They got very friendly; doesn't Condor realize that it was Joubert and his accomplice who killed all of the people in his office?
Crystal clear - the point being that solving the mystery of those paranoia classics robs some of the pleasure of repeated viewings. But the journey with Redford and company is really the fascinating aspect of Condor. And, no, you didn't mention Parallax. But the odyssey that Beatty embarks on is in a similar vein as Condor, which I'd watch again over Conversation or Presidents.
Condor and Marathon Man are about survival. Beatty's character's downfall is due to his gigantic ego and arrogance. He doesn't have any survival instinct as far as I'm concerned. He truly deserves his fate. That being said, I really enjoy all of these movies. The Conversation is truly about loneliness and paranoia. I find it much more difficult to watch for that reason. Hackman's character lives such a sad life that it's difficult to see him lose everything and himself. There are glimpses of paranoia in Condor, Parallax and Marathon Man, but never to the extent found in The Conversation. I don't think Coppola ever made another movies like The Conversation. It's quite unique in many ways. I could discuss these films for days...
If you like films like Condor I recommend Michael Clayton. The great Sydney Pollack's second to the last film that he acted in. This movie reminded me of the thrillers from early 70's. I watch it at least once a year. Love it. Great cast.
It's one of my favorite movies of all time, in my favorite genre of movie, the 70's paranoid conspiracy thriller. Also in the list: The Conversation The Parallax View All The President's Men Anyways, this film sets the bar. There was a series on AMC about 10 years ago named Rubicon that captured the feeling of 3 Days almost perfectly.
I love it but the last time I saw it - maybe 25 years ago - the sex scene with Redford and Dunaway seemed more than a little bit rape-y to me. Other than that, holds up really well IMO.
It's got some good bits and ahhh it's just a film that tries really hard but just fails to hit the real peak of tension and drama the plot concept offers. I find it a frustrating watch. Did stuff get cut out? I did mention this movie the other night to my other half that the book is 6 Days and they cut it down for the movie. She thought that most amusing. I do like his Doxa watch though...cos I got one.
A lot of stuff in movies pre-2000 seem a bit that way now. You should watch some stuff from the 40's and 50's that are PG...it's like "whoaaaa hold on...no!!!!" Pepe Le Pew doesnt hold a candle to say Robert Mitchum with his dander up!
True, true. I will say that I can't quite figure out why some stick out to me - like this one or Sixteen Candles - while others don't.
The whole notion of a couple of bookies scanning lierature and brochures for secret messages was already absurd in the 70's. Nowadays it is less with computers and AI. But this Higgins statement ain't! "It's simple economics. Today it's oil, right? In ten or fifteen years, food. Plutonium. Maybe even sooner... Ask 'em when they're running out. Ask 'em when there's no heat in their homes and they're cold. Ask 'em when their engines stop. Ask 'em when people who have never known hunger start going hungry. You wanna know something? They won't want us to ask 'em. They'll just want us to get it for 'em!"
In the 1990's I was walking with my girlfriend in the Topanga Plaza Mall in Woodland Hills one Saturday and all of a sudden, walking right in front of me I saw... The Mailman. I shouted out loud without even thinking "THE MAILMAN!!" Actor Hank Garrett turned to me and smiled, we shook hands, I introduced him to my girlfriend, told him I loved him in "Car 54" etc. and that was that. Loved him in Condor. I read once that he broke Redford's nose filming that scene. I believe he is still with us, living here in the Valley. He must be at least 90 by now..
Well, all of the films are unique. Labeling them paranoia thrillers is merely a way to discuss narrative trends during the era. To me, the paranoia of Redford is a huge dramatic aspect of his character in Condor. He has no idea of where the next mortal threat will surface so he has to be on guard for (as a few have noted) even run-of-the-mill figures like mailmen. If this aspect was missing from the film much of the tension would be absent.
Not as absurd as you would think…it’s called LITINT…and it was done all the time. But, they weren’t just looking for secret messages…they do it primary to generate intelligence assessments of a particular country’s culture, history, etc. And you’re right…nowadays it’s computers and AI.
Doxa - the watch of author Clive Cussler and his fictional hero Dirk Pitt. Yeah…I’m a watch guy…I’ve got the disease. If you’re interested in watches and espionage, check out this site…it’s run by a former CIA Case Officer: Watches Of Espionage
Dave Grusin played on Lee Ritenour's first album. We're lucky Lee chose to record his version of the movie theme.
Here's another superb version of the movie theme by Rhythm Heritage which was put together by studio musicians (Steve Barri and Michael Omartian). The track features many well known sidemen like Ernie Watts, Tom Scott and Ray Parker, Jr.
