If you like that, try this! A movie recommendation thread (1 Viewer)

[Neil Middlemiss]

I think The Game is a profoundly good movie. One of those personal faves that was horribly misunderstood by audiences and a lot of critics, then shrugged off. You have to let it take you where it's going and... and just let go. I also have real affection for this type of "Who am I?" movie.

Exactly this!

 

[Johnny Angell]

Here is my movie submission seeking a recommendation: Three Days of the Condor. My wife and I both like it for the thrills and chills that don’t scare the bejeezus out of us. Redford, Dunaway, and Max (forget how to spell his last name) at the top of their game. Is there a another to measure up to it?

BTW, bejeezus passes the spell check without objection. I didn’t know it was a word.

 

[JohnRice]

Here is my movie submission seeking a recommendation: Three Days of the Condor. My wife and I both like it for the thrills and chills that don’t scare the bejeezus out of us. Redford, Dunaway, and Max (forget how to spell his last name) at the top of their game. Is there a another to measure up to it?

BTW, bejeezus passes the spell check without objection. I didn’t know it was a word.

Give The International (2009) a try.

Also, The Pelican Brief.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Give The International (2009) a try.

Also, The Pelican Brief.

The International has Naomi Watts which is a big plus. I found the Pelican Brief to be meh.

 

[JohnRice]

The International has Naomi Watts which is a big plus. I found the Pelican Brief to be meh.

The Pelican Brief was fine for a star machine, but The International is (in my opinion) one of the best thrillers of the last 10 years. I'm a big fan of Tom Tykwer's movies.

 

[Walter Kittel]

The International and The Game are both quite good. (Catching up on the thread, a bit. ) It has been some time since I've seen either film, but I remember really liking the cinematography (for different reasons) in both films. In The Game, I remember thinking the faux home movies was a nice technique to introduce the film. Pretty much like everything that Fincher has done, my exposure to Tykwer is a bit more limited.

As far as films like Three Days of the Condor - while it isn't a match in terms of some story elements; for '70s paranoia you can't go wrong with Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation from 1974, starring Gene Hackman. Another one that comes to mind is 1981's Blow Out from Brian DePalma, starring John Travolta and Nancy Allen (which might be a closer fit to Condor in some respects.)

- Walter.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Here is my movie submission seeking a recommendation: Three Days of the Condor. My wife and I both like it for the thrills and chills that don’t scare the bejeezus out of us. Redford, Dunaway, and Max (forget how to spell his last name) at the top of their game. Is there a another to measure up to it?

BTW, bejeezus passes the spell check without objection. I didn’t know it was a word.

A very tough act to follow, but I'd recommend any of these:

Marathon Man (1976)
Day of the Jackal (1973)
The Parallax View (1974)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
The Drowning Pool (1975)
Telefon (1977)
Charley Varrick (1973)
The Outfit (1973)
Charade (1963)
F/X (1986)

 

[Walter Kittel]

Re: Peter's list - Seen all of those except The Outfit, which to be honest I had never heard of before.

I just viewed the film's IMDB entry and definitely sounds like my cup of tea. Those types of films really satisfy my '70s nostalgia. (Jeez, I am so old. )

- Walter.

 

[JohnRice]

In The Game, I remember thinking the faux home movies was a nice technique to introduce the film. Pretty much like everything that Fincher has done, my exposure to Tykwer is a bit more limited.

Both directors put a lot of effort into their visuals. Tykwer often has a covert dystopia in his movies. Sort of an attitude that the modern world is some type of hell. Think a less psychotic Lars von Trier. This is somewhat in Run Lola Run, but moreso in The Princes and the Warrior, Heaven and The International. The hellish undercurrent is something he and Fincher share.

 

[Tommy R]

I’ll vouch for The International! I’m ashamed to say I only saw it once when it was in cinemas, but now I’m feeling I should buy it and give it another watch. VERY good flick! From what I remember anyways.

 

[benbess]

....Another one that comes to mind is 1981's Blow Out from Brian DePalma, starring John Travolta and Nancy Allen (which might be a closer fit to Condor in some respects.)

- Walter.

It's grim and very R-rated (for nudity, violence, etc.), but I second the vote for Blow Out. Seeing it in the theater in 1981 was a powerful experience for me that I haven't forgotten. The Criterion release is very good.

 

[Johnny Angell]

The International and The Game are both quite good. (Catching up on the thread, a bit. ) It has been some time since I've seen either film, but I remember really liking the cinematography (for different reasons) in both films. In The Game, I remember thinking the faux home movies was a nice technique to introduce the film. Pretty much like everything that Fincher has done, my exposure to Tykwer is a bit more limited.

As far as films like Three Days of the Condor - while it isn't a match in terms of some story elements; for '70s paranoia you can't go wrong with Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation from 1974, starring Gene Hackman. Another one that comes to mind is 1981's Blow Out from Brian DePalma, starring John Travolta and Nancy Allen (which might be a closer fit to Condor in some respects.)

- Walter.

I know The Conversation is considered a classic, but it holds little appeal for me. Blow Out, I should revisit, because I haven’t seen it this century.

A very tough act to follow, but I'd recommend any of these:

Marathon Man (1976)
Day of the Jackal (1973)
The Parallax View (1974)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
The Drowning Pool (1975)
Telefon (1977)
Charley Varrick (1973)
The Outfit (1973)
Charade (1963)
F/X (1986)

I just watched Day of the Jackal, a good film, but much different from Condor. Charade, which I love, is the closest to Condor so far.

 

[benbess]

For a based-on-real-life intelligence agency thriller, you might consider Oliver Stone's Snowden. It's available for "free" watching on Amazon Prime. And unlike with JFK (which I don't like), Stone sticks very close to real things and real history with Snowden. The Peter Weir movie The Year of Living Dangerously has a spy, although it's mainly about journalists, but in any case it's one of my favorite movies of all time.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Here is my movie submission seeking a recommendation: Three Days of the Condor.

Great film and now we are in an area where I can actually find my way around. So, Peter above gave you a nice list of thrillers of the same sort of vintage. All good films.

When I think of Condor the thing about it to me is it is a beautiful mix of spy thriller with a nice romance stirred into the pot.

Here's one I would recommend that has both the spy thing going on, plus the romance, and lots of beautiful locations as the characters seem to hop around the globe a bit:

Hopscotch (1980)- Stars Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson in a story similar to Condor in that Matthau ends up in a situation where he has to elude the people he was working for, the CIA, while he has information that could embarrass them he wants to publish. Jackson provides his romantic interest that is willing to assist him on his journey. Probably has some moments of comedy that don't exist in Condor but still, I think it would hit that Condor sweet spot...and it is a really good film. Part of the Criterion Collection to boot.

This one provides Redford around the same vintage in a thriller/heist film with some laughs but could be fun for fans of Condor:

The Hot Rock (1972) - Redford is released from jail and lured by his loopy friends into immediately planning a new heist. Not a spy film and not much romance but does have Redford and that 70s vibe. Available from Twilight Time.

Then these two seemed to want to play off the idea that Redford was in Condor:

Sneakers (1992)- This film features a great ensemble cast that makes it fun to watch. Redford leads a team of security experts that ends up involved with someone from his past that turns out to be quite dangerous. Again, not really a match for what Condor is and lacking the romance, but a solid film with danger that should not turn your hair white.

Spy Game (2001)- I have to admit I have always found this film pretty mediocre but Redford is good in it and seems to be meant to look, and sort of act, like his character from Condor. Once again they drop the romance, Redford plays the mentor to Brad Pitt's younger spy who finds himself in a nasty foreign jail...Redford wants to get him out, his bosses want to disavow any knowledge of his existence. This was the second film in a row where Tony Scott decided to try to reuse a character from a 1970s thriller by bringing back an actor to play him that played a very similar character in a great 70s thriller. He had done the same thing with Enemy of the State where he brought Hackman in to play what seemed to be his character from The Conversation.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Oh and when talking Three Days of the Condor, it would be a mistake not to mention:

Out of Sight (1998)- This really is a tribute to Condor made by fellow Condor fan Steven Soderbergh. Yes, it is not a spy film but basically what he does here is take everything that makes Condor great and recreate it in a different story and masterfully puts all those elements to work. You have the unusual romance, this time Clooney and Jennifer Lopez, the guy on the run and in danger, and the people out to do him harm who seem to greatly outnumber and out gun him. And we even get Clooney's character mentioning Three Days of the Condor in the film. This was obviously made by a guy that loves Condor with the idea that he wanted to see a film that contained all those elements that made him love it.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, I'll throw out two more, one a film I love and the other an enter at your own risk sort of deal but definitely deserves a mention when discussing Three Days of the Condor.

First, the one I recommend:

The Quiller Memorandum (1966)- Now I have to admit I love this film. It features a really cool and interesting script written by none other than Harold Pinter. It's an unusual spy film as George Segal's (his second appearance on my list as he is also in The Hot Rock) spy absolutely refuses to carry a gun and his idea of spying is to put himself right out in the open in harm's way with the people he is spying on. Literally to walk right up to them and say hello. So, he is an odd spy with an odd approach. This film also features an all too brief appearance by Alec Guinness who is flat out awesome in the moments he is on screen. There is also a bit of romance here with Senta Berger looking beautiful as a German school teacher. So, this is probably a good match in terms of spy thriller with a little romance. The film is probably a bit more twisty turny than Condor and you will likely wonder at times what characters are up to because Pinter has them talking around things rather than directly at them...plus on first watch Segal's spy probably seems like he has lost it or has a death wish. But as a fan of Condor I can say I am also a huge fan of this film. Beautifully shot on location in Germany too. If you want a bit more of a thinking man's spy film this is a good one. Oh, and also Max von Sydow is in this one and is quite good as always.

Now, this next film I can't say I recommend but it should be mentioned because it was Sydney Pollack's attempt to return to Three Days of the Condor territory:

The Interpreter (2005)- So, here I do believe what Pollack wanted to do was to take two big stars and tell a Condor-like story. Problem for me was...well...this all just falls flat. In Condor Redford and Dunaway have obvious chemistry. In this film Penn and Kidman have none. Whereas the script for Condor keeps you walking a tightrope always understanding the danger the characters are in, The Interpreter is just a muddle. It is certainly the same type of film as Condor and made by the same director and he tries to repeat the success of Condor...for me it just does not happen. If you want to try something from Sydney Pollack where he tries to get in the Condor mode this is the film...if you are like me though it is likely just to remind you how right he got it with Condor.

 

[Matt Hough]

I'd recommend No Way Out (the one with Kevin Costner) for a kind of similar feel to Three Days of the Condor.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I'd recommend No Way Out (the one with Kevin Costner) for a kind of similar feel to Three Days of the Condor.

That is an excellent movie. Gene Hackman does make a slimy politician.

 

[bujaki]

The Quiller Memorandum is now available in a stunning Twilight Time edition. Great Harold Pinter script!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, the first couple rounds of this seemed to have gone quite well. Lots of recommendations from erudite movie fans.

So, I'll throw out another one in an area where I don't have much expertise...

What would be some good films to check out if I enjoyed Enter the Dragon, the Bruce Lee opus?

Honestly, I only recently watched this after years of ignoring it and while, as I understand it, this is a very unique entry in this genre, I know these were popular films.

Anybody with more knowledge of this type of picture have recommendations of other films that might be worth investigating?