''Three Days of the Condor'' is a 1975 American
political thriller
A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The st ...
film directed by
Sydney Pollack and starring
Robert Redford,
Faye Dunaway
Dorothy Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941) is an American actress. She is the recipient of many accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a BAFTA Award. In 2011, the government of France mad ...
,
Cliff Robertson
Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film '' PT 109'', and won the 19 ...
, and
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow ( , ; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...
.
The screenplay by
Lorenzo Semple Jr. and
David Rayfiel was based on the 1974 novel ''
Six Days of the Condor'' by
James Grady James Grady may refer to:
* James Grady (footballer) (born 1971), Scottish footballer
* James Grady (author) (born 1949), American writer and investigative journalist
{{hndis, Grady, James ...
.
Set mainly in New York City and Washington, D.C., the film is about a bookish
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
researcher who comes back from lunch one day to discover his co-workers murdered, and tries to outwit those responsible. The film was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Film Editing
The Academy Award for Best Film Editing is one of the annual awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Nominations for this award are closely correlated with the Academy Award for Best Picture. For 33 consecutive years, ...
. Semple and Rayfiel received an
Edgar Award from the
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is an organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City.
The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday.
It presents the Edgar Awa ...
for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.
Plot
Joe Turner is a bookish
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
analyst, code named "Condor". He works at the American Literary Historical Society in New York City, which is actually a clandestine CIA office. The seven staff members examine books, newspapers, and magazines from around the world and compare them to actual operations or to find ideas. Turner files a report to
CIA headquarters
The George Bush Center for Intelligence is the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, located in the unincorporated community of Langley, Virginia, Langley in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States; near Washington, D.C.
The headqua ...
on a thriller novel with strange plot elements; despite poor sales it has been translated into many languages.
Turner leaves through a back door to get staff lunches. Armed men enter the office and murder the other six staffers. Turner returns to find his coworkers dead; frightened, he grabs a gun and exits the building.
He contacts the CIA's New York headquarters in the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
from a phone booth and is given instructions to meet Wicks, his head of department, who will bring him to safety. Turner insists that Wicks bring somebody familiar, since "Condor" has never met his departmental head. Wicks brings Sam Barber, a college friend of Turner who is also a non-field CIA employee. The rendezvous is a trap and Wicks attempts to kill Turner, who wounds his superior before escaping. Wicks kills Barber to eliminate a witness and, taken into hospital, blames Turner for both shootings. Later, an intruder eliminates Wicks by turning off his life support system.
Turner encounters a woman, Kathy Hale, and forces her to take him to her apartment. He holds Hale hostage while he attempts to figure out what is happening. Hale slowly comes to trust Turner, and they become lovers.
However, Joubert, a European who led the massacre of Turner's co-workers, discovers Turner's hiding place. He visits Sam Barber's building and spends some tense moments in the elevator with Turner once the other passengers have left. After Turner leaves the building Joubert tries to shoot him but Turner manages to blend into a small crowd. The next morning a hitman disguised as a mailman arrives at Hale's apartment, but Turner manages to kill him.
No longer trusting anyone within "the Company", Turner plays a cat-and-mouse game with Higgins, the deputy director of the CIA's New York division. With Hale's help, Turner abducts Higgins, who identifies Joubert as a freelance assassin who has undertaken assignments for the CIA. Back at his office, Higgins discovers that the "mailman" who attacked Turner worked with Joubert on a previous operation. Their CIA case officer was Wicks.
Meanwhile, Turner discovers Joubert's location by utilizing his
U.S. Army Signal Corps
)
, colors = Orange and white
, colors_label = Corps colors
, march =
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
...
training to trace a phone call. Turner also learns the name and address of Leonard Atwood, CIA
Deputy Director of Operations
The deputy director of the CIA for operations is a senior United States government official in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency who serves as head of the Directorate of Operations. The position was established December 1, 1950 and from Janu ...
for the Middle East. Turner confronts Atwood at the latter's Washington D.C.-area mansion, interrogates him at gunpoint, and learns that Turner's original report filed to CIA headquarters had provided links to a rogue operation to seize Middle Eastern oil fields. Fearful of its disclosure, Atwood privately ordered Turner's section be eliminated.
As Atwood confirms this, Joubert enters and unexpectedly kills the CIA deputy director. Atwood's superiors had hired Joubert to stage the suicide of someone who was about to become an embarrassment, overriding Atwood's original contract for Joubert to kill Turner. Joubert suggests that the resourceful Turner leave the country and even become an assassin himself. Turner rejects the suggestion but heeds Joubert's warning that the CIA will try to eliminate him as another embarrassment, possibly entrapping him through a trusted acquaintance.
Back in New York, Turner has a rendezvous with Higgins near
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
. Higgins describes the oilfield plan as a
contingency "game" that was planned within the CIA without approval from above. He defends the project, suggesting that when oil shortages cause a major economic crisis, Americans will demand that their comfortable lives be restored by any means necessary. Turner points to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''
building
A building, or edifice, is an enclosed structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory (although there's also portable buildings). Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and fu ...
and says he has "told them a story." Higgins is dismayed, asking Turner, "What have you done?" He then tells Turner that he is about to become a very lonely man, and he questions whether Turner's
whistleblowing
A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
will really be published. "They'll print it," Turner defiantly replies. However, as "Condor" turns away, Higgins calls out "How do you know?"
Cast
Production
The film was shot on location in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
(including the
World Trade Center
World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association.
World Trade Center may refer to:
Buildings
* List of World Trade Centers
* World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...
, 55 East 77th Street,
Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Heights is a residential neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Old Fulton Street near the Brooklyn Bridge on the north, Cadman Plaza West on the east, Atlantic Avenue on the south, ...
,
The Ansonia
The Ansonia is a building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, located at 2109 Broadway, between 73rd and 74th Streets. It was originally built as a residential hotel by William Earle Dodge Stokes, the Phelps-Dodge copper heir ...
, and
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
),
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
(including
Hoboken Terminal
Hoboken Terminal is a commuter-oriented intermodal passenger station in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey. One of the New York metropolitan area's major transportation hubs, it is served by nine NJ Transit (NJT) commuter rail lines, one Metr ...
), and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
(including the
National Mall).
Soundtrack
''All music by Dave Grusin, except where noted.''
# "Condor! (Theme from 3 Days of the Condor)" 3:35
# "Yellow Panic" 2:15
# "Flight of the Condor" 2:25
# "We'll Bring You Home" 2:24
# "Out to Lunch" 2:00
# "Goodbye for Kathy (Love Theme from 3 Days of the Condor)" 2:16
# "I've Got You Where I Want You" 3:12 (Grusin/Bahler; sung by
Jim Gilstrap)
# "Flashback to Terror" 2:24
# "Sing Along with the C.I.A." 1:34
# "Spies of a Feather, Flocking Together (Love Theme from 3 Days of the Condor)" 1:55
# "
Silver Bells" 2:37 (Livingstone / Evans; Vocal:
Marti McCall
Marti may refer to
People Surname
* Benedictus Aretius (non-Latinized surname Marti; 1504-1574), Swiss Protestant theologian and natural philosopher
* Berthe Marti (1904–1995), French scholar of mediaeval Latin
* Debbie Marti (born 1968), Engli ...
)
# "Medley: a) Condor! (Theme) / b) I've Got You Where I Want You" 1:57
Release
The film was released in September 1975; earning $8,925,000 in theatrical showings in North America.
Reception
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, a
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
, reports that 88% of 48 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review, and the average rating was 7.3/10; the site's consensus is: "This post-Watergate thriller captures the paranoid tenor of the times, thanks to
Sydney Pollack's taut direction and excellent performances from Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway."
When first released, the film was reviewed positively by ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' critic
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
, who wrote that the film "is no match for stories in your local newspaper", but it benefits from good acting and directing.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' called it a
B movie that was given a big budget despite its lack of substance.
Roger Ebert wrote, "''Three Days of the Condor'' is a well-made thriller, tense and involving, and the scary thing, in these months after Watergate, is that it's all too believable."
John Simon wrote how the book, ''
Six Days of the Condor'', had been rewritten for the film:
That the action has been relocated from sleepy Washington to furious New York City, almost all names have been changed, that the plot has been vastly over-complicated, is of lesser interest than a straight genre film, has been overloaded into an elegy of private, political, and finally, cosmic pessimism, a kind of national, if not metaphysical, guilt film to enchant the disenchanted.
In closing his review, Simon said the lesson he derived from the film was, "we must be grateful to the CIA: it does what our schools no longer do—engage some people to read books."
French philosopher
Jean Baudrillard
Jean Baudrillard ( , , ; 27 July 1929 – 6 March 2007) was a French sociologist, philosopher and poet with interest in cultural studies. He is best known for his analyses of media, contemporary culture, and technological communication, as ...
lists the film as an example of a new genre of "retro cinema" in his essay on history in the now influential book, ''
Simulacra and Simulation
''Simulacra and Simulation'' (french: Simulacres et Simulation) is a 1981 philosophical treatise by the philosopher and cultural theorist Jean Baudrillard, in which the author seeks to examine the relationships between reality, symbols, and so ...
'' (1981):
Some critics described the film as a piece of political propaganda, as it was released soon after the "
Family Jewels" scandal came to light in December 1974, which exposed a variety of CIA 'dirty tricks'. However, in an interview with ''
Jump Cut
A jump cut is a cut in film editing in which a single continuous sequential shot of a subject is broken into two parts, with a piece of footage being removed in order to render the effect of jumping forward in time. Camera positions of the subje ...
'', Pollack explained that the film was written solely to be a spy thriller and that production on the film was nearly over by the time the Family Jewels revelations were made, so even if they had wanted to take advantage of them, it was far too late in the filmmaking process to do so. He said that despite both Pollack and Redford being well-known political
liberals, they were only interested in making the film because an espionage thriller was a genre neither of them had previously explored.
Awards and nominations
; Wins
*
Cartagena Film Festival
The Cartagena Film Festival ( es, Festival Internacional de Cine de Cartagena de Indias), or FICCI, is a film festival held in Cartagena, Colombia, which focuses mainly on the promotion of Colombian television series, Latin American films and short ...
: Golden India Catalina, Best Actor, Max von Sydow; 1976.
*
David di Donatello Awards: Special David, Sydney Pollack, for the direction; 1976.
*
Edgar Allan Poe Awards
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...
: Edgar; Best Motion Picture, Lorenzo Semple Jr. David Rayfiel; 1976.
* Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards:
KCFCC Award; Best Supporting Actor, Max von Sydow; 1976.
*
Motion Picture Sound Editors
Motion Picture Sound Editors (M.P.S.E.) is an American honorary society of motion picture sound editors founded in 1953. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit o ...
: Golden Reel Award; Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects; 1976.
; Nominations
*
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s: Oscar;
Film Editing, Fredric Steinkamp and Don Guidice; 1976.
* Cartagena Film Festival: Golden India Catalina; Best Film, Sydney Pollack; 1976.
*
Golden Globe Awards: Golden Globe; Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama, Faye Dunaway; 1976.
*
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s: Grammy; Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special, Dave Grusin; 1977.
*
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills; 2001
Legal action
In 1997, The Association of Danish Film Directors (''Danske Filminstruktører''), on behalf of the director Sydney Pollack, sued
Danmarks Radio
DR (), officially the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in English, is a Danish public-service radio and television broadcasting company. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enter ...
on the grounds that
cropping the film for television compromised the artistic integrity of the original film and that broadcasting the film in a reduced screen version violated Pollack's copyright. However, the case was unsuccessful because the film rights to ''Three Days of the Condor'' were not actually owned by Pollack. The case is believed to have been the first legal challenge to the practice of panning and scanning widescreen films for terrestial broadcast.
Cultural legacy
* Joubert's musings in the penultimate scene (see under Plot above) on how Turner might be killed by the CIA are reprised almost word-for-word in the ''
Seinfeld'' episode "
The Junk Mail
"The Junk Mail" is the 161st episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It was the fifth episode of the ninth and final season. The episode aired on October 30, 1997. In this episode, Jerry is gifted a van by a childhood friend and cannot turn it d ...
." The speech is used as a warning from
Newman to
Kramer about how the
U.S. Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
will retaliate for Kramer's refusal to receive his mail.
* In ''
Out of Sight
''Out of Sight'' is a 1998 American crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Scott Frank, adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1996 novel of the same name. The first of several collaborations between Soderbergh and actor Georg ...
'', Jack Foley (
George Clooney) and Karen Sisco (
Jennifer Lopez) discuss the film's romantic subplot, which Sisco describes as dubious.
* The
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
superhero film ''
Captain America: The Winter Soldier'' (2014) was inspired by this film, as was the original comic book source material. The directors, the
Russo brothers
Anthony Russo (born February 3, 1970) and Joseph Russo (born July 18, 1971), collectively known as the Russo brothers (), are American directors, producers, and screenwriters. They direct most of their work together. They are best known for dir ...
, admit this and say that Robert Redford's casting in their film was intended as a homage.
* Perhaps the most famous line in the film is Turner's challenge to Higgins, “You think not getting caught in a lie is the same thing as telling the truth?” Director
Sydney Pollack has admitted to using variations of that line in three of his other films: ''
Tootsie
''Tootsie'' is a 1982 American satirical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Dustin Hoffman. Its supporting cast includes Pollack, Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Bill Murray, Charles Durning, Geo ...
'' (1982), ''
The Firm'' (1993), and ''
The Interpreter
''The Interpreter'' is a 2005 political thriller film directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, and Jesper Christensen. It was the first film shot inside the United Nations Headquarters, as well as the fin ...
'' (2005).
* The famous hacker
Kevin Mitnick
Kevin David Mitnick (born August 6, 1963) is an American computer security consultant, author, and convicted hacker. He is best known for his high-profile 1995 arrest and five years in prison for various computer and communications-related crim ...
chose the ''Condor'' nickname after watching the movie.
*
R&B Singer
Amerie
Amerie Mi Marie Nicholson ( Rogers; born January 12, 1980) is an American singer. Born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, she gained an appreciation of the classical arts from her mother Mi Suk Rogers and of music from her father Charles Rogers, and ...
sampled the movie's main theme "Condor!" for her 2002 hit "
Why Don't We Fall in Love".
TV series
In March 2015,
Skydance Media
Skydance Media, LLC (formerly known as Skydance Productions) is an American production company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company entered a five-year partnership to co-produce and co-finance films with ...
in partnership with
MGM Television
MGM Television Worldwide Group and Digital (alternatively Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television Group and Digital, commonly known as MGM Television and then-known as MGM/UA Television; common metonym: Lion) is an American television production/dis ...
and
Paramount Television announced that they would produce a TV series remake of the film. In February 2017,
Max Irons
Maximilian Paul Diarmuid Irons (born 17 October 1985) is an English-Irish actor and model. He is known for his roles in films such as ''Red Riding Hood'' (2011), '' The White Queen'' (2013), '' The Host'' (2013), '' Woman in Gold'' (2014), ''Th ...
was cast as Joe Turner in the series entitled ''Condor'' for
Audience.
This eventually became a series developed by Todd Katzberg,
Jason Smilovic
Jason Smilovic is an American writer and executive producer, as well as the creator of the television series ''Karen Sisco'', ''Kidnapped'', '' My Own Worst Enemy'', and ''Condor''. He also wrote the film ''Lucky Number Slevin''. Smilovic gradua ...
, and Ken Robinson. The series premiered on June 6, 2018 on
Audience. In July 2018, the series had been renewed for a second season.
However, in January 2020, Audience announced it would be ending operations in its current format, effectively cancelling the show. The second season, already filmed at the time of the announcement, premiered on June 9, 2020, on
C More
C More Entertainment AB is a pay television company that previously operated as Canal+. It targets Nordic countries and has a separate channel in Sweden (C More Film).
The main competitors of C More Entertainment are Viasat Film and Viasat Sp ...
and
RTÉ2
RTÉ2 is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel.
History
In the 1970s, the Iri ...
.
See also
*
List of American films of 1975
*
Conspiracy thriller
The conspiracy thriller (or paranoid thriller) is a subgenre of thriller fiction. The protagonists of conspiracy thrillers are often journalists or amateur investigators who find themselves (often inadvertently) pulling on a small thread which unr ...
*
Techno-thriller
A techno-thriller or technothriller is a hybrid genre drawing from science fiction, thrillers, spy fiction, action, and war novels. They include a disproportionate amount (relative to other genres) of technical details on their subject matter ( ...
*
United States Joint Publications Research Service The Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) was a United States government defense-funded organization that was absorbed into the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) but its funding and personnel did not transfer. For all practical purp ...
—a U.S. government organization which the "American Literary Historical Society" was said to have been modeled.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Days Of The Condor
1975 films
1970s spy films
1970s political thriller films
American spy thriller films
Edgar Award-winning works
Films about conspiracy theories
Films scored by Dave Grusin
Films directed by Sydney Pollack
Films set in New York City
Films set in Washington, D.C.
Films based on American novels
Films based on thriller novels
Films shot in Virginia
Paramount Pictures films
American political thriller films
American spy films
Cold War spy films
Films about the Central Intelligence Agency
Films with screenplays by Lorenzo Semple Jr.
Films produced by Dino De Laurentiis
Techno-thriller films
Films shot in New York City
Films shot in Washington, D.C.
Films shot in New Jersey
1970s English-language films
1970s American films