Very Cool!!!

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Graduate student and aspiring marathon runner Thomas "Babe" Levy (an excellent and engaging performance by Dustin Hoffman) discovers that his wayward brother Henry (the always terrific Roy Scheider) works as some kind of government agent which in turn causes Thomas to get embroiled in a complex and sinister plot concerning a missing cache of diamonds that vicious Nazi war criminal Christian Szell (superbly played with chilling conviction by Laurence Olivier) wants to gain possession of.Director John Schlesinger, working from gripping and intricate script by William Goldman, keeps the riveting story hurtling along at a constant pace, makes nice use of gritty'n'grungy New York City locations, takes time to develop the characters, grounds the arresting premise in a plausibly harsh urban reality, and ably builds plenty of nerve-jangling suspense, with the legendary "Is it safe?" dental torture set piece rating as a genuinely harrowing set piece. The sound acting from the top-drawer cast keeps this film humming: William Devane as the shifty and untrustworthy Janeway, Marthe Keller as foxy foreign exchange student Elsa, Richard Bright and Marc Lawrence as a pair of brutish thugs, Tito Goya as brash street punk Melendez, and Fritz Weaver as exacting history professor Biesenthal. Conrad L. Hall's glossy cinematography provides a pleasing polished look. Michael Small's shuddery score hits the spine-tingling spot. An expertly crafted nail-biter.

After seeing the infamous "is it safe?" dental torture scene over and over on "Best Of..." lists throughout the years, I finally decided to rent the entire film and give it a watch. Unfortunately, I was severely disappointed in what many critics consider to be one of the greatest suspense films of all time.Basically, the plot centers on Babe (played by a very young Dustin Hoffman), who finds himself, after the death of his friend (Roy Schieder) suddenly and unwillingly caught up in a plot to liberate a former Nazi commandant (Laurence Olivier).As usual, the scene in which Babe is orthodontically tortured by the former Nazi stands out among all others and truly is as chilling as they come. However, the entire first half of the film is so confusing as to make viewers begin to lose interest. Then, once you do start to get an understanding of the events that have transpired, it isn't until the final 20 minutes or so that the threads really come together in an emotional, exciting manner.About the only thing that saves the experience from being a complete waste is the fine acting from Hoffman, Olivier, and Schieder, as well as a great performance from William Devane, one of the greatest character-actors of all-time. Just watching the interactions between those four (and others) is enough to at least keep you from clicking the "Stop" button altogether.Thus, I would recommend skipping this film and just appreciate it's "magnum opus" scene for what it is worth. Based on the kind of rave reviews I had read about Marathon Man before viewing, it seems blown out of proportion to the reality of the on-screen action. Unless you are from the 1970s and can get a thrill from the time period itself, be warned that this one may not hook you like the hype may say it will.

at the first sigh, the genre of film about you say - I saw it - because its recipes is familiar to you. Nazi, secrets, corruption, the innocent victim, fists, revelations, the well known end. nothing original. but Marathon Man , being the part of this familiar definition, is different. for Dustin Hoffman who does more than a good job but impose in the perfect manner, the mark of his character in the memory of the viewer. for Laurence Olivier who gives a fascinating portrait of the old man with dark past and high ambition. and few scenes who are all virtues to be memorable.not the least, William Devane in a decent role, useful as bridge between different pieces of story. a film who remains a delight. again and again.

Well-shot, well-made, quite brilliant; those were the thoughts running through my mind as I started watching this excellent '70s thriller, which sits neatly with the unconnected BOYS FROM BRAZIL. It's the kind of expert, thrill-packed movie that never lets up from the word go, utilising the cream of Hollywood talent and ability to create one of the all-time classics of the genre. As with the best thrillers, the plot is simple, Hitchcockian in nature: a graduate student, who enjoys running as a hobby, becomes caught up in a conspiracy involving a former Nazi concentration camp commander.To say too much more would be to spoil it, but what evolves is a twist-packed film full of great action sequences: there are sweaty chases, nightmarish moments of claustrophobia, shoot-outs, one of the best hand-to-hand battles I've seen and, of course, a set-piece sequence involving dentistry tools and a drill that has gone down in history as one of the most fear-inducing and repulsive ever seen. One of the biggest surprises I had was seeing Roy Scheider as a tough, muscle-packed fighter whose bout against a Chinese assassin is quite simply brilliant. Usually Scheider plays these lean, slender leading men but not so here: now that's acting! The main role is taken by a sympathetic Dustin Hoffman, required to do quite a lot of emoting in his part and never failing to do the job. The scene-stealing Laurence Olivier has one of the biggest parts of his later career, playing a thoroughly evil, cold and clinical ex-Nazi who you hope will get his just desserts by the time the credits roll. It works, because the film starts off feeling disjointed but gets gradually better and better as it goes on, as the plot elements fit together, as the cast list grows smaller and in the end it's just a showdown between two guys with everything to gain and everything to lose. Wonderful choreography, plenty of black humour, some unpleasant violence and a great supporting cast (including a suitably slimy William Devane) – what more could you want from a thriller? The answer is nothing, as this is one of the best of all time.