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Three Days of the Condor (1975)

A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.

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Writers:

(novel), (screenplay) | 1 more credit »
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Popularity
3,815 ( 202)

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
G. Joubert (as Max Von Sydow)
...
...
Walter McGinn ...
...
Michael Kane ...
Don McHenry ...
Michael B. Miller ...
Fowler (as Michael Miller)
Jess Osuna ...
The Major
Dino Narizzano ...
Harold
Helen Stenborg ...
Mrs. Edwina Russell (as Helen Stenbure)
...
Martin
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Storyline

A mild mannered CIA researcher, paid to read books, returns from lunch to find all of his co-workers assassinated. "Condor" must find out who did this and get in from the cold before the hitmen get him. Written by Mike CO <mileco@netcom.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The CIA knows him as Condor. What he knows about them has just made him an Endangered Species. See more »

Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

|

Release Date:

24 September 1975 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

3 Days of the Condor  »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Upper East Side Manhattan organisation which served as a front for the CIA was the "The American Literary Historical Society" - abbreviated as ALHS See more »

Goofs

As Condor opens the desk drawer of the dead receptionist to grab the gun, the .45 automatic moves too quickly when barely tapped by his fingers to be an actual gun made of normal wood and metal, revealing it as a balsa-wood prop. See more »

Quotes

Joe Turner: This is no damned book! Somebody or something is rotten in the Company!
Higgins: You never complained 'til yesterday.
Joe Turner: You didn't start killing my friends until yesterday!
See more »


Soundtracks

I've Got You Where I Want You
(uncredited)
Music by Dave Grusin
Lyrics by Tom Bähler
Performed by James Gilstrap
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

One of Redford's Best, a 70s Suspense Classic!
9 February 2004 | by (Las Vegas, Nevada) – See all my reviews

A cold, rainy day in New York City...a small, cramped office building where a friendly, diverse group of CIA administrative types do research...one employee, a young 'reader' (Robert Redford), is assigned to pick up sandwiches, and takes a short cut through back alleys to a local deli...a van pulls up in front of the building, a group of disguised, armed assassins disembark, enter...and brutally kill every person in the building, leaving just before the 'reader' returns, to face the carnage...

With this visually gripping sequence, the stage is set for one of the best suspense films of the 1970s, Sydney Pollack's classic THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR. In a novel twist of the Hitchcock 'Man Who Knew Too Much' theme, Redford's 'Joseph Turner' (code name 'Condor'), whose employment consists of reading novels and publications for any reference to the CIA, develops an 'imaginary' scenario of an agency 'inside' the agency, working independently, which his boss forwards to Washington for review. Unfortunately, the scenario is true, and Turner and his co-workers must be eliminated, to keep the secret intact. By sheer luck, Turner survives the 'hit', and the bookish 'admin type' must now run for his life, utilizing survival skills he didn't know he possessed, while trying to discover the reason for his 'death sentence'...

The tension never lets up in this grim, exciting tale, as Turner discovers he can trust no one, and barely survives assassination attempts, again and again. Forced to kidnap a young woman (Faye Dunaway, more vulnerable than usual) to aid him, it takes a death attempt to convince her to believe him, but Turner refuses to allow her to continue to risk her life protecting him, so, ultimately, it becomes a 'David and Goliath' struggle between Turner and the 'outlaw' CIA and it's hired assassins.

Featuring Max von Sydow as a sophisticated 'hit man', John Houseman as a mysterious CIA senior official, and Cliff Robertson as an agent with an agenda, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR influenced a generation of similar-themed thrillers, including Mel Gibson's CONSPIRACY THEORY, and Will Smith's ENEMY OF THE STATE.

The Robert Redford film is the best of the crop, by far!


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