"Is it safe?" asks villain Christian Szell, one of the best in cinematic history. Marathon Man is the kind of movie you just can't watch once, but you have to see it again and again. There are many scenes that stick in your mind such as the tooth drilling scene. Great acting and a pretty good adaptation of William Goldman's book make this movie as famous as it is today.
Marathon Man is about Thomas Levy (Dustin Hoffman), a student in college who suddenly becomes entangled in mystery. Soon after he meets a foreign girl who seems strange, his brother (Roy Scheider) warns him against her. Not too soon later, there is a death and Thomas comes face to face with Szell (Laurence Olivier), an evil dentist who is in pursuit of something and will do anything to get it.
It really is the acting that makes us remember this movie. Olivier as Szell is perfection when he drills into Hoffman's teeth. To some the scene may come off as corny, but really it is the acting that makes it all too real. Roy Scheider also is good even though he has a smaller part.
The movie may come off as hokey now, but in the 70's it was great. Yes, the blood is way too red and yes, there are gaping plot holes, but still Marathon Man is a fine masterpiece. William Goldman's story is beautifully adapted to the big screen in a memorable way. One of the best New York movies remains in my memory. Not only this, but it is also one of the best to come out of that decade.
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