MovieChat Forums > Marathon Man (1976) Discussion > Best Spy Movie

Best Spy Movie

posted 9 years ago by gavbrown01
7 replies | jump to latest

This movie scared the crap out of me when I first saw it in the 70s and it's still good. Great scary scenes (the soccer ball, the attempted France strangling, the bathtub), lots of "who's the real villain" intrigue, great performances by Hoffman, Scheider, Olivier, Devane, Keller, plus the scariest line ever delivered in a movie: "Is it safe?" Still holds up 40 years later. Oh, and great "sense of dread" music!

~Someone said something

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] gavbrown01 9 years ago

Hardly a worthwhile response. Details, please

~Someone said something

[–] Degree7 9 years ago

Three Days of the Condor is damn good too.
And let's not forget From Russia With Love.
Maybe Hitchcock's Notorious.

~ I'm a 21st century man and I don't wanna be here.

[–] a_l_i_e_n 9 years ago

Oh, and great "sense of dread" music!

That's for sure. Check out both "Klute" and "Audrey Rose" to see what an awesome range of ability Michael Small commanded as a composer.

[–] Errington_92 9 years ago

Great scary scenes (the soccer ball, the attempted France strangling, the bathtub), lots of "who's the real villain" intrigue

There is a great amount of tension built up both in terms of direction and characterisation. It made for a intense viewing experience.

I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.

[–] brianwhite5 9 years ago

The original '39 steps' with Robert Donat was the best spy movie for me. 'The Third Man' was good but a bit too stylised for me.

[–] jajceboy 9 years ago

It was a very intense and paranoid movie. One of the best spy movies I have seen and it hasn't aged at all despite being released 40 years ago.