Review of The Conversation (1974) by Anthony K — 15 Aug 2017

Not at all what I thought it was gonna be, The Conversation is an excellent case study of a schizoid paranoiac named Harry Caul who is, ultimately, really a bad person. What comes off at first as someone who simply prefers his privacy (especially in light of what he knows about surveillance) turns into someone who is willing to brazenly destroy what few relationships he maintains just to keep them at two-arms length.

There's a plot that I don't need to describe - as it should be witnessed on its own - but truly the focus is on how the damaged Harry *interprets* what's happening, rather than what actually is, because the audience get very little in the way of an omniscient perspective, rather, our understanding is filtered through the unreliable narrator and protagonist.

Really one of the best films of the 70s, The Conversation will make you feel icky and a little morose, but is absolutely fascinating to watch.