Notebook Reviews: THE CONVERSATION
Francis Ford Coppola – 1974.
Written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Conversation is a wonderfully paced dramatic thriller. Gene Hackman is excellent as always the surveillance who believes that one of his subjects might be murdered as the result of his work. It’s a role that the actor would riff on 24 years later in Tony Scott’s Enemy Of The State.
Aside from Hackman, The Conversation also features John Cazale, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford, Teri Garr and Robert Duvall. Ford in particular impresses in an off-beat supporting turn – you rarely see him in a role like this.
The Conversation slowly unveils itself and you get to feel the bleak isolation of Hackman’s central character. It’s all brilliantly done and the surveillance work is fascinating to watch and listen to (the sound design is excellent).
Masterfully composed, The Conversation is one of Francis Ford Coppla’s finest films – and that’s saying something.
