2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

GazerRise Fantastic!

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

jellopuke Looks and sounds great even though it might not hold up to closer scrutiny. Having read the book first I think helped, but overall the movie moved at a decent clip and managed to stay tense so it was successful. I still don't get how people could buy Hoffman as a college student when he clearly looked 35, but I had that problem with The Graduate too, so maybe it's just me. Good movie but not an all time great or anything, just a solid twister with a great cast.

jadavix "Marathon Man" is one of the classic thrillers of the '70s, of which there were quite a few. The nation, still in shock from Watergate, had a whetted appetite for conspiracy movies - see also "The Parallax View" and, of course, "All The President's Men"."Marathon Man" is filled with classic scenes. Look out for the scene parodied in "Seinfeld" where the elderly Jewish woman recognizes the movie's Mengele-analogue, played by Lawrence Olivier in a great performance. The torture scene is still, after all this time, almost impossible to watch.It is true that the plot is fairly complicated, but I am one who thinks that the job of a thriller is to be thrilling. Any fan of the film noir flicks of the '40s knows that a labyrinthine plot can actually work in a film's favour: it allows you to feel how the main character is feeling, out of sea in a conspiracy he doesn't understand. Neither do you - that's the point.The movie makes more than enough sense anyway. You know who everyone is, what they're trying to do, and why they're trying to do it. So just strap in and enjoy this movie's copious pleasures.It is also notable for having both one of the greatest method actors (Hoffman) on screen with the greatest old-school actor (Olivier). And with a superlative filmmaker like John Schlesinger at the helm, and a screenplay by the legendary William Goldman, there was really no way for this film to miss. It didn't.

alexanderdavies-99382 "Marathon Man" is surely one of the leading thrillers of the 1970s. Its bleak, harsh and uncompromising narrative never lets up until the end of the film. I have to confess that I am not the biggest fan of Laurence Olivier. I find his acting style to be somewhat over the top and not always very subtle. His approach to his acting might have been better suited to the theatre ( Alec Guinness is easily his equal and is more comfortable with on-screen acting) Even so, Olivier is very good here as the Nazi war criminal who comes out of his hiding place from South America and who travels to New York to meet his fellow members. Dustin Hoffman has racked up another winning performance as the student who feels slightly persecuted by his late father's past. Hoffman is one of the greatest actors to appear on the scene in the 1960s. That criminally under-rated actor Roy Scheider is brilliant as the rogue government agent. He should have had more screen time. The whole film has a distinct air of menace about it as Dustin Hoffman shows natural courage and determination in spite of himself whilst fighting the secret Nazi movement that is hoping to silence him.

MartinHafer "Marathon Man" is a film that divides folks into two groups--those who think it's a neat film about a vicious Nazi living in the modern world and those who think it's so graphic and so violent that they'd rather never watch it in the first place. I learned this when I tried watching it with my wife...as after a while she just left the room because she couldn't stand the dental scene near the end. I know many folks who felt the same way as my lovely wife...and many who liked the film. My advice is NOT to watch it if you have a phobia about dentists or don't want to see some blood! It's certainly NOT an easy film to watch.The story is about a vicious Dr. Mengele-like Nazi who leaves his secure hiding place in South America to come to America in search of stolen diamonds. Along the way, there's some weird plot involving the US government and Dustin Hoffman. It's all a bit confusing but never dull--especially when an old Jewish survivor spots Szell on the streets!The film is complex and fascinating. The end you'll either love or hate...but it never is dull.