Three Days of the Condor (1975)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Sydney Pollack

Writers:

James Grady (novel)
Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

14 November 1975 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

His CIA code name is Condor. In the next seventy-two hours almost everyone he trusts will try to kill him.

Plot:

A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.

Plot Keywords:

CIA | Book | Kill | Murder | Shot In The Head

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Robert Redford	...	Joseph Turner / The Condor
Faye Dunaway	...	Kathy Hale
Cliff Robertson	...	J. Higgins
Max von Sydow	...	G. Joubert (as Max Von Sydow)
John Houseman	...	Mr. Wabash
Addison Powell	...	Leonard Atwood
Walter McGinn	...	Sam Barber
Tina Chen	...	Janice Chon
Michael Kane	...	S.W. Wicks
Don McHenry	...	Dr. Ferdinand Lappe
Michael B. Miller	...	Fowler (as Michael Miller)
Jess Osuna	...	The Major
Dino Narizzano	...	Harold
Helen Stenborg	...	Mrs. Edwina Russell (as Helen Stenbure)
Patrick Gorman	...	Martin

Also Known As:

3 Days of the Condor (Australia)

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:AA (1975) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1976) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

1 World Trade Center, World Trade Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

Excluding the action during the opening credits, this film has approximately 1172 shots in 1 hour 53 minutes and 8 seconds, or an average shot duration of about 5.8 seconds.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Turner is given the report from Langley saying they found nothing to be concerned about in the book he read and reported on. Turner folds it and puts it in his right rear pocket. When he tries to remember the section chiefs name the morning after at Kathy's apartment, the morning the mailman comes, he retrieves it out of his left rear jeans pocket.

Quotes:

Joe Turner: Are you sure about this ideogram?
Janice: Look at this face. Could I be wrong about an ideogram?
[Turner laughs]
Joe Turner: It's a great face. But it's never been to China.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Entourage: No Cannes Do (#4.11)" (2007)

The Definitive Political Thriller

This had everything a political thriller should have - excellent acting by Redford and Dunaway and a well-written internally-consistent plot. Robert Redford plays a CIA agent who read books - that's all, just read books. He gets involved with a CIA plot when all of his coworkers are assassinated.

I like this movie on several levels. The thing that stands out is that Redford isn't an "action hero". He stays ahead of the game - just barely - by using his intelligence. This make for a much more interesting movie than the simple-minded shoot 'em up of the current action heros.