Day 170: "Is it safe?"

One thing i noticed in this journey of mine is a distinct lack of Dustin Hoffman movies.  Having seen most of them, I thought finding one might be a bit of a challenge.  I obviously forgot about 1976's Marathon Man.  It starts slowly, but stick with the film.  Once it picks up, after about 40 minutes, you won't be able to turn away.  The intertwining stories of a government man on the hunt for a Nazi war criminal who is killing off his colleagues, his in-training grad student brother, and the Nazi himself trying to remain incognito while maintaining his criminal activities make for one of the most tense thrillers I've seen in a while.  I have to say though, Marathon Man has one of the single most disturbing, squirm-in-your-seat scenes in movie history.  As Hitchcock's Psycho kept people out of the shower for months after its release, Marathon Man will keep you from the dentist forever.  I honestly won't be able to hear the high pitched whine of that particular tool without cringing for a long time. 

Expertly acted by the stellar cast, Marathon Man is a who's who of talent.  Dustin Hoffman stars as Thomas Levy, the grad student caught in an impossible situation.  His acting is absolutely cringe-worthy, as he is relentlessly pursued and tortured htrough the second half of the movie.  Sir Lawrence Olivier is Nazi doctor Szell, a man who has seen, and more importantly, inflicted many horrors upon people, and he plays the role in a stone cold, unflinching manner.  Unforgettable.  Roy Schieder is Thomas' brother, Henry.  The little time he spends on-screen is tense and he plays a spy wonderfully.

Although hampered a bit by its slow start, Marathon Man is one of the best spy thrillers of the '70s.  A well written and acted script and great performances save this movie from a place in the middle of the pack.  Give it a shot, but be advised, if you are in ANY WAY squeamish about the dentist....well, I did warn you.  8.5/10.

See you tomorrow, and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!