Today’s quick review: Three Days of the Condor. Joseph Turner (Robert Redford), an analyst for the CIA, is out to lunch when his office is raided and his coworkers murdered. Unsure of who to trust, Turner contacts Deputy Director Higgins (Cliff Robertson) to bring him in. But when Turner is betrayed, he’s forced to strike out on his own, relying on his own wits and the reluctant help of Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway), a woman he carjacks, to survive.
Three Days of the Condor is a crime thriller that thrusts an ordinary analyst into the middle of a deadly cover-up. Robert Redford stars as Joseph Turner, the sole survivor of an attack on a CIA facility. Three Days of the Condor follows him as he tries to solve the puzzle of who had his coworkers killed and why, all while trying to stay one step ahead of Joubert (Max von Sydow), an assassin intent on finishing the job.
Three Days of the Condor is most notable for its plot. The reason behind the attack on Turner’s office gives the film a nice mystery to work with, while the power games and betrayal going on within the CIA give the film a persistent sense of paranoia. Turner makes for a well-balanced protagonist: far from an action hero, but just cunning enough to navigate the trap he’s in. The film also has a romance of sorts between Turner and his captive Hale.
However, Three Days of the Condor has a few aspects that keep it from being a universal hit. The action is tame by modern standards, but it serves its purpose. Turner is capable but not brilliant. The plot has some good twists but a somewhat mixed payoff, and the machinations of the CIA are too complex to easily track. The end result is a thriller with strong fundamentals, but whose overall appeal is dependent on taste.
Watch Three Days of the Condor when you’re in the mood for a competent thriller in the classic mold. It offers just enough of a mystery to make it an interesting watch. Skip it if you’re looking for modern-style action. For a lighter thriller with more of a romance, try The Saint. For a crime thriller in a similar mode, try The Fugitive. For a modern action thriller with a similar plot, try Safe House, Shooter, or The Bourne Identity.
7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for a solid plot that delivers what it promises.