Marathon Man

A while back I mentioned how there were a few 70s favourites I had revisited for the 70s countdown and written reviews for. At the time I posted my reviews for Dirty Harry and The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Well here's another -










Plot - Nazi war criminal Dr. Christian Szell (Olivier) is a former SS dentist who committed countless atrocities during the second world war, earning himself the nickname 'the White Angel of Auschwitz.' When his brother is killed in a car accident, a covert US government agency called 'The Division' believe that he will come out of hiding to retrieve a valuable diamond collection he amassed during the war. Following the accident, members of the agency are targeted and killed off one by one. One such agent is Henry 'Doc' Levy (Scheider), who finds himself killed at the hands of Szell, who dies in the arms of his brother Babe (Hoffman). Babe, who up until now had been completely oblivious to his brother's true profession, now finds himself unwittingly drawn into this madness when he is kidnapped by Szell and his men.

I'm a big fan of the 70s thriller. And while there are a couple that I perhaps love more than this film, I don't think there are many, if any, better or more thrilling than Marathon Man. And if this were indeed the standard bearer for the genre it would be a suitable fit as it features just about every ingredient that was so common during the decade; conspiracies, cover-ups, secret government agencies, double crosses, paranoia etc. The story that propels Marathon Man along is really quite preposterous when you stop to consider its tale of Nazis and secret government agencies, and even when it's over you're left scratching your head trying to work some of it out. But the script by William Goldman and the direction of Schlesinger are both so strong that they help to gloss over the fact so that you don't really notice or become concerned by it. Together they construct a series of fantastically tense and suspenseful sequences. In fact had he been able to replicate such anxious thrills throughout the rest of his career Schlesinger may have been able to challenge Alfred Hitchcock for the 'Master of Suspense' title.

Following an explosive road rage incident to open proceedings, the film actually then takes its time to set up the story. Goldman's script establishes the separate story threads of Babe's character, his brother's involvement in a covert government agency and the Nazi element before smashing them all together for the tense and thrilling second half of the film. And as I mentioned these emotions are elicited through a series of terrific sequences and set-pieces. There's a thrilling attempt on the life of Roy Scheider's Doc. There's a highly suspenseful moment which sees Hoffman having a bath when he becomes aware that individuals have broken into his apartment. There is the absolutely classic, iconic dental torture scene which I'll get onto later that is enough to make anyone squirm in their seat. Following a wonderfully manipulative double-cross, Babe's escape from that predicament then leads into a fantastic foot chase through the deserted, derelict and rain-slicked streets of New York. And then before the final face-off between Babe and Szell they are still able to squeeze in another tense sequence when Szell is visiting Manhattan's diamond district, surrounded by Jewish people, when one of his former concentration camp victims recognises him and attempts to stop him. So as you can see there is a whole slew of terrific scenes to get you on the edge of your seat and get your heart racing. And they are all set to the backdrop of a terrifically sinister and disconcerting score from Michael Small.

The real selling point of this film is the chance to see Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Oliver go head-to-head. While it's always a treat to see two legendary actors share the screen in such a manner, on this occasion it goes somewhat deeper than that. With both men being exponents of two very different acting styles it makes for a fascinating clash. On one hand you've got Hoffman who believed very much in the method style of acting, while on the other hand you've got Olivier who was theatrically trained and believed in the more classic, traditional style. As well as just the interest in seeing how the styles mesh, their respective approaches actually work well for their individual characters. Hoffman's edgy, natural style works for his character's bewildered, out of his depth persona. While Olivier's more deliberate, measured style creates a sense of control and calm in his character that makes him unnerving. In fact the combination of the two men and their contrasting styles brought about one of the most famous actorly anecdotes/quotes of all time. On one occasion Hoffman's character is supposed to have stayed awake for three straight days. To emulate this sensation Hoffman did actually stay up for three days prior to filming the scene. When Olivier learned of this his response was the classic, “why don't you just try acting, dear boy?”

And the trademark scene where they are both brought together is most certainly the classic dental scene. In an effort to learn what Hoffman's character knows, Olivier indulges in some dental torture to get him to talk. Between Hoffman's anguished screams of pure agony and the chilling sound of the dentist drill it's an exceptionally unsettling and uncomfortable scene. And Olivier is so incredibly menacing in the sequence, turning three simple words (“is it safe”) into just about the most unsettling sentence I've ever heard. Though both men may have employed different methods to get there, in the end they both delivered great performances. In the role of Thomas Levy, commonly known as Babe, Dustin Hoffman is just terrific at conveying the character's traumatic and nightmarish journey. He takes him from this initially meek and slightly boyish character; someone so unassertive that he doesn't even answer a question in his History class even though he absolutely knows the answer, to someone almost unrecognisable by film's end. In the film's final scenes we see Hoffman battered, drained and fuelled by anger and vengeance. After what he was put through earlier in the dentist's chair the scene is a great turn-around of roles as he gets his revenge by making Szell swallow the diamonds if he wants to keep them. And in the role of Nazi war criminal Dr. Christian Szell, Olivier just chills you to the bone. Displaying an incredible cruelty, a unrelenting drive to accomplish his goals and absolutely no remorse he completely brings to life this character who is the absolute embodiment of pure evil. The character of Dr. Szell was ranked at #34 in the AFI's list of greatest villains and it's not hard to see why.

While the clash between Hoffman and Olivier might be the main event, the cast's under-card isn't too shabby either. As Hoffman's brother, Doc, you've got a real icon of the 70s, Roy Scheider, on fine form. In fact Marathon Man almost feels like his own personal audition tape to take over the role of James Bond. He's cool, he's suave, he's tough, he's hard-nosed and he's also pretty bad-ass as we see in a rather brutal close-quarters fight in a hotel room which feels like it could have been lifted straight from one of Sean Connery's outings as 007. Further strong support comes in the form of William Devane as the mercurial, crafty and composed Janeway. And while she might be hampered by her cryptic character and confusing motivations, Marthe Keller is able to give Elsa a fairly sensual and seductive quality.

One of my favourite things about Marathon Man is how every single second of it seems to have been shot on location. There's very little if anything at all of sets or backlots on display here. Much of it occurs right on the real streets of New York, with real New Yorkers all around, with the film shooting throughout Manhattan, in Central Park and in Central Park Zoo. It adds a great deal of atmosphere and life to proceedings. The film also utilises some fantastic locations, both recognisable and not, as the settings for many of its scenes; the grand Paris Opera, the columns of Jardin de Palais Royal and the Acro Plaza in Los Angeles really getting across the idea that this is a story and conspiracy that spans the world. And I also love the location they used for the conclusion. The South Gate House waterworks in Central Park may not be the most glamorous of locations but I found it to be an exceptionally interesting one.

Conclusion - Its story may be convoluted and on occasion downright baffling, but that doesn't stop Marathon Man from being one of the most thrilling and captivating films I've ever seen from the 70s, or any other decade for that matter. That arises due to William Goldman's cracking script, John Schlesinger's dynamic direction and two terrific performances from screen legends Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier.