Three Days of the Condor

I first saw this film back in 1976. The next time was in 2002. Both viewings had me captivated from start to finish even though, second time around, there were parts which I remembered from the first time. Robert Redford ("Condor") works for the CIA as a reader/researcher. His job, along with others, is look for new ideas or plots published in books or journals around the world in all languages. He turns up a well authored scheme in a journal printed in a variety of strange languages and reports to his superiors. Unfortunately, someone doesn't agree with his report and his colleagues turn up dead when he returns from lunch one day. Whoever is behind these killings hasn't finished yet as "Condor" was on the hit-list. The hide and seek game begins with "Condor" trying to stay one step ahead of his assassins. He resorts to kidnapping a beautiful woman (Faye Dunaway) who, possibly through the Stockholm Syndrome, eventually becomes his ally. The film has an unpredictable ending for all involved. There are many stories about the cloak and dagger world of the intelligence communities but few have a storyline which is believable. This is one of those few and it is as relevant today as it was back in '75. If you like films which depict the sinister and dark side of the CIA and provide plenty of suspense with the obligatory victimized female, this is the film for you. I guess the modern day version of this film is Borne Identity. What Robert Redford pulled off over 30 years ago, Matt Damon is doing today.