Watching Three Days of the Condor one – nearly without fail – will say “they just don’t make them like they used to anymore” or a similar sentiment. The film, which stars Robert Redford and was directed Sydney Pollack, is a political thriller which hits almost all the right notes – the action never overpowers the plot, the tension is palpable, and the story never feels dumbed down so as to satisfy the texting-while-watching lowest common denominator of viewer (it may be glossed over at times, but its never dumbed down).
The film finds Redford as Joseph Turner, aka Condor, a bookworm CIA agent. Turner, never a stickler for the rules of the spy business, manages to avoid getting killed along with the rest of his section by using a backdoor when he heads out for lunch. Unsure where to turn and panicked, Redford tries to turn to his CIA bosses for help, only to quickly become unsure of whom to trust.
Turner finds himself fumbling his way through the rest of picture, quickly realizing that he knows more tradecraft than he once thought and repeatedly escaping serious trouble. The viewer gets to go with Turner on this journey and becomes just as paranoid as him.
It is in his attempt to remain safe and hidden away that Turner finds Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway), whom he just happens to kidnap. The dynamic between the two is a fascinating one – Turner isn’t actually a bad guy but has done a terrible thing in order to ensure his safety, Hale has to decide whether Turner is a good guy and therefore trustworthy or if he his the evil kidnapper he initially appears to be.
The film focuses on shades of gray in our world – shades of gray in relationships and shades of gray (and darker than that) in our politics. As Turner continues on his journey and learns exactly why his section was killed he comes face-to-face with unpleasant truths and an unpleasant gun-for-hire, Joubert (Max von Sydow). Joubert is the modern assassin – he works without any ideological bent, his sole motivation is cash in his pocket.
It is more than just a two-sided contest, it isn’t just the ideological versus the non-ideological. More than one ideology exists, and Turner not only must fight for his life, but he must learn who lies on his ideological side an who merely appears to.
Article comments
1 - Kevin Gustafson
I don't like how the Blu-ray has a different cover from the DVD release and movie posters. An important film on many levels. Spy movies and novels from Robert Ludlum and Tom Clancy as well as T.V shows like 24 and Alias have connections to this movie. It feels a bit dated with the music and cheesy secret lairs, but not too bad.