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Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller ... see more see more... , Fritz Weaver , Richard Bright , Allen Joseph , Tito Goya , Ben Dova , Jacques Marin , Nicole Deslauriers , Lotta Andor-Palfi , Ric Carrott , Church , Annette Claudier , Roger Etienne , Chuy Franco , Bryant Fraser , John Garson , Lou Gilbert , Wilfredo Hernandez , Billy Kearns , Madge Kennedy , William Martel , Estelle Omens , Lionel Pina , Ray Serra , Fred Stuthman , Jaime Tirelli , Michael Vale , James Wing Woo , Marc Lawrence I , Alma Beltran , Lee Steele , George Dega , Glenn Robards , Harry Goz , Tom Ellis

Doc Levy (Roy Scheider) is an American secret agent who has been running interference between the U.S. government and escaped Nazi war criminal Szell (Laurence Olivier). Believing that Doc has stolen ... read more read more...a valuable cache of gems, Szell emerges from his South American hiding place and heads for New York. He has Doc killed, then kidnaps Doc's in-the-dark brother, Babe (Dustin Hoffman). Repeating the phrase "Is it safe?" over and over, Szell, a onetime concentration camp dentist, tries to extract information from Babe by performing sadistic "oral surgery" upon him. Babe, who still doesn't know about the gems, escapes, breaking his own self-imposed rule of nonviolence to defend himself against his pursuers and gearing up for sadistic revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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80% liked it

20,917 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

35 critics

R, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: John Schlesinger

Release Date: October 6, 1976

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

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Stats: 1,204 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,204)

  • fb619846742
    May 28, 2012
    fb619846742
    An original though flawed story of a student (Dustin Hoffman) who gets involved in a sinister plot involving diamonds and a sadistic Nazi (Laurence Olivier), who wants desperately to claim what he feels is his. This is a thriller inside and out, no questioning that, but the way t... read morehe story is put together leaves a lot to be desired. There are tons of holes and the way the film ends is far from satisfying. Laurence Olivier turns in a terrifying performance as the dentist drilling psycho, while Hoffman, Roy Scheider, and William Devane all give admirable performances. Director John Schlesinger has a dark, nihilistic viewpoint of New York City, and there are certain scenes in which this disturbing landscape adds a lot to the story. Sadly, his story needed more closure and less melodramatic acts to come across as completely convincing and worthwhile.
  • cosmo313
    February 2, 2012
    cosmo313
    This is Marathon Man, a suspense thriller directed by John Schlesinger and written by William Goldman, based on his novel of the same name. The story concerns "Babe" Levy, a history PhD candidate and avid runner who becomes unwillingly involved in a dangerous web of espionage and... read more intrigue concerning a fugitive Nazi dentist named Dr. Christian Szell, and a cache of ill-gotten diamonds.

    This film, while it does have some action scenes and some very intense moments, is primarily concerned with focusing on atmosphere, tension, and suspense, and, in that regard, the film delivers in spades. The music really heightens the wonderful atmosphere created by some excellent cinematography. This is a gritty film frought with paranoia.

    As Babe, Dustin Hoffman is quite likeable, and you really root for him as he plays a guy way in over his head over circumstances beyond his control and comprehension. Hoffman did some really dark films in this 70s, and it would be awesome to see him return to that world before he either retires or dies. As Babe's brother Doc, Roy Scheider is as reliable as always, and gives a good turn as a man who, unbeknownst to his brother, is a government agent heavily involved in the hunt for Szell. And, speaking of Szell, I'm amazed that they got Laurence Olivier to sign up for this one. He delivers a phenomenal performance, and his ruthlessly calm demeanor and delivery make an already chilling and sadistic man even more so.

    Given that this is a 70s film, it is expectedly gritty and edgy, and I love it even more as a result. The details are a tad murky, but it is a spy thriller, so that's part of the territory. All in all though, this is a wonderfully written, skillfully directed, and superbly acted thriller that really delivers some exciting stuff, and really makes you reconsider going to a dentist any time soon.
  • ceWEBrity
    January 29, 2011
    ceWEBrity
    I love the unusual air of mystery that surrounds Marathon Man, but considering how much trouble I'm having thinking of anything else productive to say about it, I'm assuming that's more or less where the appeal ends. Its age both champions and betrays it, as it was clearly a much... read more stronger product in 1976 but it seems so completely diminished at this point that its merits can be difficult to see offhand. Well-acted, intriguing and handsome, it's nonetheless a bit of a slog, and feels oddly unimportant now.
  • 76Majikat
    June 19, 2010
    76Majikat
    A very drawn out film, but quited a tortourous one for it?s time, despite not showing any real gore. For me my anticipation for watching this film exceded my enjoyment for it.
  • imrealgod
    April 2, 2010
    imrealgod
    Bad plot, worse performances (including Hoffnan's) & worst execution.
  • mumby1988
    October 16, 2009
    mumby1988
    This is really a film of two halves. The first half is largely inconsequential, un-compelling tosh. It consists of little vignettes and scenes which simply set up what happens later, and a lot of the threads that are introduced aren't fully resolved. Right up until the dental sce... read morene, Dustin Hoffman is just playing the same tired stereotype that he did in The Graduate; an unconfident student who is borderline autistic and hopeless with women. The scene where he is trying to convince the graduate student to go out with him is very two-dimensional, so that we are bemused when they sleep together shortly afterwards and we don't care when they get mugged.

    If you're going to make a thriller with political pretensions and characters switching sides - in the case of William Devane, several times - then you can't leave the audience out of the loop for the whole first hour and then expect them to catch up and tie up the loose ends for themselves. It would have been much better if the film had started with Laurence Olivier getting off the plane, intercut with Hoffman running. The script could then have gradually explained their characters and purpose without resorting to the kind of much-too-rapid exposition when Dustin is being driven away in the car.

    In the second half, things get much better. After the dental scene Olivier starts to inhabit Szell a lot more, and you go from having a chuckle at his bald cap and glasses to being slightly frightened by him. As Szell walks through the Jewish community trying to get his diamonds valued, you can feel the hate coming off him, and his desperation at being recognised by the elderly woman. The final showdown between him and Dustin, however, is a little over-the-top, especially Szell's death scene having fallen down the spiral staircase (which was clearly done by a stunt double, considering how ill Olivier was at the time). It clearly demonstrates that the two conventions of acting they embodied don't sit well together, with Olivier coming off a ham and Dustin a stereotype.

    It's not a terrible film by any means; it?s very nicely shot with some good composition, the musical cues work very well and Roy Scheider puts in a great performance as Babe's brother Doc, showing that there's more to him than just Jaws. However this could have worked a lot better had it been only 90 minutes long.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    Fantastic film! Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier & Roy Scheider are brilliant. I was hooked from beginning to end! Classic!
  • MidnightMadwoman
    January 30, 2009
    MidnightMadwoman
    I really don't see what the big deal is about this film. For the first hour at least, all the characters are going along thier merry ways and all thier actions don't interact at all. Some exchanges are peppered with violence, but it's never clear what's going on for so long that ... read morewhen it finally is revealed - in a big chunk of exposition delivered in a three minute car ride - it seems like a shock. The only things I really liked about this film are Laurence Olivier as the unremittingly evil Nazi dentist and the way he's inundated with Jewish culture as he walks through Manhattan. I think the scenes where he has to tread so lightly, surrounded by the people he's wronged are so razors-edge and fascinating to watch. Until they get there though, this movie really drags.
  • flixsterman
    January 7, 2009
    flixsterman
    "Is it safe?"
  • movieguru12
    November 11, 2008
    movieguru12
    This movie was very good. Hoffman is a good actor and this movie definetly shows you his abilities as an actor. I do like The Graduate better though.

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Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
April 19, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Schlesinger's stylish political thriller features Olivier as an old, nasty Nazi, in a splashy role that earned him Oscar nomination. Full Review

David Gurney
January 1, 2011
David Gurney, Common Sense Media

Film's notorious torture scene means adults only. Full Review

Steve Crum
June 21, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

If this doesn't turn you against going to the dentist, nothing will. Terrifying, pulsating film w/Hoffman.

Dennis Schwartz
March 1, 2008
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Needlessly complicated glossy thriller. Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson
February 15, 2008
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid

Scheider looks great as the well-dressed cool guy and Olivier turns in his most notoriously frightening performance. Full Review

Pablo Villaca
March 2, 2007
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

Do acidente de carro que abre a história ao confronto final em uma estação de esgoto, o filme jamais consegue ser convincente; e a única cena realmente eficaz do longa é aquela ambientada num bairro j...

Scott Weinberg
August 30, 2006
Scott Weinberg, DVD Clinic

Although best-known for its infamous "Is it safe?" sequence, Marathon Man is a whole lot better than just one horrific scene. Full Review

Staci Layne Wilson
August 5, 2004
Staci Layne Wilson, Fantastica Daily

Teeth-clenching, white-knuckle thriller!

Luke Y. Thompson
June 12, 2003
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times

Not sure this deserves to be a classic, but certainly a competently made thriller.

Brian Mckay
March 19, 2003
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com

Decent thriller about purloined diamonds and nazi war criminals. The interrogation scene will make you cringe.

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Marathon Man Trivia

  • In the Movie "Marathon Man," what torture technique was used on Dustin Hoffman.  Answer »
  • Who played the lead role in Marathon Man?  Answer »
  • In Marathon Man, Babe (Dustin Hoffman) is tortured by a character, portrayed by Lawrence Olivier, who is:  Answer »
  • Who plays the brother of Babe (Dustin Hoffman) in Marathon Man?  Answer »
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