Marathon Man (1976)
 Director
John Schlesinger's super-charged thriller is about Babe Babington,
a Jewish Columbia University graduate student who, for reasons he
cannot understand (his brother was a secret agent), is pursued and
tormented by a surviving Nazi (Olivier) who is also a former
dentist.
In fact, Olivier tortures Hoffman in two ways;
a) by performing unnecessary cavity work, and b) by being a
better actor than him. "Is it safe?" No, it bloody
isn't!
The film is paradoxical - At times generating a tension that is
nearly unbearable and then providing moments of intense
excitement.
It's crammed with brutal killings, bone-chilling torture, and
triple crosses. Yet it's all wrapped in a murky and confusing plot
that hardly makes much sense.
 Still,
the final showdown where Hoffman forces the old man to eat his
diamonds before shooting him dead is a blinder!
The screenplay was written by William Goldman from his own
novel, and Hoffman, Olivier, and the rest of the cast are in fine
form.
Just one thing . . . Babington could have solved all of his
problems in a second. Phone the police, Dustin!
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