Marathon Man holds up tremendously as the perfect embodiment of a 70s paranoid thriller. The tension building is what has not aged it. And putting Hoffman in the middle as the innocent and unaware protagonist instantly puts you in his shoes. It takes a while to get those wheels in motion but it's filled with memorable constricting set pieces. Credit where credit is due: What makes the movie sing is the combo of iconic cinematographer Conrad L. Hall, editor Jim Clark, composer Michael Small and classy direction by John Schlesinger. A William Goldman script doesn't hurt it either. Put an A-list cast in the middle and its impossible to fail.

As always, it's Olivier who just blows everyone out of the water.

Nazis, stolen diamonds, extreme dental trauma; what's not to like? Marathon Man is an enthralling thriller that moves closer to a fast walk than marathon speed, but the performances by Hoffman, Scheider, and Olivier make up for any of the pacing issues I had with the movie. The make-up job they did on Hoffman's teeth for the last act made me feel physically ill. Very solid film.

Also, if they ever make a time machine, my first stop is mid-70s NYC. In all the great movies filmed there around that time, it never fails to be a character unto itself, often overshadowing some of the lesser actors onscreen.

A superbly taut thriller that draws you in with brilliantly suspenseful narrative, before delivering an intense final act brimming with violence. William Goldman's script is magnificently written and brilliantly captured by John Schlesinger and aptly performed by the talented cast. But what stands out most within this film is the soundtrack; high-pitched flourishes pierce the narrative throughout. I love a film that tests the limits of my speakers.

- "Is it great?... Is it great?"
- "Is what great?"
- "Is it great?"
- "I don't know what you mean. I can't tell you something's great or not, unless I know specifically what you're talking about."
- "Is it great?"
- "Tell me what the "it" refers to."
- "Is it great?"
- "Yes, it's great, it's very great, it's so great you wouldn't believe it."

'Marathon Man' is - indeed - great, though perhaps not entirely safe if you have an upcoming appointment with your dentist.

First class thriller.

Una mescla de Noir clàssic i, perquè no, també d'Hergé.

Από τα καλύτερα θρίλερ που έχουν γυριστεί ποτέ. Φοβερή αποπνικτική ατμόσφαιρα Νέας Υόρκης, ο Dustin Hoffman σε ένα από τους καλύτερους ρόλους της καριέρας του , πολύ ωραίο σενάριο που εμπλέκει ναζί γιατρούς , διαμάντια και CIA . Αγωνία από την αρχή μέχρι το τέλος και μια σκηνή βασανισμού που θα κάνω καιρό να ξεχάσω. Εδώ ταιριάζει απόλυτα το κλισέ "δεν γυρίζονται τέτοιες ταινίες σήμερα."

"Is it safe?"

Very rarely do I bother with DVD special features. When you enjoy a film enough, or it was great but perhaps could have done with a bit more chopping in the editing suite, I'm not exactly left with a compulsion to stare at even more stuff. Really not the case with 'Marathon Man'.

This film was so good, I feel amateurish and stupid in even trying to say something worth saying about it. Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman? How anyone can not be affected by their performances is incomprehensible to me. When a film can decades after it's release make a modern film goer still wince and gasp, it's got to be something special. I'm not even going to bother writing anything else, it speaks for itself

Ah, the 1970s—when New York was a rat cage, people were hairy and paranoid, the sky was brown, and directors proudly made slow, disjointed, not-even-close-to-pandering movies. This is one of those: an action thriller that constantly trades high-stakes punches and fuzzy/artsy shots. It's not a perfect movie (the editing is slapdash here and there, the story could be a bit tighter) but it's a very solid ride.

Soberbia. Una de las mejores películas de conspiraciones que he visto nunca.

I really wish I didn't go the dentist so soon after watching this.

I love a good paranoid 70's thriller. This movie is chock full of memorable scenes and performances. Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, and Laurence Olivier are all fantastic. The movie starts off slow but once it gets the infamous "is it safe?" scene the film is gripping to the climax.

Un thiller trepidante de los que ya no se hacen, preocupado por regalarnos algunas escenas memorables de acción ingeniosa e icónica.