Review of Marathon Man (1976) by Wesley H — 26 Aug 2009

William Goldman is a genuine author and screenwriter. His novel, Marathon Man, is adapted into this breathless thriller by the same name.

Based in New York, a young college student, Babe Levy (Dustin Hoffman), is caught in the web of conspiracy that involves a Nazi war criminal (Laurence Olivier). With his brother (Roy Scheider), secretly in an undercover government program, Babe is hit unexpectedly with the reality that he is being hunted down.

Dustin Hoffman gives a marvelous performance as a nervous, young adult who picks up the pieces and begins to take matters into his own hands. Similar to his performance in The Graduate, Hoffman knows how to hold a nervous tone, but also a controlling one. With the late Roy Scheider as his brother - Scheider puts forth a great role that is a proficient follow up to his character Chief Brody in Jaws only a year before. Laurence Olivier sets the standards as the awry criminal who's greed controls his actions.

The direction that Joel Schlesinger provides is superb for a thriller of this sort. With intense shadows and a strong score, the suspense Schlesinger gives the audience is enough to keep them entertained for the two hours it runs. Filled with action, chases, uneasy interrogation, and a showdown in a sewage plant that sets the ideal mood, Marathon Man is shown to be a classic of the seventies.