The Conversation sees an almost young Gene Hackman play Harry Caul, an unlikable, neurotic surveillance technician whose paranoid tendencies and religious beliefs eventually overpower him as his work contributes to the death of a seemingly innocent cheated husband, played by Robert Duvall.
I seem to have a problem with old, or old-ish films. Judging from the high ranking in the IMDb top 250, the cast, the director, and even the action movie-esquire front cover, I was tricked into believing that I would be watching an entertaining and maybe even an exciting film. Unfortunately, I wasn't.
The Conversation appears to be widely regarded as a "psychological thriller" that demands your full attention, and judging from some reviews, a second viewing to pick up everything and understand what's going on, but if you're honest, that just means that it is dull and uneventful the first time round. You switch it on, and you're not entirely sure what's going on, and two hours later, when you switch it off, you're even more confused. While this is a formula that often works (David Lynch), and deals with an interesting moral dilemma, I find that in this case it falls down. I don't want to watch it again, ever, and I think it's because of the characters.
While Hackman puts in a very good if somewhat understated performance, his character is so boring that I found I didn't care at the end as he is outsmarted and eventually falls apart. At least Harrison Ford, who isn't really in it for long and is on the opposite team, has a sort of energy to him, a brief injection of life into an otherwise flat film.
Interesting but not entertaining. But I did like that little piano bit.
I seem to have a problem with old, or old-ish films. Judging from the high ranking in the IMDb top 250, the cast, the director, and even the action movie-esquire front cover, I was tricked into believing that I would be watching an entertaining and maybe even an exciting film. Unfortunately, I wasn't.
The Conversation appears to be widely regarded as a "psychological thriller" that demands your full attention, and judging from some reviews, a second viewing to pick up everything and understand what's going on, but if you're honest, that just means that it is dull and uneventful the first time round. You switch it on, and you're not entirely sure what's going on, and two hours later, when you switch it off, you're even more confused. While this is a formula that often works (David Lynch), and deals with an interesting moral dilemma, I find that in this case it falls down. I don't want to watch it again, ever, and I think it's because of the characters.
While Hackman puts in a very good if somewhat understated performance, his character is so boring that I found I didn't care at the end as he is outsmarted and eventually falls apart. At least Harrison Ford, who isn't really in it for long and is on the opposite team, has a sort of energy to him, a brief injection of life into an otherwise flat film.
Interesting but not entertaining. But I did like that little piano bit.