review by Cole Bradley Pro
The Conversation 1974
Watched Jun 11, 2012
Cole Bradley’s review:
Supremely overrated. Amazing performances, and the occasional moment of pure transcendance barely make up for a needlessly slow pace and obtusity for obtusity's sake.
I agree. This was a very passive, dry experience that went on twice as long as it should have.
Coppola can nail meditative (check out 2009's TETRO for evidence of that) but conspiracy thrillers need to be taut. The major conflict in this doesn't rear its head until the 40 minute mark.
I haven't seen it in years, but I recall a distinct lack of interesting developments. In other words, not enough cool stuff happening. With this type of film, cool stuff needs to be happening all the time to keep up the mystery and suspense, and keep the viewer engaged. But that didn't happen.
Interesting developments need to happen frequently in all types of films, really. Compare and contrast this to The Godfather. Surely, the 3-hour family drama epic would move a lot slower than the sub-2-hour thriller, right? Wrong. The Godfather kicks into gear early and doesn't let up. Cool stuff piles on top of other cool stuff, and makes those 3 hours breeze by like nothing at all. And it's all because of story developments. Interesting ones.
This film, I feel, doesn't have that. It lies in stasis for too long, and without any humor to speak of or any suspense or drama to pull you along, it just feels dull.
I could be remembering it wrong, but that was my initial reaction when I first saw it. Very underwhelming.
Absolutely. The Godfather always remembers that it's a thriller. A thriller with a lot on its mind, but a thriller nonetheless. This seems bored by its own premise.
I think you're both wrong. This film isn't perfect, but when it works, it works so well that it makes up for those extra 45 minutes of unnecessary material.