Three Days of the Condor (1975)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Three Days of the Condor (1975) – S. Pollack

The ‘70s conspiracy theory genre is evergreen! But Sydney Pollack’s film is a bit hollow at its core – sort of like those Hitchcock thrillers where the hero is on the run, in search of the MacGuffin that will prove his innocence, but the running is more important than the plot device that inspires it.  This film has a lot of scenes of Robert Redford running.  He plays Joe Turner, a CIA researcher (not spy), who suddenly finds all of his colleagues shot dead and suspects that the agency itself is responsible.  He kidnaps Faye Dunaway randomly and convinces her to help him.  Then, it is all about getting to the conspirators at the top (including Cliff Robertson and John Houseman).  Throughout it all, cool hitman Max von Sydow is on his trail.  Turner uses his wits and book-knowledge to foil him and the conspirators – but, in the cynical ‘70s, can he ever really win against the powerful?  As I said, the themes here are evergreen!  However, if you really want some classic conspiracy drama, I recommend the Alec Guinness miniseries of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (1979) and Smiley’s People (1982).  The long form gives more room for plot mechanics and character development, something that isn’t possible here, where Redford relies on his typical charm and personality to get by instead.