Robert Redford in Three Days of the Condor.

Some of the best thrillers are the ones that are at least plausible. When the threat is real and you can picture yourself in the same situation as the hero and wonder how you would react under the same circumstances, it definitely makes it easier to relate to compared to something like James Bond. Three Days of the Condor is definitely that type of film.  It's a solid, if somewhat dated, spy film that is elevated thanks to director Sydney Pollack and its talented cast, lead by Robert Redford.

Redford plays Joseph Turner, an employee of the CIA, but only as an analyst. He works in an office in New York City where he and others read and analyze (with the help of computers) anything and everything published in the world. They look for patterns, codes and ideas that might be hidden in books, magazines or newspapers.

One day, when Turner returns to the office after collecting lunch, he discovers that everyone in the building has been murdered. Scared and confused, he runs to a phone box and calls into the office with his code name of Condor. When he's told to meet another agent in an alley though, he's shot at and barely escapes with his life. Now he doesn't know who to trust or who it is that killed his fellow readers. Was it an external or internal hit and who'd want them all killed anyway? And most importantly, can he find out and save himself before it's too late?

What keeps the story so compelling is that Turner is an academic and not an agent. He's in way over his head and is struggling just to stay alive. Redford looks more like a young professor, the one all his female students have a crush on, than he does a killer. He does have some training and he learns fast, but you're never sure he's going to be able to pull it all off.

A young and beautiful Faye Dunaway is thrown into the mix as a woman Turner kidnaps at gun point. He forces her to take him to her apartment so he will have some place to spend the night where no one will suspect. Although it's hinted that she's a lonely and possibly depressed girl with self-esteem issues, the fact that she falls so quickly in love with Turner, is probably the plot's weakest point. As their sex scene is easily the most dated of scenes in the manner with which it is filmed. And the resolution of their relationship is abrupt and unsatisfying.

Max Von Sydow fares much better as the hired assassin who is sent to kill Turner. He's a cold fish who does his job without feeling, merely offering his services to the highest bidder. It's all strictly business to him, although eventually he finds himself gaining some respect for his target as Turner manages to stay alive far longer than anyone thought he would.

Good use is made of several locations in New York City and you get a feel for the gritty 1970s city. Several scenes are set in the then newly finished World Trade Center. The authentic locations definitely help with atmosphere and the sense of realism in the story.

My only real complaint is the ending. It's left open ended and with room for a sequel, which was never made of course. The story does end, but I wanted to know what was going to happen next, which is a good sign, I suppose, but not very helpful.

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