Everything about Three Days Of The Condor totally explained
Three Days of the Condor (
1975) is an
American motion picture produced by Stanley Schneider and directed by
Sydney Pollack. The screenplay, by
Lorenzo Semple Jr. and David Rayfiel, was adapted from the novel
Six Days of the Condor by
James Grady.
The movie is a suspense drama set in contemporary
New York City, and is considered an exposition of the moral ambiguity of the actions of the United States government following the
Vietnam War and
Watergate. It stars
Robert Redford as an employee of the
Central Intelligence Agency who inadvertently becomes involved in a deadly power struggle within the agency.
The film was nominated for the 1976
Academy Award for
Film Editing. Semple and Rayfiel received an
Edgar Award from the
Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay.
Plot
Joe Turner (
Robert Redford) is a CIA employee who works in a clandestine office in New York City. He isn't a field agent, and indeed bristles at Agency discipline. His job is in
OSINT field: he's to read books, newspapers, and magazines from around the world, looking for hidden meanings and new ideas. As part of his duties, Turner files a report to CIA headquarters on a low-quality thriller novel his office has been reading, pointing out strange plot elements therein, and the unusual assortment of languages in which the book has been translated (Arabic but not French, Spanish but not Russian, and Dutch).
The movie begins on the day in which Turner expects a response to his report. While he's out getting lunch, a group of armed men, led by an
Alsatian assassin later identified as Joubert (
Max von Sydow), executes the six people in the office. Turner returns, realizes he's in grave danger, and calls an emergency telephone number. He later goes to the home of a co-worker who stayed home sick from work and finds him dead as well.
On giving his code name, "
Condor", he's put in contact with Higgins (
Cliff Robertson), Deputy Director, CIA New York City. Higgins, who is at this point not involved in the conspiracy and is legitimately concerned, directs Turner to keep quiet, and that'll send an agent named Wicks to "bring him in."
Wicks brings an old friend of Turner's (Sam) along to help put him at ease. But Wicks is part of the conspiracy and tries to kill Turner. Turner shoots Wicks, who just before collapsing shoots Sam; Turner escapes with his life. Realizing that he can't trust anyone within the CIA, Turner calls in again and begins to play a cat-and-mouse game with Higgins.
Turner now sets off to solve the mystery of the killings on his own. Needing a place to hide, he forces a random woman, Kathy Hale (
Faye Dunaway), to take him to her apartment. He holds her prisoner while he attempts to figure out what's going on. He ties her up in her bathroom and takes her truck to go to his friend's apartment. When he gets there and makes contact with Sam's wife, she's cooking a readying for a dinner; she tells Turner that she got a call earlier in the day - from someone unknown - that Sam would be working late. Apparently, she doesn't know what happened to her husband but told Turner that someone's been calling and hanging-up. It's at this time Turner has her immediately discontinue cooking dinner and to go to Bill and Eileen's apartment upstairs. At this time, Joubert has arrived on the elevator to the floor where Sam's apartment is and sees Turner getting Sam's wife onto the elevator.
Joubert, a tall and imposing figure, enters the next elevator with Turner and has dialogue with him. When Joubert exits the elevator on the first floor, Turner knows that Joubert is probably waiting for him outside. Turner solicits the help of some teenagers who are hanging around the first-floor lobby, to use a coathanger to open-up his car in which he says he locked the keys. It's, of course, a ploy to surround himself with innocent people to allow him to escape. Joubert, nearby, has a sniper rifle with a scope and sees that he can't get a shot at Turner because of all the teenagers with him. He sees Turner get into Hale's truck and uses the scope of his rifle to see the license plate number. It's obvious, at this point, that Joubert will trace the owner of the truck through motor vehicle records.
Eventually, Hale is convinced to trust him; the gun is put away, and they make love (the scene was controversial for its sexually explicit content at the time). The next morning, Hale is getting a shower and Turner is in the kitchen, still trying to figure out what has happened. The doorbell rings and it's a postal letter carrier who says he's an insured package for Hale. Turner says she's not there and the postman says he could sign for it. Turner opens the door and when the postman is getting Turner to sign the receipt, the pen doesn't work. The postman says it's the only one he has, so Turner turns to get a pen but first notices the footware the postman is wearing - not standard issue shoes. At that point Turner grabs a hot pot of coffee from the stove, turns and throws it in the postman's face just the postman has pulled an automatic gun with silencer out of his mail pouch and begins shooting. The rounds miss Turner and a fight ensues. Turner was able to disarm the postman and after physical exchanges, able to reach his .45 caliber pistol and shoots dead the postman. After searching the postman, Turner doesn't find any identification but does find a key and a piece of paper with a phone number on it: "Five Continents Imports." He calls the number and eventually finds it gets him to the CIA HQ - Wick's office.
After going to a locksmith to help him identify where and who the key belongs to (lock manufacturers code engraved on the edge of the key), he's able to locate the Holiday Inn and room where Joubert is located. Turner then contacts Higgins at New York Center and tells him about the postman with the automatic gun and Joubert. He then solicits Hale's help to go to the CIA office at the World Trade Center and pose as someone trying to get a job there, where she purposely goes down a hallway that isn't marked for visitors. She's able to indentify Higgins by the sign on his office door and see him. After this, she waits by the elevators on the first floor until she sees Higgins; Turner is nearby, watching. She identifies Higgins, then follow him to a lunchtime cafe, sets him up to be abducted by Condor, later to have an outdoor conference to discuss a secret group of CIA operatives, within the CIA.
It is later found out by Higgins, while checking the files of Wick's, that the postman that Turner shot in Hale's apartment was an active duty Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant on special assignment to the CIA for a number of operations. Turner eventually discovers that Joubert was hired by the secret cabal to eliminate all the people in the New York office because Turner's report indicated they'd stumbled onto one of their contingency plans to invade the
Middle East in the event of an
oil crisis.
He tracks down the mastermind to his home and takes him captive. However, Joubert arrives soon afterwards. Surprisingly, he kills his former employer, because the
contract has changed; he now works for the CIA. He befriends Turner, to the extent this is possible, and advises that Turner, for his own safety, settle in Europe. Turner declines, saying he was born in the United States and that he misses it when he's gone too long. Jourbert remarks that this is a pity. Turner adds, he doesn't regard it as one. When Turner asks Joubert why he kills for a living, Joubert contradicts Turner's assumption that such a life would be unbearable by inferring that it's peaceful and that there are no sides to follow but rather "...the belief is in your own precision." Before they part, Joubert warns him that he's still a target and tells him how he'll likely be set up for his own assassination.
Turner goes back to New York and encounters Higgins on a busy street. When Higgins offers him a ride, Turner recognizes Joubert's scenario and turns him down. Higgins defends the oil-fields plan and Turner castigates his inhumane worldview. Higgins tells Turner that eventually that'll catch up to him. Turner says he's told the press "a story" (they are standing outside
The New York Times office), but Higgins says, "How do you know they'll print it?" Turner answers, "They'll print it," and starts to walk away into the crowd. "You can take a walk, but how far if they don't print it?" Higgins says. When Turner repeats "They'll print it," he glances back for a while before continuing walking.
Cast
Critical reception
When first released, the film was reviewed positively by critic
Vincent Canby, who wrote, "Yet in Sydney Pollack's Three Days of the
Condor, Turner, whose code name is Condor, comes close to wreaking more havoc on the C.I.A. in three days than any number of House and Senate investigating committees have done in years...As a serious
exposé of misdeeds within the C.I.A. the film is no match for stories that have appeared in your local newspaper. Indeed, one has to pay careful attention to figure out just what it's that who is doing to whom in
Three Days of the Condor and, if I understood it correctly, it's never as horrifying as the real thing...The suspense of the film depends less on this kind of plausibility than on Mr. Redford's reputation (in a movie we accept the fact that he can do anything) and on the verve with which Mr. Pollack, the director, sets everything up. It also benefits from the presence of good actors, including Faye Dunaway (as the woman who befriends the fleeing Turner), Cliff Robertson, Max Von Sydow, and John Houseman..."
Awards
Wins
Cartagena Film Festival: 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: 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: Golden Reel Award; Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects; 1976.
Nominations
Academy Awards: Oscar; Best Film Editing, Fredric Steinkamp and Don Guidice; 1976.
Cartagena Film Festival: Golden India Catalina; Best Film, Sydney Pollack; 1976.
Golden Globes: Golden Globe; Best Motion Picture Actress - Drama, Faye Dunaway; 1976.
Grammy Awards: Grammy; Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special, Dave Grusin; 1977.Further Information
Get more info on 'Three Days Of The Condor'.
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