Laurence Olivier
in 'Marathon Man'“Marathon Man” (1977)

MPAA Rating: R
Directed by: John Schlesinger
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, Marthe Keller

The Gist: A spy thriller that sends tingles up your spine — and teeth.

The Story: In 1970’s New York, an elderly German immigrant is killed in a brutal road rage encounter. In Paris, an American operative is slain at the opera. Back in the U.S., Tom Levy (Hoffman) is a graduate student who will unwillingly discover the connection between these disparate murders. But first, Tom will see his older brother (Scheider) bleed to death, fall in love with a Swiss double agent (Keller), and suffer the wrath of a sadistic Nazi dentist (Olivier). Before his ordeal is through, the formerly mild-mannered Tom will try to force feed an old man a suitcase full of diamonds at gunpoint. As far as getting his history thesis finished on time, fuhgeddaboutit. Tom’s having a bad week all around.

The Review: Paramount Pictures was the home of the paranoid thriller in the ’70s. “Marathon Man” is one several nail-biters overseen by producer Robert Evans. It starred Hoffman in the kind of role he had been perfecting for a decade: the harried underdog. Among the film’s many charms is the way Hoffman, a method actor, spars with Olivier, an old-school stage acting legend. Another delight is the way “Marathon Man” really makes you work at fitting together its puzzle pieces. The relationships between three disparate story threads are not explained for a good hour into the story. By the time the plot comes into focus, the truth is flat-out horrifying. Olivier, who oozes quiet menace, won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor.

The Classic Quote: Szell (Olivier): “Thus far, I find you rather repulsive. May I say that without hurting your feelings?”

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)