Marathon Man is an exhilarating, suspense-filled experience with plenty of twists and turns to keep a viewer guessing.
When I was about 8 years old, I remember my parents coming home from seeing a movie and telling me about a scene that would make anyone afraid of going to the dentist again. That movie was Marathon Man and for years that’s all I would think about when I heard someone mention it. I had no context of the scene or any knowledge of the movie’s plot until today. Forty three years later, I can confirm that after seeing this movie, you’ll never look at your dentist’s chair the same way again.
Marathon Man is typical of the suspense-filled thrillers that were extremely popular in the mid-1970s. Based on a novel by William Goldman (who also wrote the screenplay), the film deals with three main characters: Doc (Roy Scheider), his younger brother, Babe (Dustin Hoffman), and Nazi war criminal, Dr. Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier).
Dr. Szell has amassed a large cache of diamonds that were stolen from Jewish prisoners during World War II. The diamonds are stored in a safety deposit box in New York City. When Szell needs money to support himself as he hides out in Uruguay, he sends his brother to retrieve a small quantity from the box. His brother then hands the diamonds to a courier for transport to Szell.
Doc secretly works for a U.S. government agency that tracks down Nazi war criminals. He tells his brother that he is in the oil business. In fact, he acts as one of Szell’s couriers. In exchange for this work, Szell gives the U.S. government the locations of other Nazi criminals. It’s an arrangement with mutual benefit to both sides.
This operation goes smoothly until Szell’s brother is accidentally killed in a car accident. Not trusting anyone, Szell begins eliminating his courier network one-by-one. Doc narrowly escapes several attempts on his life in Paris and decides to travel to New York to visit his brother. The visit brings Doc, Babe, and Szell’s paths on a collision course.
The film, directed by John Schlesinger, doles out details very slowly at first. It may seem like I’ve spoiled the plot but I’ve left out quite a bit. Most of what I’ve omitted deals with Dustin Hoffman’s character, Babe. He’s central to the story and the most identifiable character. He’s also training for a marathon run, hence the name of the film.
Laurence Olivier, who was thought to be past his prime when Marathon Man was produced, is steely-eyed magnificence in the role of Szell. His performance was nominated for an Academy Award and deservedly so. He’s the reason that dentistry scene is so effective. There’s another scene where you can read his emotional state just by looking at his eyes. He’s brilliant here.
That’s not to say Hoffman and Scheider are slouches. If you’re only familiar with Roy Scheider from his work in the Jaws films, you’ll be surprised by his darker performance here. The diminutive Hoffman, who was probably best known for his work in The Graduate when this was released, turns in a surprisingly physical and emotional performance. Also of note is Marthe Keller, who plays Babe’s new girlfriend, Elsa. She’ll keep you guessing as to how she fits in to all of the shadiness.
It’s not an easy film to follow at first, but once the story hits its stride, Marathon Man is an exhilarating, suspense-filled experience with plenty of twists and turns to keep a viewer guessing. With strong performances from everyone involved, it’s definitely worth a look.
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
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