TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

B Keith Small This story was ahead of its time. Taut, gritty, excellently written, espionage drama that builds at a nice pace. It still holds its own against vehicles that are 20 to 30 years younger. And I have seen Condor's footprints on many movies of past and current status. Mr. Redford's character is naive to the underworld of Government espionage that he inadvertently finds himself embroiled in. Effectively pulling back the veil on kill teams and other tools that various Governments including our own utilize in the name of National security. Excellent movie.

Alex-352 A timeless and nearly perfect, trenchantly suspenseful gem. Shy of a masterpiece only due to points subtracted for minor period-associated chintz, as well as a slightly ambiguous, minimally confusing story line.Although it is a certifiable CIA spy thriller, complete with uniquely choreographed and unforgettable action sequences, the film is seasoned-- thankfully with just the right amount-- of a smartly interwoven romance between Redford and Dunaway.The pair are an inexplicably perfect match not only for each other, but also for the manner in which they romantically connect, and in so doing define and tastefully season via their elegantly directed partnership.They share a rare and magical cinematic chemistry, and are able to evoke an intensely personal and poignant connection, with The City of New York as if a character in its own right, as Owen Roizman's dreamlike cinematography provides an ethereal backdrop to Sydney Pollack's well-suited, complementary directing.

Steven Torrey A carnage of six people in a CIA covert operation for some obscure reason that simply doesn't hold water as justification by the end of the movie. And the audience is somehow asked to believe that professional assassin Jourbet/Max Von Snydow, who would have shot Turner/Redford had he been present, is now Redford's savior by the end of the movie, a plot twist with the barest of motivation.But hey, it works. It worked in 1975 when it first came out and still works in 2016 with repeated viewings.I thought way back then when I first saw this, that it is an extension of the closing line from Moby Dick; "I alone survived"... Or in the case of Turner/Redford: I survived ALONE.... Turner ends up being the spy left in the cold, never to be redeemed. He has betrayed the CIA by ferreting out its duplicity and demonic ways and the CIA has betrayed him, by letting him live while his colleagues died as martyrs to the CIA.Kathy Hale/Fay Dunaway and her photographic artwork portraying isolation, provides an interesting sub-plot to emphasize the major theme.And at the end, Higgins point becomes part of the CIA's betrayal of Turner; even if it was printed, would anyone believe, or care? The movie still works after all these years, and it works because it is about that existential loneliness that is the bane of many a life. The suspense leads to a surprising existential moment for a conclusion.

jimbo-53-186511 Joseph Turner (Robert Redford) reads books within a covert department of the CIA. Turner leaves the building to get lunch for his colleagues and upon his return he finds that they have all been assassinated. Turner initially turns to the CIA and goes into hiding, but when he learns that someone in the CIA may be involved in the hit on his team he sets about trying to find out who killed his colleagues and why....I remember watching All The President's Men earlier this year and thoroughly enjoying it. Therefore I was really interested in seeing this Robert Redford based conspiracy thriller and thankfully it's every bit as good as All The President's Men....Like a lot of conspiracy thrillers Three Days Of The Condor does have a complex narrative and therefore it isn't a film you can watch casually (you do need to pay attention in order to understand it properly). Some conspiracy thrillers have overcomplicated narratives that tie themselves in knots through over-plotting, but Three Days Of The Condor gets the balance right by keeping you thinking throughout without showing off with a series of mind-boggling twists. Redford is good here and I liked the fact that his character has a certain vulnerability about him - yes he works for the CIA, but he's a book reader and therefore he's practically a civilian. He isn't a tough-as-nails kick ass guy - he's a normal guy who basically has to put a lot of theory into practice and this makes us fear for him. Pollack also works well with Redford getting a terrific performance from him that easily enables us to get swept up in his paranoia. Dunaway is Redford's initially unwilling assistant and the two do work very well together (Dunaway gives a very intense performance which makes a lot of the dramatic scenes exceptionally good). My only criticism with her character is that it felt as though she was only really there to move things along and the writers didn't give her much of a character to work with. Dunaway does give a great performance though so this isn't a major issue.As well as all of the above the story itself is engaging and has enough suspense and intrigue to guarantee audience involvement. The performances are excellent, Pollack's directing is superb - very atmospheric and tense throughout.A film like Three Days Of The Condor probably won't feel that special to a lot of people today (with all of the CIA related conspiracy thrillers that have followed), but as an early example of the genre it's probably fair to say that it has proved influential on projects that have followed. Not only that but in its own right it's a solid film that is suspenseful, atmospheric, and very enjoyable.