Wonderful character development!

Very well executed

A Major Disappointment

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Great actors and director. One of the most sexy scenes in film history, and without explicit images needed, Redford and Dunaway. That is Greatness. Fun to watch Max Von Sydow as well. BEAUTIFUL, MAGNIFICENT movie.

I don't know what it is about this film that I like so much. Is it the idea of Robert Redford as the everyman, in over his head? Is it the beautiful Faye Dunaway, who is sexy and formidable? Is it Max Von Sydow from all those Bergman films holding forth on how the world is controlled by a small group of people? Then there is the constant pursuit where wits are needed or it's the end. So a previous reviewer talked about Hitchcock. This is a fast pace Hitchcock film. Like Cary Grant and Robert Donat, Robert Redford is only able to survive the overwhelming odds by getting a confederate, a woman, to help him. Redford is continually amazed at how he has left one frying pan to leap into the fire. And in the end, we are given one of those very unsettling statements that floor us. Watch this really cool film to see where all this goes.

Political thrillers were hot in the '70s, I guess because the nation was recovering from Watergate in '72 and wondering what else the government might be keeping from them. This one is even eerily prescient and not a mere time capsule in that the conspiracy it entails involves a plan - floated as a possibility in 1975 - to invade Arabic states on the pretense of warfare when really seeking oil. One day, the mastermind explains, oil shortages will cause a crisis for the American economy.One day...The movie is also a classic thriller. The tension is tangible in many places, Redford is ideally cast as the bookish but resourceful CIA office worker and Max Von Sydow is terrifying.The only misstep is Dunaway, who just doesn't look that comfortable in her role. She doesn't look like a lonely photographer: she looks like a movie star playing a lonely photographer.For more classic thrillers of this time period, see the also underrated Parallax View, and of course the jewel in the crown, All the President's Men, which also starred Robert Redford.

Joseph Turner (Robert Redford) reads books within a covert department of the CIA. Turner leaves the building to get lunch for his colleagues and upon his return he finds that they have all been assassinated. Turner initially turns to the CIA and goes into hiding, but when he learns that someone in the CIA may be involved in the hit on his team he sets about trying to find out who killed his colleagues and why....I remember watching All The President's Men earlier this year and thoroughly enjoying it. Therefore I was really interested in seeing this Robert Redford based conspiracy thriller and thankfully it's every bit as good as All The President's Men....Like a lot of conspiracy thrillers Three Days Of The Condor does have a complex narrative and therefore it isn't a film you can watch casually (you do need to pay attention in order to understand it properly). Some conspiracy thrillers have overcomplicated narratives that tie themselves in knots through over-plotting, but Three Days Of The Condor gets the balance right by keeping you thinking throughout without showing off with a series of mind-boggling twists. Redford is good here and I liked the fact that his character has a certain vulnerability about him - yes he works for the CIA, but he's a book reader and therefore he's practically a civilian. He isn't a tough-as-nails kick ass guy - he's a normal guy who basically has to put a lot of theory into practice and this makes us fear for him. Pollack also works well with Redford getting a terrific performance from him that easily enables us to get swept up in his paranoia. Dunaway is Redford's initially unwilling assistant and the two do work very well together (Dunaway gives a very intense performance which makes a lot of the dramatic scenes exceptionally good). My only criticism with her character is that it felt as though she was only really there to move things along and the writers didn't give her much of a character to work with. Dunaway does give a great performance though so this isn't a major issue.As well as all of the above the story itself is engaging and has enough suspense and intrigue to guarantee audience involvement. The performances are excellent, Pollack's directing is superb - very atmospheric and tense throughout.A film like Three Days Of The Condor probably won't feel that special to a lot of people today (with all of the CIA related conspiracy thrillers that have followed), but as an early example of the genre it's probably fair to say that it has proved influential on projects that have followed. Not only that but in its own right it's a solid film that is suspenseful, atmospheric, and very enjoyable.