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Three Days of the Condor Customer Reviews (34 - 36 of 44 Reviews)

Timely ... Timely !!!
This film is very relevant today, as is revealed in the ending (which I won't reveal). I agree with the reviewer that, after countless viewings, I can't put my finger on why it is so mesmerizing. There is Redford's performance, probably his most nuanced and all round best on film. There is Pollack's direction, which keeps the film moving so well that you don't have time to think about some of the questionable parts of the script, which nonetheless, serves the film well. The plot, while a bit convoluted, is superior in my opinion to that of the book on which the film is based. Max van Sydow is superb as usual, as a hitman who actually finds his job relaxing, and whose hobby is painting little ceramic figurines. He does not worry about the right or wrong of the cause ... only who is paying him. John Houseman in a small part plays a menacing career bureaucrat in the CIA. And Cliff Robertson is excellent as Condor's contact. You wonder if he is Condor's friend or not. Well, watch the film.

This is not one of those films that, because it is a suspense film, you might not view again after you know the ending. "Condor" is delightful upon repeated viewings, even if you know the ending and can recite many bits of dialog by heart. Again, I can't exactly say why, but has to do with the contributions of the people I enumerated in the previous paragraph. In "Condor" the whole is more that its quite considerable packet of parts. It is one of my favorite films of all time. I'll never tire of it. I don't think you will either.

A classic
This movie had me on the edge of my seat when I saw it when it first came out. You couldn't ask for more in a cast--it stars John Houseman, Cliff Robertson, Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, and Max von Sydow. This is still one of the best movies in its category and beats a lot of the others in the genre hands down, including most of Tom Clancy's.

I saw the movie several years later and it still held up very well. If you like spy thrillers and haven't seen this one yet it's definitely worth renting for a lazy Saturday night.

Exceedingly well-crafted film.
I had never heard of this film before picking it up, and now I realize I had been missing out. Three Days of the Condor is an amazing piece of work which finds all of its participants -- Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Max von Sydow, director Sydney Pollack -- in top form, in a mesmerizing, briskly paced, and smart thriller that relies on tension rather than violence to do its job.

Redford is absolutely brilliant as lead character Turner, or Condor, a researcher who finds himself the unwilling participant of a dangerous spy game. Redford and Pollack smartly infuse the character with both a devilish charm and occasional viciousness that makes a great contrast to the character's outward repression, and complicates his role as reluctant hero. His dynamic with Faye Dunaway is an intriguing mix of sexual chemistry, confrontation and violation, and it makes the relationship far more interesting than most "Stockholm Syndrome" setups of this type. Max von Sydow makes for a formidable, intelligent, and creepy opponent, and Pollack's shooting and editing are just about perfect. Throughout the movie's substantial, sprawling plot, Pollack maintains a stifling sense of tension that engrosses you into continued attention. True, I found myself quite lost in the maze of character relationships and motivations, but Pollack's dramatic sense is so unfailing that I never really care.

Nearly as good as All the President's Men as far as political thrillers go -- and that's saying a lot.

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