Review of Marathon Man (1976) by Tyler M — 13 Dec 2007

Is it safe?

Well... Love it, hate it, take it or leave it.

The Story: A history major somehow gets caught up in game of cat and mouse involving nazis and the US government... This film has some great qualities to it, but it's also got some really not so great qualities. On the good side, it's got a good cast, a good script, and a lot of great cinematography, and it's got a good hour of suspense. On the bad side, it takes an hour for the story to get anywhere, it moves slowly, and the viewer (if you're anything like me) will be lost and confused throughout the first half of the film. The first hour is meant to set up the characters, but it moves at a snails pace, and doesn't really do too much. The second hour, though is packed with suspense and intrigue, and moves at an incredibly fast pace. So if you want to sit through an hour of slow character building, you'll be rewarded with an hour of good fast paced cinema.

The Cast: Dustin Hoffman... Dustin Hoffman is Thomas Babington 'Babe' Levy, the history major who's main goal in life is to stay alive. Hoffman is known to be one of my all time favorite actors, and this film proves how good he is, and was even back in 1976. It's a powerful performance, and you'll feel a strong connection with him throughout the film. You'll feel his anger, sadness, and frustration. If you're a big Hoffman fan, than you'll find something of interest here no doubt, but if you're not a fan than it's hit or miss.

One to Five Scale: 3.

It's average, in that it's so damned slow moving, but above average in that it makes up for it later on. Sit through the first half, but enjoy the second.

Tyler.