Marathon Man (1976)

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Directed by John Schlesinger.

Starring William Devane, Marthe Keller, Roy Scheider, Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier.

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Doc Levy (Roy Scheider) is an American secret agent who has been running interference between the U.S. government and escaped Nazi war criminal Szell (Laurence Olivier). Believing that Doc has stolen a valuable cache of gems, Szell emerges from his South American hiding place and heads for New York. He has Doc killed, then kidnaps Doc's in-the-dark brother, Babe (Dustin Hoffman). Repeating the phrase "Is it safe?" over and over, Szell, a onetime concentration camp dentist, tries to extract information from Babe by performing sadistic "oral surgery" upon him. Babe, who still doesn't know about the gems, escapes, breaking his own self-imposed rule of nonviolence to defend himself against his pursuers and gearing up for sadistic revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

RESERVOIR *STRAW* DOGS
by Cammmalot in Filmgaming

hasn't rated it.

"As much as I love this movie it's fascinating to ponder what would have happened if the script had fallen into Sam Peckinpah's lap circa '69-'74 Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) Kris has enough of that fatherly/mentor vibe to have pulled this off. I would love to hear his version of the let's go get a taco speech. The Getaway (1972) Junior Bonner (1972) Now this would have been something to see. I think this would have been a cross between Bullit & Junior Bonner. How would he have done the commode story? Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973) This would have been fantastic. "Are you gonna bark all day little doggie...or are you gonna bite." The Wild Bunch (1969) Of all the Peckinpah ensemble this one's the no brainer. Right out of the wild bunch and into the wearhouse. He just grabbed the diamonds and split!? I'm right about that, that's your story? The Wild Bunch (1969) Okay, this one's a different vibe. Holden would still explore all the angles but in a muc ... " [More]

Dr. Death: The Movie
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"As real-life Nazi war criminal Aribert Heim–aka Dr. Death, who allegedly kept relics from his human experiments in his office!–is being “chased” through Chile (as much as you can chase a 94 year old), I’m sure Tom Cruise or Jerry Bruckheimer are watching CNN right now while furiously thumb-typing their lawyers on Blackberries to option the story. But I couldn’t help reminisce about what could be argued as the genesis of torture porn, Marathon Man (1976). Dustin Hoffman plays marathon runner Babe who, like Cary Grant in North by Northwest, unknowingly has a connection that is too close for comfort with a Nazi war criminal known as–prepare to wince–The Dentist, played by Lawrence Olivier. Of course, Babe has some chronic dental problems that the Nazi dentist exploits in the anus-clenching torture scene. And Babe’s long endurance skills are important to him shedding his pacifist self in the movie’s climax. But this was action before action movies became formulaic, and it has a healthy ... " [More]

Dr. Death: The Movie
by paul in paul on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

In Memorium...
by Dr_Gor in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"I was saddened and shocked (!) to learn of the death of one of my FAVORITE actors of ALL time! I was even MORE shocked to learn that Roy Scheider was 75 when he died (!!!) ... (Oh My God.... has it really been that long!!!) ... When JAWS was released in the summer of '75 or '76... I can't remember which, and I was either 14 or 15, I went to the 'state of the art' giant screen theater on the other end of town... (using 'public transportation'...) ... To make a long story short, I have seen 'JAWS' 14 times in a row.... over 14 consecutive weekends! In the same giant-screen theater! Trust me, folks, For ME, that is a record... having PAID to see JAWS , in the theater, 14 times.... But I am not the only one to hold this record! My stupid cousin 'Ricky' did the same thing with me (!!!) .... Obviously, 'Chief Brody' stole the show in that one! And that was no easy task working against 'super-heavyweig ... " [More]

A "Safe" Bet!
by JakeStevens in JakeStevens Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Not a bad little thriller by John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy). It's a tad dated (it came out in 1976), but Dustin Hoffman & Laurence Olivier do good jobs in their respective roles. I thought Roy Scheider would have a larger role since he is third billed, but his hotel room scene was great. The "Is it safe" scene is a classic, although I personally would have liked to see even more tension, as the scene right before it had me rapt. I definitely need to see some older Hoffman films as I've watched The Graduate & Midnight Cowboy in recent months. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

Marathon Man is probably best remembered for the scene in which the evil Laurence Olivier tortures a sweaty, helpless Dustin Hoffman by way of dental surgery. The movie was director John Schlesinger's take on two popular mid-'70s genres: it was a paranoid spy film, like Three Days of the Condor or The Parallax View, and a Nazi-on-the-loose film like The Odessa File. Written by William Goldman, the material is somewhat preposterous, but Schlesinger fills the movie with moments of tense intrigue and suspense. Olivier was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and Hoffman appeared in another classic paranoia film, All the President's Men, that same year. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide

Tags: pain , toothache , evildentist , is-it-safe , the-wrong-man
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