Directed by:
John SchlesingerScreenplay:
William GoldmanCinematography:
Conrad L. HallComposer:
Michael SmallCast:
Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver, Richard Bright, Marc Lawrence, Allen Joseph, Lou Gilbert (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Babe Levy is a Columbia University graduate student and avid runner who is haunted by the memory of his father's suicide, brought about by the McCarthy witchhunts. Babe's brother, Doc, an American secret agent, helps sneak Szell, an old Nazi, into the US from South America. Szell's brother, who has watched over a fortune in jewels taken from Jewish concentration camp victims, has died, and Szell has come to New York to collect the booty. After killing Doc, Szell uses the tools of his dentist's trade to torture Babe for information the student doesn't possess. Putting his marathon training to use, Babe escapes Szell, and eventually the pursuer becomes the pursued. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (4)
One of the most successful films of the 1970s and I wonder why. It is a pretty average thriller, which will fully satisfy perhaps only fans of jogging and overcomplicated stories. However, for those who are afraid of going to the dentist, this is a must :)
()
Marathon Man is certainly a well made, atmospheric thriller, and I spent a nice two hours with it, but I have the feeling that the script doesn’t squeeze everything it could out of the material. There are a couple of excellent scenes, but I didn’t get the impression of a complex and flawless film. It’s effective, yeah, but not logically bulletproof. 8/10
()
Recently I wrote a comment about the movie Taxi Driver and admired how the film remains relevant and impressive even after several decades. Marathon Man was made around the same time, but it gives the opposite impression, as its staleness can be felt from a distance. However, there is something worth mentioning. The strong cast led by the famous Laurence Olivier and the young Dustin Hoffman, who are usually associated with artistically ambitious projects, prevents us from seeing the real state of things. Even the few who express reservations in their comments do so with self-criticism worthy of a sect member confessing due to a lack of faith. In reality, Marathon Man was part of the usual commercial goods made for immediate consumption. German war criminals played the same role that Islamic terrorists play nowadays. John Schlesinger cannot consider Marathon Man the highlight of his career, but it is still a solid work. However, the fundamental weakness lies in the screenplay, which at times drags the film to the edge of parody, for example, when the mortally wounded brother crawls through the city to die in the hero's arms. The motivations of the characters and their mental processes often made me shrug my shoulders and shake my head. In my opinion, this deserved a 3-star rating in the 70s. Today, I inevitably have to go lower. Overall impression: 40%.
()
Is it safe?
()