Three Days of Condor

I watched 'Three Days of Condor' the other night. If you haven't seen it, it's a 1970's thriller starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway and directed by Sydney Pollack. The film has renewed relevance as the plot revolves around a big oil conspiracy. Redford works as an academic for the CIA and stumbles onto an internal conspiracy without knowing it. The only weakness in the film, and this may just be a matter of taste, is the jazz score. I think it's fitting that film music has a relationship to opera as opera is full of emotion be it melodrama or not. Jazz doesn't work on the same level. This isn't to say that films shouldn't have a jazz score as many have worked wonderfully. It just didn't seem to fit the landscape of Three Days of Condor.

After Watergate there were a few great political thrillers including The Parallax View, Three Days of Condor and All the Presidents Men. In terms of tone you could add Marathon Man to the mix although it veers off the politics.

I thought that Syriana, also in that vein of the previous political thrillers, was one of the best films last year. It would have been my choice of best picture although it wasn't even nominated. It was an intelligent film that demanded the audience's attention and another example of George Clooney's and Matt Damon's abilities to attach themselves to interesting projects.

On the note of thrillers (outside of the political kind) I would have to recommend 'Ripley's Game' starring John Malkovich. I was a big fan of Anthony Minghella's 'Talented Mr. Ripley' and had avoided Ripley's Game after it failed to get a theatrical release (assuming it to be a dud). Roger Ebert has been singing it's praises so I went and rented it and was delighted. It has a different tone than Minghella's film but is just as engaging.

I would also recommend Alan Pakula's 'Presumed Innocent' with Harrison Ford. I rediscovered this film last year and enjoy it immensely. Pakula, who directed the Parallax View and All the Presidents Men, was a lean and well crafted filmmaker. Presumed Innocent works so well on every level.