“Is it safe?”-Dr. Szell
-Directed by: John Schlesinger
-Written by: William Goldman (adapted from his novel)
-Director of Photography: Conrad L. Hall
-Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, Laurence Olivier, William Devane and Marthe Keller
-Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK26KtN99R4&feature=related
Ah yes, the 70’s. How I love that decade. Somehow filmmakers have never been able to replicate the perfect balance of camp (synthesizer soundtracks, oh god yes), paranoia and grit we got from 70’s thrillers. For camp, I’m talking about The Warriors and John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13. For paranoia, watch Sydney Pollack’s excellent Three Days of the Condor and one of my favorite films, Coppola’s The Conversation, and tell me you don’t distrust the government a little more once the credits roll. Whether it was the ‘Nam and Watergate disillusionment, the rogue filmmaking derived from the experimental nature of that period’s lifestyle, or stricter studio control today to blame, our entertainment paid the price. Until writers and directors get a clue, Marathon Man is a worthy fix; a melting pot of all the aforementioned goodies. It’s on Netflix instant right now…
In a Nutshell
Seriously, my writing’s not THAT good. Netflix. Instant, like right now. Go to it my children. Back? You’re welcome. So, unless you readers are two-faced liars, I’m not entirely sure why I need to heighten my chance for Carpal Tunnel by churning out a plot synopsis. But I set the precedent with past reviews and I’m a slave to expectations. Right then…
The film opens with the death of a mysterious, elderly German after he collides with an oil truck during a fit of road rage with an impatient Jew on the bustling streets of Manhattan. From there, it’s crucial to note that Marathon Man’s climax (basically its entire second half) is the apex of two converging plots. One follows a covert, secret-agent type in Paris named Doc, played by Roy Scheider (Chief Brody from Jaws), who is clearly on edge as he negotiates a trade of ominous nature. Before long he is the victim of a failed car bombing (rigged to a creepy baby-doll, but then again what dolls aren’t? Those blank stares…) and failed strangling attempt (silencers for, you know, guns work too). As you might have guessed from the dual failures, Doc is a fit, alert badass. The second, parallel story is that of Doc’s brother Babe (Doc and Babe, really? Shoot the parents), played by Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie, The Graduate). He’s a history grad student at a New York university who is obsessively training for his first marathon while wooing a quiet German student (Marthe Keller). His thesis paper about government control is forcing him to confront the reality of his father’s suicide (he was labeled a communist suspect by Senator McCarthy), so Babe, like his older brother, is not having the bestest of weeks. The excrement hits the fan when Babe and his girlfriend are randomly mugged by two suits (government look about them, not hovering garments). Upon hearing the news, Doc rushes to NY, but the mastermind behind the attempts in Paris, an ex-Nazi dentist at Auschwitz named Dr. Szell aka the “the White Angel” (ruthlessly acted by Laurence Olivier), is close at his heels.
Solidness
The performances and characters carry this film. Scheider is fully convincing as a paranoid operative, Hoffman is at his best playing Babe as skittish and neurotic, and while a crazy retired Nazi who tortures with dental equipment would be welcome as a tongue-in-cheek Bond villain (in fact it looks like Jaws may have been a victim), Olivier manages to skirt the edge of this pitfall without plummeting down to the B-movie stakes at its base.
Like any solid globe-trotting espionage thriller the locations are tangible, have depth and are unique. There are scenes in lavish Paris hotels, a Jewish city block of Manhattan, a South American rainforest, a derelict warehouse, Arco Plaza in LA and a water treatment plant at the border of Central Park that would serve a steam punk climax well.
The cinematography for the thrill sequences, primarily a lengthy foot chase under, across and over a jam packed New York highway, as well as the choreography of the fight scenes are noble examples of restraint. Next to the quick cuts that editors butcher modern action films with, the steady, framed shots in Marathon Man provide the audience with a clear grasp of the landscape the characters are traversing and allow the actors time to set the tone with their expressions. It is exponentially more immersive to see the purpose and implications of a character’s movements in their world as opposed to creating cheap disorientation.
Also, gotta give a quick nod to the thumpin’ electronica soundtrack that captures and kindles the sense of tense paranoia.
LIGHT SPOILER (It’s a classic scene most buffs are undoubtedly aware of, and the horror is less a product of the concept so much as the execution, but nonetheless ye be warned. Regardless I’ll keep my accolades detail-sparse)
Last but not least, the dental torture scene and “is it safe?” interrogation(voted as the #70 movie quote by the American Film Institute). I’ve never met anyone who claimed to be a fan of dental surgeries or even check-ups for that matter, and this film is only bound to cause additional cancellations. What Jaws did for the ocean, Marathon Man does for the plaque pick. The determination and coldness in Olivier’s eyes and Hoffman’s uncanny writhing and cries of mercy and torment have a lot to do with that honor. So do the close-ups of Hoffman’s mouth and Dr. Szell’s tools, prohibiting squeamish viewers from finding a safe point on the screen to lock onto. I'll ask you again, "is it safe?!"
What Went Wrong?
I need to get one thing off my chest before I delve into the cons. It is a minor annoyance to say the least, but Dustin Hoffman is playing a grad student at the ripe age of 38. His face is young (FOR HIS AGE) and his physique is appropriately lean (he ran 4 miles a day in preparation), but it felt like a stretch and nagged at me a bit, but I’m weird so whatever.
The subplot focusing on Babe coming to terms with the trauma of discovering his father’s body as a young boy (frequent, haunting flashbacks are abound) is overemphasized and the dialogue condemning Senator McCarthy’s tactics is gratuitous.
At the forefront of the negatives, the final confrontation is the only moment the film oversteps into cheese territory and the MacGuffin reveal is not a rewarding payoff. It also feels rushed, which is grating when the two hour set-up was so methodically paced.
Bottom Line
A well-crafted, convoluted paranoia thriller that only the 70’s could have spawned. And who doesn’t want another reason to avoid dentists like the plague?
