Makes you wish the makers - and especially the funders - of today's overblown big budget thrillers could be made to learn from some of the finer thrillers of the 1970s.
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:30
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7/10
Consensus: This post-Watergate thriller captures the paranoid tenor of the times, thanks to Syndey Pollock’s taut direction and excellent performances from Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway.
Synopsis: Sydney Pollack directed this post-Watergate political thriller in which Robert Redford plays Joe Turner, a bookish CIA researcher who returns from lunch to find that all of his co-workers have been... Sydney Pollack directed this post-Watergate political thriller in which Robert Redford plays Joe Turner, a bookish CIA researcher who returns from lunch to find that all of his co-workers have been shot dead. Suddenly Turner is unsure whom to trust, since he realizes that whoever committed these murders must want him dead too. Turner quickly goes into hiding and forces a total stranger, Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway), to let him stay at her apartment. Although Kathy is at first frightened of Turner, she eventually sympathizes with and grows to care for him. Meanwhile, the quick-thinking Turner has been constantly eluding death and strategizing to stay one step ahead of the killer. But when he finally unravels the mystery behind the deaths, Turner must decide what to do with the information before it's too late. Pollack's fast-paced suspense thriller is supported by a formidable cast, including Max von Sydow and John Houseman. The screenplay is based on the novel SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR by James Grady. [More]
Starring: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max Von Sydow
Starring: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max Von Sydow, John Houseman, Addison Powell, Walter McGinn, Tina Chen, Michael Kane
Director: Sydney Pollack
Director: Sydney Pollack
Screenwriter: Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Producer: Stanley Schneider
Composer: Dave Grusin
Reviews for Three Days of the Condor
Pollack excels by establishing an interesting situation, sustaining it, and--in keeping with the paranoid-thriller genre--resolving it on a pleasingly ambiguous note. [Blu-ray]
The film still makes a dandy suspense yarn, with plenty of twists and turns.
It's got the mystery aspect down beautifully, but because I wasn't given a chance to get behind the characters and get to know them, I had a hard time getting into the film itself.
At its best this spy thriller is tense, engaging and good fodder for paranoids with conspiracy theory fever.
This taut espionage thriller gained greater plausibility during its shooting when a sudden raft of sensational post-Watergate news items began coming out of Washington regarding illegal wiretaps, surveillance, and killings motivated by [politics].
Basically a B, it has been elevated in form -- but not in substance -- via four bigger names, location shooting and more production values. Sometimes the trick works, but not here.
Basically, the film is a throwback to the 60s anti-Bond spy thriller (a la The Ipcress File), except here the genre's annihilating irony has been replaced by Pollack's liberal piousness.
The action rarely falters, and at its best the film offers an intriguing slice of neo-Hitchcock.
Three Days of the Condor is a well-made thriller, tense and involving, and the scary thing, in these months after Watergate, is that it's all too believable.
Latest News for Three Days of the Condor
April 03, 2009:
The Truth Is Out There With RT's Best Conspiracy Movies!
It's the time-tested stuff of captivating cinema: one person up against forces beyond his or her control. Toss in healthy doses of political malfeasance, nefarious cabals,... More...
More Movies
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 70% 70% | Where the Wild Things Are | 03/12 |
| 83% 83% | Paranormal Activity | 03/12 |
| 89% 89% | Zombieland | 03/12 |
| 76% 76% | The Informant! | 03/12 |
| | The Strength of Water | 03/12 |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- Three Days of the Condor at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

The New Matilda's Lynden Barber looks at the recent success of low-budget sci-fi -- and asks the question.

Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions

Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser

Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.

We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection



Top Critic

