[4.1]
Excellent political conspiracy thriller, with top notch acting, directing, and a tight, interesting script. The opening sequence was a great indicator of the mastery of film craft that follows: we see different parts of a great computer machine buzz and whir with activity, as the credits are typed in digital font over the images, all to a lively 70s score. It has a light tone, and lays out that this is going to be a fun film, not to be taken too seriously. While Fred Zinnemann’s DAY OF THE JACKAL was an overly realistic, dry, docu-style film, Sidney Pollack’s thriller is wonderfully cinematic. There are wonderful filmic touches that have no purpose other than as pure sensory candy. Take for instance the scene near the end when Condor finally comes face to face with Atwood. Condor sits back in Atwood’s business chair, gun poised, playing a pop record on high volume so that it overwhelms the soundtrack. Plot-wise, its a bit silly and cliche, but it gives the scene that extra punch.
The dialogue also has that snappy Hollywood banter that the best screenplays have. One of my favorite exchanges comes when Condor has taken poor Faye Dunaway hostage and he asks her in frustration, “have I raped you?” and she looks back defiantly and says, “The night is young.” What I love about the romance here is that its not central to the plot, its merely used as a sexual side note, as it often is in Bond films. As a thriller, we are meant to care about the mystery and action, not necessarily any relationship drama, and Pollack is keenly aware of that. The romance is kept to a minimum, and mostly used to lighten the tension and allow Condor to interact/trust somebody. Dunaway does a great job with her character, making us unsure of her true desires or intentions. Does she really love Condor? Is she just relenting to protect herself? Is she drawn to the excitement that this stranger brings? Pollack wisely disposes of her near the end of the film (sending her off to meet her boyfriend), so that the real story (the hunt for Condor) can be put back at the center of the action. When everything is finally resolved, its a bit silly, but what conspiracy film isn’t?
The intelligent script stays away from moralizing too much, instead showing how ambiguous both sides of the playing field are, and how we can never be sure who is fighting for which team. Pollack takes the material and stretches every last moment of suspense from it. The scene in which Max von Sydow’s assassin is in the elevator with Condor, both of them silent as the elevator stops on every floor, is wonderfully tense. Redford is perfectly cast as the average nice guy caught in a plot over his head, and his constant baffled looks endear our sympathies to him. Most of all, this is a fun film to watch, and a wonderful example of a thriller that balances style with substance.
burning retina 