Three Days of the Condor

A bookish CIA researcher finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.

• Director:Sydney Pollack
• Genre:Thriller
• Runtime:113 minutes

Cast

Robert Redford : Joseph Turner / The Condor
Faye Dunaway : Kathy Hale
Cliff Robertson : J. Higgins
Max von Sydow : G. Joubert (as Max Von Sydow)
John Houseman : Mr. Wabash

Joe Turner (Robert Redford) is a CIA employee who works in a clandestine office in New York City. He is not a field agent, and indeed bristles at Agency discipline; among other things, he wonders why he can’t tell people what he does for a living and notes “I trust some people … that’s a problem.” His job is in the OSINT field: he has to read books, newspapers, and magazines from around the world, looking for hidden meanings and new ideas. As part of his duties, Turner files a report to CIA headquarters on a low-quality thriller novel his office has been reading, pointing out strange plot elements therein, and the unusual assortment of languages in which the book has been translated (Turkish but not French, Arabic but not Russian or German, Dutch, and Spanish).

The movie begins on the day in which Turner expects a response to his report. While he is out getting lunch, a group of armed men, led by an Alsatian assassin later identified as Joubert (Max von Sydow), executes the six people in the office. Turner returns, realizes he is in grave danger and runs out to a phone booth to call an emergency telephone number. He later goes to the home of a co-worker, Ralph Heidegger, who stayed home sick from work, and finds him dead as well.

On giving his code name, “Condor,” he is put in contact with Higgins (Cliff Robertson), Deputy Director, CIA New York City. Higgins directs Turner to keep quiet and arranges a meeting. Turner’s section chief, Wicks (Michael Kane), states he will go to the meeting to bring Turner in.

Higgins instructs Turner to meet Wicks in an alley on West 74th street. Higgins says he will be carrying a Wall Street Journal in his left hand. Turner replies “Fuck the Wall Street Journal”, expressing his distaste for the plan or that publication. Wicks brings an old friend of Turner’s, Sam Barber (Walter McGinn), along to help put him at ease. But Wicks is part of the conspiracy and tries to kill Turner. Turner shoots Wicks who, just before collapsing, shoots Barber; Turner escapes with his life.

Needing a place to hide, Turner forces a woman he sees randomly in a ski shop, Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway), to take him to her apartment in Brooklyn Heights. He holds her prisoner while he attempts to figure out what’s going on. He ties her up in her bathroom and takes her truck to go to Sam Barber’s apartment. When he gets there and makes contact with Sam’s wife, Mae (Carlin Glynn), she is cooking and readying for a dinner party; she tells Turner that she got a call earlier in the day – from someone unknown – that Sam would be working late. Apparently, she doesn’t know what happened to her husband, but tells Turner that someone’s been calling and hanging up. It’s at this time Turner has her immediately discontinue cooking dinner and go to her friends Bill and Eileen’s apartment upstairs. Joubert, arriving by elevator to the floor where Sam’s apartment is, sees Turner getting Sam’s wife onto the elevator. Read more