Marathon Man

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DanTheMan 2 Running the gamut from patient mystery to pulse-pounding thriller, Marathon Man presents a desperate game of survival in a grim and hostile world, one where no man can escape history and worries away at the notion that capitalism's rewards are desired by the moral and immoral alike. Although certainly long in the tooth to start, the film uses this time to construct characters and establish the situation, which ultimately pays off later on when it really gets going, sucking you into a shadowy world of postwar spooks and power politics. John Schlesinger's eye for arresting details, coupled with the early steadicam and location work around New York, really accentuates the film's visceral imagery and more terrifying moments, plunging you into a nightmare of raw nerves and bloody sinks. Despite the pervasive suspense and the uniqueness of the bloodshed, the script's insistence on withholding clues prevents a deeper involvement with the plot. However, it certainly helps that the enormously sinister musical score and acting are top-notch, the key players all delivering outstanding performances. Dustin Hoffman's smug yet affable, innocent patsy is iconic, with plenty of expressions of dawning dread. While Roy Scheider is awesome in his more dubious role despite the minimal screentime, it's Laurence Olivier, as the absolute essence of evil, stealing the show. Although it ends on a rather unsatisfying note and is ultimately not without its flaws, it's hard to deny Marathon Man's deeply erratic power, kitsch of a pretty high order. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/23/25 Full Review Jeff N. Meh. Not worthy of investing time. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/14/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 2 hours and 5 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/02/25 Full Review alan g The dental scene was where I learned about the use of clove oil for dental pain. It also started my interest in holistic and natural medicine. Lawrence Olivier is magnificent. Cold brutal and sadistic. Dustin Horseshit is terrible. I don't know why anybody thinks he can act. Screaming is not acting. All his pictures are like that. He screams his lines and people think he is the greatest actor. He is not. Too many "great actors" are like that. Too bad a little Olivier didn't rub off on him. Otherwise a taught thriller. Don't drink the water from the Central Park reservoir. Gritty NYC from the 70s. I know. I lived there and went to Columbia. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/19/24 Full Review Jim A The dentist scene is deeply disturbing, I am in shock. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/08/24 Full Review Jonathan O A heart pounding exhilarating intense thriller it's really really clever mystery thriller film and Lawrence Oliver performance is absolutely magnificent villain his acting really deserves a academy award nomination and Dustin Hoffman performance really unbelievable performance and if everyone are planning to go to the dentist don't watched it before you have a appointment. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/25/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Marathon Man

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