3 Days of the Condor

3 Days of the Condor (1975) is Sydney Pollack's focused spy thriller that delves into CIA mischief and espionage tactics. The thriller aspects are suspenseful thanks to Pollack's driven pace and haunting scenarios that keep you on edge. The long running sequences down streets and hallways are unnerving. Pollack gives so much detail into the world of spies that you are enchanted by his mysterious world of cloak and dagger terror.The writing from Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel has such insightful questions asked about the United States government. the underhanded and dangerous cover-ups and killers are gripping as 3 Days of the Condor is dripping with intrigue. This film not only predicts the U.S.A. invading the Middle East for oil, but also inspires most political and spy thrillers after it. The Bourne Identity completely ripped off 3 Days of the Condor hard. This film addresses CIA infiltration, secret operations, and government sanctioned assassins. It's all interesting as it is haunting.Robert Redford is phenomenal and nuanced as the CIA agent Joseph Turner, code name: The Condor. Redford's natural charisma is on full display as you are really rooting for this CIA researcher turned improvisational field operative. His charms and intelligent lead into a highly understated performance that leaves you shook.Similarly, the mighty Swedish acting legend Max von Sydow gives a subtle and complex performance as Joubert. To say more about his acting would spoil too much, so I will simply state that Sydow is as skilled at acting as any of the greats. He is hypnotizing every moment he is on screen. Chilling and calculating as you never suspect what he will do or say next.Faye Dunaway is brilliant as the snappy photographer and kidnapping victim due to Redford's hazardous situation. She is gorgeous and funny as the love interest and gives her character a realistic nervousness and charming wit. She pulls off a difficult role with certain restrictions and still comes across as smart and endearing in 3 Days of the Condor. Dunaway has tender chemistry alongside Redford. Their sultry affair is as hot as the bullets fired in 3 Days of the Condor.Lastly, I must mention the CIA contact J. Higgins played by Cliff Robertson. One of cinema's most elusive characters. He represents the safety of the country and the tumultuous relationship with ethics that the CIA finds itself within at all times. Robertson excellently captures a man at odds with what is right and what he is ordered to carry out.Overall, 3 Days of the Condor is a highly refined espionage narrative with thrilling shoot outs, fight scenes, love scenes, chase sequences, political intrigue, and government scandal with a foresight that is astounding decades after its release. 3 Days of the Condor is well worth watching to this day!

Excellent. Better than most of the offerings on Prime.Well written and well acted with one caveat: The dialogue right before the sex scene and the sex scene itself.In this one scene the dialogue makes a dramatic swerve into art film territory with non-sequiturs. It's like another author wrote that scene. And the idea that she'd have sex with him at that point and under these circumstances was completely unbelievable and inauthentic to the rest of the story. The editing of the sex scene itself is also strange ("artsy"?). It looks to me like they had three camera shots and just replayed them 3 times with choppy editing. Very odd.Putting that scene aside, overall the movie is smart and well paced with plenty of suspense, twists, and turns.What's sad is that the plot involving greed and corruption was as relevant today as it was 40 years ago.. The only thing that really marks it as a 70's movie is the music - whoo boy!

The action scenes from the outset are typical Hollywood, where people get shot and immediately fall down dead - no screaming, no vomiting, no gagging, no thrashing about, just lying down dead. Much worse is the sense I had during the entire movie, including the end, that I had no idea what was happening or why; even the supposed explanation was simply not believable. Finally, the relationship between the characters played by Redford and Dunaway became totally weird if not offensive. I give it 3 stars because the acting was terrific and the production values very high, but for entertainment I'd generously give it 1.

I first saw this in its original theater release. Considering the time span from then until now, it's an outstanding film. An intriguing story that is thought provoking should capture your attention. Again, it is, of course, dated, so you have to accept the lack of sophisticated electronics. But the performances, especially those of Redford and von Sydow, are excellent. And for this female, there is the joy of watching the young Robert Redford.

Good cast, good director and good story. If this were made into a movie today the story would come off as fresh and entertaining. It is a really good movie that holds up to time and I include it in my Robert Redford spy trilogy with Spy Game and Sneakers. This one has Redford being a desk jockey that gets entangled as an Everyman into the Machiavellian machinations of the "higher ups" with real spies doing their best to remove him. Some will say that there wasn't enough explanation (at least laid out prior to it happening) of the Inciting Incident. This might be a deficiency for some but the story is really about Redford's character figuring out someone wants him dead (doesn't matter who originally did) and how to survive the onslaught of professionals out to make sure it happens.This movie was made previous to Jason Bourne, Taken, and Die Hard so yes, its pacing heats up at a different rate but it is effective and it is quicker paced than Frantic.

One of the great paranoid conspiracy thrillers of the 1970s, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR stars Robert Redford as a C.I.A. operative whose small team study every book published in the United States for potential hidden codes, propaganda and any other possibly subversive content. While he is literally "out to lunch" his colleagues are killed by a mysterious unit led by a wonderfully understated Max Von Sydow. Upon discovering his slaughtered co-workers, Redford then embarks on a personal mission of survival to find out the reason why.I have only recently moved over from DVD to BluRay, but in comparison to the Region 1 DVD edition I have of this film, the difference in quality is quite dramatic; the 40-year-old print looks superb, with terrific sharpness and depth of field thanks to the higher resolution. The extras are nice too, and include a 2001 documentary about director Sydney Pollack, where we get to see the director talking about the varied range of films that he's helmed over the decades, along with an informative interview with critic Sheldon Hall about THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR itself, during which he discusses the film's stature among other similar films of its era like THE PARALLAX VIEW (1974) and Redford's other great gem of the period, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976).THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR stands a great addition to Eureka's MASTERS OF CINEMA series, and it has certainly sold this film-lover on the virtues of the BluRay experience. Long may Eureka continue to deliver releases like this.

I won't review the film. I loved it as a kid (I was a weird kid) and I still love it now. Redford is calm, quiet and intelligent. Faye Dunaway is vulnerable. Max Von Sydow is cold, clinical and professional.This is for the Masters of Cinema Bluray/DVD:This presentation Bluray & DVD combination actually has the same contents on each disc, so you can play one in your old DVD player in the kitchen or bedroom and the Bluray in your lounge with your awesome sound system (plays in Stereo & 5.1). It is, of course presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, so you get the full picture you got in the cinema. Cool.The extras on this film are sparse but good, with a retrospect of director Sydney Pollack's career showing just how eclectic but reliable he was in his career (60 mins); also a short documentary (22 mins) with film historian Sheldon Hall about the genesis of the film, or the film that never was; and the original theatrical trailer (3 mins); and lastly a 32 page booklet (which I'll admit I haven't yet read).It's altogether a very classy package and I think only really missing one element: There's no commentary on the film. I understand that there can't be a director's commentary, but I'm sure a film historian or critic could have filled in if not Redford himself. I am though still very pleased with the package as a whole.

This is a review of the Eureka Masters of Cinema Dual Format DVD. We watched the Blu-ray. We have found all the Eureka DVDs we have purchased to be excellent quality so far. The picture was fresh and clean, and the sound was excellent on this one.It is well over 25 years since my husband and I last watched this film, and we had forgotten just how gripping it is. And the plot still appears relevant even all these years later. Robert Redford is eminently watchable, with an intelligent, measured performance. There is no carpet-chewing, or gung-ho over-acting, just good, clever plot, tight economical performances, especially by Max von Sydow as the hired assassin, and some nice location-shooting, particularly in New York.This remains an excellent, exciting and enjoyable film, with the power to shock, and with a pleasingly enigmatic ending. It is still well worth a top star rating.

Another success from EUREKA "MASTERS OF CINEMA. The BLU RAY/DVD COMBO is excellent VFM. I watched the Blu Ray and it is a superb transfer - filmed in Panavision the transfer has bars top and bottom and is just gorgeous to look at. Excellent sound and optional English subtitles plus an informative booklet add up to a great buy. The extras as usual with Eureka are listed here on the Amazon web page. The film is on the surface a political thriller, full of paranoia and mistrust. Who is to be trusted? Even tho I have seen the film before, not for many years, there were still plenty of surprises. Redford makes for a believable hero and Dunaway, in a rather wasted role scores well. For me the film is stolen by Max Von Sydow as a ruthless assassin (he must have done a little jig when he was offered the script - "this I can have fun with"!!). Plenty of action, a gripping plot and interesting New York location work make this a film to enjoy, and think about in today's political climate. Recomended.

Wow! We so need balance! This is u believably poor quality for a HD transfer!! There are moments in the film where Redford is talking on the office staircase with the old colleague and their flesh tones actually disappear----like someone has just crayoned over the detail. At another point, on the street, Redford has a building in the background that has a wall that appears to have radioactive fizz oozing out of it!What is the ___king point?! Eureka?! Does nobody at your company perform quality control checks?! Rubbish. I could have mastered this in my sleep----so, obviously, did you... Paid a fiver---still feel robbed.