Review of The Conversation (1974) by Thomas S — 03 Dec 2008

A masterpiece. No question. Given its pedigree, it would have been a lot more surprising had it turned out shitty. Hackman is at his best seeming simultaneously an approachable and normal guy and a deeply paranoid basketcase who won't let anything in- which is pretty much the point, of course.

It's interesting to compare this with the Godfather- it was made between the first and the second- as it's essentially the opposite plot arc, a man trying to crush his soul down and refuse all human connections for a facade of professionalism. This being the seventies, things work out badly for him anyway.

It's beautiful, too, the score setting the tone nicely with a lone piano tinkling away, the colors somewhat muted without ever quite fading into being underinteresting, the locations moving all around without ever leaving the inside of Hackman's head. Not a movie you watch on mute, not Hero or Lawrence of Arabia, but atmospheric in a way that reinforces the subject perfectly.

It's also one of the few movies I've seen that manages to use a leitmotif- snippets of the titular conversation- in a way that is continually revelatory and engrossing without ever being heavy handed. The conversation repeats itself but underscores different points in the narrative in different ways, drawing new meaning from its surroundings.

I wish I had more to say about it- honestly, fantastic though it is, it's not the kind of movie that invites endless discussion in the way the Godfather does. It's too straight for that, too much a story that makes you want to sit and be quiet after you see it.