Rating: 3/5
I'm not a field agent — I just read books!
Some dudes (Max von Sydow and co) shoot up a historical literature society, killing everyone except Joseph Turner (Robert Redford), who happened to be picking up lunch. Turner calls the panic office for the CIA, giving his codename Condor, saying his branch has been hit
He goes to the meet point, where he sees a friend, but the other agent shoots at him and kills his friend. By chance, he holds up and threatens Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway) to help him hide out at her place. He fucks her and she decides to help him figure out what’s going on
Like contemporary spy thrillers, the film is cheap fun with overwrought turns — just enough essence to feel grounded in reality, and just enough pessimism to perform CIA propaganda, intentional or otherwise
Unlike contemporary spy thrillers, this movie isn’t merely a series of set pieces tied together with technobabble. It’s not high art, but at least it’s enjoyable to watch
The script gives Faye Dunaway almost nothing, and she still steals every scene she’s in — she knows what her eyes convey on camera and does so much with them
Max von Sydow is one of the greats — I love his weaselly mustache
Overall, the film is well-paced, the performances are all solid, and the mystery is doled out in an easy-to-follow progression — it does its job