Marathon Man (1976)
I didn’t give any first time watches 5 stars last year, and didn’t expect this to go straight to the top. I started the movie rather late and was planning only to watch the first 30-40 minutes, but ending up watching the whole thing in one sitting. That is really rare for a movie to capture and transfix me like that. It is full on paranoia where nothing or no one can be trusted, with a good dose of “what the hell is going on”, confusing in a good way with respect for the viewer. We are not left in the dark in a way that feels like the movie is cheating to create artificial tension, it is natural confusion from the reference of Dustin Hoffman’s character. I was reminded of Three Days of the Condor that has a similar vibe. They really knew how to make movies like that in the 70s.
Rating: 5