter. Backstabbing runs rampant and characters switch their loyalties seemingly every five minutes. It grows to a ridiculous level and, in the end, it negates the powerful opening.
The RyMickey Rating: C
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