La conversación

"The Conversation" is a really great movie. I was quite surprised when I saw it. Not at how good it was, but how few people have seen it or heard of it. This is a classic suspense thriller, and a terrifying psychological horror film! From the opening credits, I, like the characters, was unsure of where I was going, or what the opening conversation (which is what the entire film is built around) might lead to. It seemed so unusually powerful, despite its masterfully simplistic execution. There is no overkill or excess in this film, nor is it under written or underplayed. It's just perfect! And I was even more surprised at how little was shown, and how much it could engross or frighten the hell out of me! My heart was racing, even though there was little action! This is the kind of film Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud to direct. The direction went to another master instead, Francis Ford Coppola. I felt ahead of the movie at its opening credits. But then, it blasted me and got miles ahead of me. It is an attack on our psyche and our fear, and it's amazing how, like the film itself, the conversation in the film that seemed so small and irrational could lead to something as big as it did!

'The Conversation' sadly doesn't get mentioned as much as Coppola's other (more flamboyant) seventies movies ('The Godfather' parts one and two, 'Apocalypse Now'), even though it as good as, if not better than the aforementioned. In fact if someone argued that this was his greatest achievement as a director, I would be hard pressed to disagree.

'The Conversation' bears many similarities to Antonioni's 'Blowup', another superb movie that requires multiple viewings to really appreciate. Both movies are very much of their time, and therefore 'The Conversation' is fuelled by the keywords of the decade it was made in - paranoia and deceit. The other main difference between the two movies it that 'The Conversation' is not only a head trip but also a taut and suspenseful thriller. Post Simpson/Bruckheimer audiences may not have the attention spans to appreciate it, but that is their failing, not this movie's.

Gene Hackman gives one of the finest performances of his career here as the complex and troubled surveillance expert Harry Caul, one that is possibly rivaled only by his too little seen gem 'Scarecrow'. And the supporting cast is first rate, and includes the late John Cazale, a favourite of Coppola's, Harrison Ford, Frederick Forrest, Cindy Williams, Teri Garr, and (an uncredited) Robert Duvall. Last but not least a superb turn from the underrated Allen Garfield, an actor who has appeared in many odd movies, from 'Get To Know Your Rabbit' to 'Destiny Turns On The Radio'. He is dynamite here, in a role originally intended for the legendary Timothy Carey, as a pushy rival bugging expert.

'The Conversation' is hypnotic, multi-layered and haunting. See it whatever you do.

Anyone could market or even direct "The Conversation" as a mystery, but Francis Ford Coppola manages to reveal some of our human tendencies in his film just as well as he holds us in suspense. Voyeurism, like it or not, is a human characteristic. Modern day reality television proves both that point alone and simultaneously that "The Conversation" is an excellent film because it has only ripened over the years.

Coppola's character Harry Caul, portrayed by Gene Hackman in one of his finest performances, is the embodiment of this guilty pleasure of spying on others whether covertly or casually. He's a professional wire-tapper, one of the best in the business, seemingly able to capture the most pristine recordings for all his clients even though he is rarely enlightened as to the purpose of his jobs. It's not too long before we learn that Harry is a devout Catholic who harbors a bit of guilt because his career founds itself on the don't ask, don't tell principle.

The film open with what its title promises: a conversation. Harry has been hired to record a conversation of a man and a woman on their work break. The conversation seems inconspicuous, but the more Harry deals with his mysterious client and goes back to listen to the tapes, the more he begins to hear and infer from the conversation. He eventually comes to the conclusion he might have recorded a death warrant and begins to grow paranoid.

Harry's complexity is the finest element of Coppola's script. The story develops slowly but Harry becomes a more peculiar figure in the viewer's mind as time wears on. At first it seems like he isolates himself for protection purposes, but his loneliness becomes more and more apparent. He constantly feels threatened and there feels like a layer of ice between him and his relationships in the film, especially two memorable scenes where he interacts with women.

Coppola's elegant framing and precision pacing do the rest of the work drawing us further in as the story progresses, highlighting our own preoccupation with the truth behind this couple's conversation. We're made aware of our own tendency to twist words and misinterpret what someone is saying, not to mention how easy and commonplace it really is to essentially spy on someone and invade his or her privacy entirely.

"The Conversation" properly mixes drama with mystery while offering a complete character portrait and subtle social commentary. Most films don't have that many tools working for them but Coppola's masterful script does. No single element is consummate or overrides the rest, but together they make for a fine film.

~Steven C

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The Conversation is a stark look into the modern art of surveillance and its affect on one of its practitioners. Harry Caul (Hackman) is at the top of his business, but he's disturbed. Highly paranoiac, he is troubled by bad things that happened to some innocent people as a result of a prior surveillance job. Now he's afraid it's happening again....

The Conversation could not be more antithetical of the current movie making style. Stark, claustrophobic, unsexy, slow-paced, and with almost no soundtrack, it slowly builds to its dramatic noirish denouement.

A real treat, and as an added attraction the actors include a young Cindy Williams, Terri Garr, John Cazale, and Harrison Ford. Worth the rental unless anything outside of the MTV mould causes agitation.

This is one of those films I'm glad I gave a second chance because it got much better, and has continued getting better with each viewing (I've now seen it four times).

I know a few other people who watch this and ask, "What's the big deal?" Well, do what I did and give it another chance. Here's a tip: put on the English subtitles. It helps understand what is going on, as the taped conversations are often difficult to discern. Then, you might discover what I did: a fascinating character study, one that did not bore me as it had on the first viewing.

It's the study of a paranoid loner who is suffering a guilty conscience over the work he has done over the years, and what tragic consequences could happen with the latest project he's involved with. Without giving anything away, the loner's fears are realized in a shocking ending, but not in the way he imagined.

Gene Hackman, as always, does a super job of acting. He dominates the film as the main character, "Harry Caul." The topic matter - high-tech surveillance - was intriguing, too. After watching this film, I wondered what kind of surveillance tools are available now, 30 years after this film was made.