THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR - DVD review

"Three Days of the Condor" is a film I remember watching as a young lad and never quite understanding the overall plot of the film. Even today, I find many films that involve the CIA require the audience to have an impeccable attention span. With all the twists, turns, and political overtones one would expect from a film of this type, it was rather difficult to follow when I was eleven years old. At that time, I found it as difficult to understand as the mumbling schoolteacher in the Charlie Brown comic strips.

Nevertheless, I took to suspenseful, high-action drama films at a young age, thanks to my father. While other fathers were raising their sons on football and baseball games, my father was raising me on spaghetti Westerns, James Bond, and Dirty Harry movies. I have many fond memories of films starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, and several other stars of the time as part of a typical Sunday afternoon. "Three Days of the Condor" certainly falls into the repute of films I remember watching with dear-old dad, and naturally not much has changed with my father since those days. He still enjoys films where, well, things blow up. I, on the other hand, continue to enjoy a good action-packed thriller, but my taste in films has grown into an extensive library since the days of my youth.

Many years have past since 1975, and now that I am much older I found "Three Days of the Condor" much easier to digest and follow. However, the characters have a lack of concrete development, leaving many loopholes in the story. At one point, you think you have a character figured out, and then a plot twist comes along and leaves you wondering what purpose the character served. Not to mention, somewhere in the film is the underlying plot, which takes its sweet time revealing itself. I will say the movie does a moderately fair job of keeping one's interest, and it is not a complete waste of time.

What is even more ironic and more chilling in the plot is how the film manages to touch on current events that we are all experiencing in the world today. In fact, if you are one to have emotional problems watching any film with the Twin Towers, then be prepared to see them a substantial amount of time throughout the picture. In fact, there are a few scenes directly inside one of the towers, which sent chills down my spine.

As you may have already guessed, the movie is a CIA, cloak-and-dagger film based in New York City. Directed by Sydney Pollack, the film stars a popular cast of the time--Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, and Max von Sydow. Plus, Sydney Pollack had worked with Redford on earlier films in the seventies: "Jeremiah Johnson" and "The Way We Were."

"Three days of the Condor" begins abruptly as a mysterious man named Johbert (Max von Sydow), along with a few other suspicious hit men, shoots up an undercover CIA office. They manage to kill everyone in sight as they are vigorously looking for vital secret information. Luckily for Joe Turner (Robert Redford), he is out grabbing a bite to eat but later returns to find all his colleagues dead. Disturbed as to why anyone would go out of their way to kill everyone in a low-key CIA office known as "book readers," he finds himself on the run. I have to admit when I was young I found this killing scene a bit disturbing; however, it is relatively mild compared to the gore we see in violent films today.

Joe immediately seeks the help of the main headquarters cooperative, Higgins (Cliff Robertson), and quickly finds that even Higgins cannot be trusted. Every time he makes the connection for help, he finds he is the target for elimination, yet he has no clue why. Of course, this is a setting for what should be an intense suspense drama and one with an underlying plot that never reveals itself until the very end.

Along the way, Joe randomly kidnaps a young, attractive photographer named Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway). As he is hiding out in her apartment, he is strenuously trying to figure out why he is a target within his own organization, as well as the mystery behind the "Condor." Kathy doesn't believe his story at first and is obviously reluctant to play along. However, after a violent encounter in her apartment with an armed mail carrier, she warms up to the fact that the current situation is uncomfortably real. Of course, it is not long before the hostage falls for her kidnaper and there is an sudden, yet brief, steamy love scene. I found this setting to be a bit unrealistic considering the true situation, but do you really think a film from the seventies would forget about sex?

From this point, the film is basically made up of moderately suspenseful moments of Joe and Kathy escaping life-threatening situations and eventually closing the main plot. The film's mystery is unraveled with some further instances of violence, but they are quite low-key compared to films of today.

At times the pacing is dull, and even the acting is nothing to write home about. I have to admit that I have seen Redford and Dunaway in far better performances in their careers. The main problem is the characters' lack depth, devoid of any meaningful development. I do not really see it as their fault but rather the fault of a loose script. I always find it difficult to feel sympathy for characters when they are thrown into the heat of the moment without our knowing much about them. However, I will say that it is interesting how the plot relates so closely to current events. In any case, although I found the ending lacking in shock value, I am sure it may have had some pertinent impact back in the seventies.

Video:
Presented in widescreen 1.85 ratio, the film is actually one of the better transfers I've seen for an older film. Recently, I gave a rating of 4 for the video quality of "Scarface." Let me point out that "Three Days of the Condor" is a film made eight-years earlier and is a prime example of an older film that presents an outstanding picture quality compared to "Scarface." The video is sharp, clean, and as vivid as most recent DVDs. Besides the colors being moderately dull, the film capturing the mute colors of late fall and early winter in New York, it still comes across the screen brilliantly. There are also a few film blotches and scratches, but they are so brief they go unnoticed.

Audio:
The audio is presented in English, Dolby 5.1 surround, and, if needed, with English subtitles. The sound is slightly weaker than the video, but it is still outstanding considering the film's age. It weighs heavy in the center but has very good dynamics throughout the surround system. The mid tones were the film's strong points, yet the highs and lows come through cleanly. I can honestly say I was not expecting much from the audio, but I was rather impressed with what it did deliver.

Extras:
Besides the original theatrical trailer, there are no extra features on this DVD.

Parting Thoughts:
"Three Days of the Condor" does not have all the high intensity seen in many suspenseful films of today. For instance, it is wanting in flashy car chases and pointless explosions. It has no memorable villains, and it has even weaker heroes who generate little sympathy. Not that any of these elements make a film great; it's just that they may have helped in this case. However, the film does work at keeping one's interest in the overall outcome. It starts off with some good suspense, but it slowly dies in a convoluted plethora of dialogue. The film is entertaining enough to pass the time, and it is certainly not awful. I would definitely recommend it as a rental, but I would have to pass on a purchase. It is simply one of those films that once seen, there is little point in seeing again. While "Three Days of the Condor" is not a major disappointment, in the end it leaves a dull taste in the mouth reminiscent of flat beer.