Gene Hackman is a surveillance expert working on particular case for someone. he gets into it personally, he is a neurotic, closed-lipped professional. He has a fear of the drastic and tragic measures that could stem from his surveillance work. usually he just takes the tapes to the buyer, asks no questions, gets his money and thats it. He gets caught up in this. Harrison Ford appears in this flic as well, he is no Han Solo, but rather more like the subversive type he played in Apocolypse Now. Naturally this movie is all about conversation, the converstaion that is taped by Gene, in his personal life, the conversation that he never puts forth. the secrecy, the murder that occurs, it's a neat picture....i give it 3 thumbs, WAYYYYYYY up! |
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It was very good. The level of paranoia that is depicted and how it's developed is very real, intense, but the aim is more than to freak out the audience, but to convey Hackman's genuine fear and anxiety. The way his obession with the particular job he is working on is, while it certainly interferes with "healthy, normal" living or whatever, is not "pathological" in the extreme, but something that most people could grasp, if involved in a similar situation. At the same time, the character has enough particularities and quirks that make him unique and not just a sort of easily generalizable puddle of nerves. Also, John Cazale! Has anyone seen Dog Day Afternoon? That is another one of my favorite films. |
Though, actually, at the very end, Hackman's character kinda sorta totally loses it, so that element is pathological. My point being that what brought me in was that his fear and anxiety developed steadily and not overly dramatic. And I need to watch it again. |
My mom and I loved John Cazale, bless his soul. Poor Fredo. |
this film was required viewing in about five classes. it's so sad: if you've taken one film class, you've taken them all. |