Redford, Dunaway headline thrilling ‘3 Days of the Condor’

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Robert Redford was at his best in the 1970s when he used his box-office drawing power to make a series of well-crafted, well-acted films that showcased his talent and on-screen charisma.

Besides “The Sting,” “The Way We Were” and “All the President’s Men,” one of my all-time favorite Redford films from that period is “Three Days of the Condor” – a tightly-wound, paranoia-laced thriller from 1975.

Redford teamed with actress Faye Dunaway a year after her critically-acclaimed performance in “Chinatown.” Under Sydney Pollack’s precise direction, the three turned a so-so novel into a crackling suspense film.

The movie’s timing was perfect. By building a thriller around an man caught in a CIA web of deceit, “Three Days of the Condor” appealed to the cynical beliefs of a nation still recovering from Watergate and Vietnam.

The year 1975 was pivotal for the United States. We were suspect of everything and anything out of Washington. Few people were trustworthy. Nothing was believable. We were living in a wounded country, looking desperately for hope with little on the immediate horizon.

In September, a small, well-promoted film that exploits those feelings appeared in theaters nationwide. “Three Days of the Condor” plays smart and edgy. For good measure, it even adds a love story subplot between Redford and Dunaway.

ROBERT REDFORD AND FAYE DUNAWAY

Redford stars as Joe Turner, an employee of a branch of the Central Intelligence Agency who spends his time analyzing books, newspapers and magazines for messages and hidden meanings.

Turner goes out for coffee one morning, only to return minutes later and discover his branch has been hit and everyone has been executed. Realizing his life is in danger, Turner flees.

Using the code name Condor, Turner spends the rest of the film trying to sort out a complicated puzzle of intrigue and conspiracy – all linked to Middle Eastern oil reserves. The movie builds momentum early and never loses it.

The plot is incredibly complicated and includes a tangled web of double crosses and double agents. But if you sit back and go along for the ride, you’ll figure everything out by the time “Three Days of the Condor” reaches its climax.

Pollack, a successful actor as well as a film director, does a great job creating a steady sense of unease throughout the film. Early in his career, Pollack directed episodes of “The Fugitive” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” on television – and that experience adds immeasurably to “Three Days of the Condor.”

SYDNEY POLLACK

Screenwriter David Rayfiel helped adapt the James Grady novel, “Six Days of the Condor,” for the screen. Rayfiel worked with Pollack on many of his movies, including the film version of John Grisham’s best-seller “The Firm.”

“The Firm,” though, was partially successful. Despite trying to recapture the same feel as “Three Days of the Condor,” Pollack, Rayfiel and company fell just a bit short of their goal.

One reason is the taut screenplay and the level of acting talent Pollack assembled for the 1975 film – which, in addition to Redford and Dunaway at their prime, also included such screen greats as Cliff Robertson, Max Von Sydow and John Houseman.

Let me add one more point: While “Three Days of the Condor” is certainly a product of its time and the mood of the country, the film has aged well over the last 36 years. “Three Days of the Condor” remains as exciting today as it was when I first saw it in September 1975. That fact alone is a credit to Pollack, his crew and his actors – and another example of the enduring greatness of films from the 1970s.

Sadly, Pollack died on May 26, 2008, at age 73 from stomach cancer.


“Three Days of the Condor” is available for purchase or rental on DVD and Blu-ray high definition disc. Click here to purchase the film on Blu-ray or click here to purchase it on DVD. The film is rated R for violence, profanity and adult situations.

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