SNMR 2.21: "The Conversation"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "The Conversation" (1974, PG, 113 minutes) starring Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Harrison Ford and Frederic Forrest. The film was written, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

This is one of those DVD's that I bought when I was considering movies to review for this column in July 2006 for Harrison Ford month. It was not selected and I had never watched this film until tonight. But that's no problem, since SNMR is generally a fan of Gene Hackman's work. In 2006, Premiere magazine rated Hackman's performance in this movie as the 37th best on their "100 Greatest Performances of All Time" list. I'm looking forward to watching it.

From the DVD's dust case:

Francis Ford Coppola's provoking mystery-drama explores the morality of privacy and stars Gene Hackman as Harry Caul, expert surveillance man. A routine wire-tapping job turns into a modern nightmare as Harry hears something disturbing in his recording of a young couple in a park. He begins to worry about what the tape may be used for and becomes involved in a maze of secrecy and murder. Set in San Francisco, the film also features Cindy Williams, harrison Ford, and Frederic Forrest. Nominated for Best Picture of 1974, The Conversation was made between The Godfather and The Godfather, Part II.

From Martin & Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2007, p. 228:

Following his box-office and artistic triumph with The Godfather, director Francis Ford Coppola made this absorbing character study about a bugging-device expert (Gene Hackman)who lives only for his work but finds himself developing a conscience. Although not a box-office hit when originally released, this is a fine little film.

This film was not nearly as good as I'd hoped it would be. That's mainly due to the fact that the pacing of the film is so slow and there is very little action or suspense to keep your attention until about an hour or more into the movie. The storyline has potential but the writing is weak and the ending seemed incomplete to me. There were a few characters that could have easily been written out of the movie without taking anything away from the story. Hackman's performance was decent, given the material. This is certainly not one of his better films in my opinion, nor is it one of Coppola's best efforts. I'll give this film two out of five stars.