Marathon Man (1976)

Has there ever been a cooler and more random start to a film? Well, probably, but 2 old geezers ramming each others' cars on a busy street, screaming at one another until they run into a fire truck and burn... Pretty cool

A great thriller needs to be good at suspense, and this film certainly is that. It leaves little hints and drops a thought into the viewer at just the right time, to get you to the edge of your seat. A rather forgotten art, unfortunately. And to perfect those moods, the uncertainty, you need a few smart surprises. And some very good actors. 

Hoffman is naturally solid, as is Devane. Scheider is very good. Though the real treat here is Laurence Olivier. Such attention to minor detail, and so good at displaying just enough to make you sense something, without fully understanding it. A wonderful gift for an actor in a thriller. And you will struggle to find a more meticulously fiendish foe. 

There are plenty of scenes with violence, all kept uncomfortably realistic. And some just gruelling. Director Schlesinger taking his time in the build-up to make it all the worse. Generally, Schlesinger sets a slow and methodical pace. A perfect fit for Olivier, and for most of the film.

The who-fools-who is not much better than decent, but that's mostly due to the decades of mediocre thrillers that were made later. Schlesinger also takes a risk by leaving a lot a loose threads for a while. Almost too many as you fail to see any connection. But when they come, it's apparent he has a plan behind it all, to a very impressive extent. Yes. Even the 2 old, angry drivers. 

The suspense is at times absolutely riveting, and the script not at all bad. But the protagonist is much less interesting than the villain (though his final scene is very good for him), and quite obscurely involved in a story where everything else is connected. So it's not perfect. But it is good. And it was brilliant when it came, before thrillers were a dime a dozen, using and re-using all the tricks in the bag until they were worn out.

7/10