Rent Three Days of the Condor (1975)

Taut, paranoia and stylish as hell - ‘70’s conspiracy in a nutshell - Three Days of the Condor review by griggs

3 Days of the Condor is peak ’70s paranoia—slick, stylish, and just a little off-kilter. It’s not in the absolute top tier of conspiracy thrillers, but it’s still a cracking watch. The early scenes, as Pollack’s camera glides through Redford’s CIA office, are wonderfully disarming—both mundane and mysterious. That quietness makes the later chaos hit harder, and the pacing keeps things taut without feeling rushed. The sound design’s a treat, too—phones ringing, doors slamming, odd little noises all ratcheting up the tension.

Redford is effortlessly watchable, Robertson adds gravitas, von Sydow is ice-cold, and Dunaway does her best with a role that’s not great. There’s an uncomfortable dynamic between her and Redford’s character that hasn’t aged well, which the script never really justifies. Still, the film’s charm, smarts, and suspense keep it ticking along nicely. A fun, tense thriller that doesn’t outstay its welcome.

Excellent Conspiracy Thriller - Three Days of the Condor review by GI

This is one of the best of a cycle of conspiracy thrillers that came out in the 1970s. A tense and exciting espionage story set in New York where humble academic Joe (Robert Redford) analyses novels from around the world for the CIA. He works with a small team from a small building posing as a literary society. One day while Joe pops out for lunch his fellow researchers are all murdered and he finds himself first on the run but then forced to find who is behind the killings before he too becomes a victim. Everyone seems to have an agenda and he finds he can trust no-one other than a woman (Faye Dunaway) he is forced to kidnap in order to hide out. A twist and turn plot, sprinkled with sharp action and a story that never goes where you expect. It has a superb support cast with Max Von Sydow as a sinister hitman, Cliff Robertson and John Houseman, as CIA bosses. With America reeling from social unrest and eventually the Watergate scandal these conspiracy thrillers looked with an accusing eye at what lurks beneath the surface of the so called democracy and freedom of the country and here is a brilliant example of the sort of excellent cinema that Hollywood produces. Highly recommended if you've never seen this.