Three Days of the Condor

Name: Three Days of the Condor
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Released: September 24, 1975
Duration: 117 min
Rating: 63
Cast: Addison Powell, Cliff Robertson, Don McHenry, Faye Dunaway, John Houseman

1975

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Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Ratings

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7.5

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7.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Ratings

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Three Days Of The Condor

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: September 24, 1975 | R

Starring: Addison Powell, Cliff Robertson, Don McHenry, Faye Dunaway, John Houseman, Max von Sydow, Michael Kane, Robert Redford, Tina Chen, Walter McGinn

Summary: A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.

Director: Sydney Pollack

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 117 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

R.L. Shaffer

3 Days of the Condor is a classic spy thriller. It remains just as relevant and thrilling today as it did in 1975. It's a film built around political metaphors and pessimism, trends that continue to spiral and evolve throughout our culture even today, with events unfolding that oddly mimic this film's once outlandish plot. Read full review

Roger Ebert

A well-made thriller, tense and involving, and the scary thing, in these months after Watergate, is that it's all too believable. Read full review

Adam Lowes

Add to the mix gregarious powerhouse producer Dino De Laurentiis, plus regular Redford directorial collaborator Sydney Pollock and, unsurprisingly, the resulting film is a cracking thriller. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Thanks to an intelligent script, partly by Lorenzo Semple Jr (Pretty Poison, The Parallax View), the action rarely falters, and at its best the film offers an intriguing slice of neo-Hitchcock. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

The film is a perfect contemporary example of an old studio formula approach to filmmaking. Basically a B, it has been elevated in form – but not in substance – via four bigger names, location shooting and more production values. Sometimes the trick works, but not here. Read full review

Jay Cocks

A piece of dotty, slightly paranoid intrigue. Three Days of the Condor promises little and keeps its word. It is hard to get indignant about it, or enthusiastic either. Read full review

Dave Kehr

Basically, the film is a throwback to the 60s anti-Bond spy thriller (a la The Ipcress File), except here the genre's annihilating irony has been replaced by Pollack's liberal piousness. Read full review

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User Reviews

Kai82

Dec 25, 2022

An interesting thriller / spy movie. It is the story of Joe Turner who works for the CIA. However he is no agent as he and his colleagues just read books, magazines, novels and newspapers for ideas, potential dangers and risks. However when Joe returns one day to the office after gettingAn interesting thriller / spy movie. It is the story of Joe Turner who works for the CIA. However he is no agent as he and his colleagues just read books, magazines, novels and newspapers for ideas, potential dangers and risks. However when Joe returns one day to the office after getting lunch for everyone he end s in a real nightmare. All his colleagues are murdered and he has no clue why. This is the start of a cat and mouse game as he does not know who he can trust, what has happened and atop of that has no real training that can help him (He is an analyst not a spy or agent). I like the story a lot because as viewer you have the same questions as the protagonist. Also the struggles, twists and story are as immersive as entertaining. A bonus for the interesting ending but also a warning as I can see others hate this. Aside the story a lot of my enjoyment came from the strong cast. We have a strong performance from Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Max von Sydow and Cliff Robertson. They fully deliver their roles and improve the movie. Other than that I see no serious weaknesses. Overall this was a nice movie with a good mystery and great actors. Also it is realistic enough that I question myself if something similar can happen in real life. I give an 8/10 and recommend it for being something different that the trope of the unmatched special agent like James Bond, Jason Bourne or all the others. Bonus knowledge: It is based on the book “Six days of the Condor” by James Grady which is different enough to be worth reading. Actually the movie could be the rare case were they changed the plot to a more original idea.… Expand

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amheretojudge

Mar 1, 2019

An In And Out Inn.

Three Days Of Condor Pollack has been into romance before anything. Even in a story of crime, betrayal and mystery like such, he cannot help himself lean towards crafting out a love story. And as we all can see in here, most probably this is his major asset. Not a wittyAn In And Out Inn.

Three Days Of Condor

Pollack has been into romance before anything. Even in a story of crime, betrayal and mystery like such, he cannot help himself lean towards crafting out a love story. And as we all can see in here, most probably this is his major asset. Not a witty film but a superficial one, not satisfying but soothing. As far as the thrills are concerned, they come in cheap. With only its first act, delivering and respecting the genre the film claims to be, the tone shifting in its latter acts is something that is not easy to nod along with.

The sense of urgency that Sydney Pollack; the director, wants us to feel is one big jolt of exhilarating dose that we wolfishly mug up and later regret on. He is of, course, no short on execution, his keen eye on details that sets and maps the room or a location in viewers' mind helps a lot in such a film. The physical sequences is another example, with multiple camera shots, the action is fast, cleaner than we usually get and well choreographed.

Turner (Robert Redford) as the victim of the film and being framed by bigger banners is on a run or so you would think. Since that run goes on halt after he meets Kathy (Faye Dunaway) and the appealing sensual love angle swoops in on storytelling. The mellow impactful moments shared by these two stars is something we can all devour with ease, if lopping off all the other drama and strings, the love story had enough potential to stand alone, but unfortunately this who-done-it case fumbles in its last act poorly. Three Days Of The Condor might be a shorter stay than in the novel it is adapted from, but then it also feels longer at times.… Expand

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