Marathon Man

R

Released Oct 6, 1976

2h 5m

Mystery & Thriller

List

82%

Tomatometer

49 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Thomas "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman) is a Columbia graduate student and long-distance runner who is oblivious to the fact that his older brother, Doc (Roy Scheider), is a government agent chasing down a Nazi war criminal (Laurence Olivier) -- that is, until Doc is murdered and Babe finds himself knee-deep in a tangle of stolen gems and sadistic madmen. Even his girlfriend, Elsa (Marthe Keller), becomes a suspect as everything Babe believed to be true is suddenly turned upside down.

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Critics Consensus

Marathon Man runs the gamut from patient mystery to pulse-pounding thriller, aided by Laurence Oliver's coldly terrifying performance and a brainy script by William Goldman.

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Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

Yet everything else here — the gritty supporting players, the conspiracy theories and the Central Park finale — marks the pinnacle of 1970s paranoia thrillers, as Hoffman’s Jewish graduate student is sucked into a shadowy world of postwar spooks...

Jan 25, 2024

Full Review

Pauline Kael

New Yorker

A project that seemed a leaden cinch to be the kind of visceral thriller that makes audiences almost sich with excitement has fouled up right from the word go, and nothing in it works quite the way it was meant to.

Dec 2, 2023

Full Review

Edward Porter

Times (UK)

... Far-fetched but gripping.

Jan 23, 2023

Full Review

Tom Hutchinson

Radio Times

Schlesinger's film is not without its flaws, but it's a very classy package, and one particular scene involving dentistry will leave a lasting impression and is definitely not for the faint-hearted.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 22, 2024

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

... you have to admit its ingredients are well-dosed, in a script that literally works as a puzzle. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 12, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The movie cannily plops a complete innocent in the midst of people who are smarter, stronger, and savvier and then requires him to outlast them all in order to survive.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 5, 2023

Full Review

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David A

Insanely gripping film.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/09/24

Full Review

Scott M

The first half of the film is slow and unwatchable. Roy Schieder is a good actor, but his character's motivations are dumb and make no sense. The second and third acts are much more suspenseful. Hoffman and Oliver are magnificient.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

Chris H

A great and chilling film with stunning performances from Hoffman and Olivier. What more can you ask.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/31/24

Full Review

Kim P

Scheider and Devane were almost as good in their roles as Hoffman and Olivier were in theirs!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/24

Full Review

Dave C

The antagonist - LO, and script really make this! Young Hoffman is always a pleasure, so in all this is solid. However, there are segments that are just too slow and unnecessary and they bring it down from a 5* epic

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/15/24

Full Review

Alex P

Chilling Thriller with a brilliant script, absolutely worth a watch!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/24

Full Review

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John Schlesinger

Director

Dustin Hoffman

Thomas Levy

Laurence Olivier

Dr. Christian Szell

Roy Scheider

Henry Levy

William Devane

Peter Janeway

Marthe Keller

Elsa Opel

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Marathon Man: Official Clip - I Know Who You Are

2:12

Marathon Man: Official Clip - Swallowing the Diamonds

2:12

Marathon Man: Official Clip - I'm Not Going Into That Cavity

2:13

Marathon Man: Official Clip - I'll Give You Szell

2:13

Marathon Man: Official Clip - Apartment Intruders

2:12

Marathon Man: Official Clip - Is It Safe?

2:13

Marathon Man: Official Clip - Incompetent with Women

2:13

Marathon Man: Official Clip - Hotel Room Attack

2:09

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Synopsis

Thomas "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman) is a Columbia graduate student and long-distance runner who is oblivious to the fact that his older brother, Doc (Roy Scheider), is a government agent chasing down a Nazi war criminal (Laurence Olivier) -- that is, until Doc is murdered and Babe finds himself knee-deep in a tangle of stolen gems and sadistic madmen. Even his girlfriend, Elsa (Marthe Keller), becomes a suspect as everything Babe believed to be true is suddenly turned upside down.

Director: John Schlesinger
Producer: Sidney Beckerman, Robert Evans
Screenwriter: William Goldman, Robert Towne
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 21, 2010
Runtime: 2h 5m
Sound Mix: Mono

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