Thomas "Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman) is a postgraduate student and avid runner.
Through his brother, Doc (Roy Scheider), Babe becomes ensnared in an international scheme involving a former Nazi doctor (Laurence Olivier), the US Government and a cache of diamonds stolen from Jews during the Holocaust.
As Babe falls deeper into trouble, he realises that everyone he knows is part of the conspiracy.
Will he survive?
Like The Taking of Pelham 123, Marathon Man is one of those thrillers which has seeped into the public consciousness.
Not with remakes, but in terms of its specific elements. I knew about “Is it safe?” years ago, but I only was able to put that line in context when watching the film for the first time recently.
One of the earliest movies to utilise a steadicam, Marathon Man remains a fine thriller with great tension and performances.
That technical innovation gives the film a more dynamic, polished look - there are points in Marathon Man where it feels like a contemporary filmmaker went back in time and filmed scenes with Laurence Olivier. Maybe it is because this was my first time seeing it, it felt strange watching one of the iconic actors of the twentieth century performing within a steady but moving frame.
Olivier is terrific as the film’s villain, Dr Szell - he brings a dead-eyed stillness and relaxed manner of speaking that keeps the other characters and the viewer off balance.
Complimenting Oliver’s control is Hoffman as Babe - despite the actor’s age, he brings a sweaty, almost unfocused high energy. The first part of the movie is about stacking the deck against Babe, and Hoffman’s performance highlights his weaknesses. Babe is meant to be a weakling, a childish man forever arrested by the trauma of his past - he is completely out of his league when the pressure is placed on him.
In juxtaposition, Babe’s brother Doc (Scheider) is a man of the world who can get his hands dirty. Scheider is so take-charge and aggressive, when he dies midway through the movie, it is a real shock.
The film is packed with tension and legitimately gruelling set pieces.
I knew about the dentist torture set-piece, but I was not prepared for the scene with the garrotte wire - when it starts cutting into Doc’s hands and blood goes everywhere… It is touches like that which give the film a real sense of danger.
It is so well-orchestrated in terms of tension, and Babe’s helplessness so well-handled that I was truly waiting until the finale to see if he could make it out alive.
An issue I have with a lot of thrillers is that at some point the film cannot sustain the stakes, and the suspense is allowed to slacken - sometimes it is a pacing problem; or the protagonist is given an easy reprieve.
There are no easy outs for Babe, and he ends the film barely together.
The film’s understanding and control of suspense extends beyond the hero. Taking a page out of Hitchcock’s playbook, the film shifts perspective to align the camera with Szell as he tries to retrieve his treasure while avoiding detection on the streets of New York City. This man is a monster, yet the film has the confidence to put us in his place as he tries to flee from a camp survivor who recognises him.
The final standoff between Szell and Babe feels a little over-the-top, but after the relentless pressure-building, the excess of the ending felt appropriate.
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