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Warren Beatty, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Paula Prentiss, Anthony Zerbe ... see more see more... , Kenneth Mars , Richard Bull , Doria Cook , Ronda Copland , Jim Davis , Joe Di Reda , Patsy Garrett , Ted Gehring , Earl Hindman , William Jordan , Bill Joyce , Robert P. Lieb , Walter McGinn , Bill McKinney , Ford Rainey , William Swan , Kelly Thordsen , Edward Winter , JoAnne Harris , Chuck Waters , Alma Beltran , Joan Lemmo , Vernon Weddle , Lee Pulford , Stacy Keach Sr.

While the Watergate scandal filled the headlines, Alan J. Pakula's 1974 thriller took its inspiration from the conspiracy theories surrounding the Kennedy assassination. Journalist Joe Frady (Warren B... read more read more...eatty) misses witnessing the assassination of a senator at Seattle's Space Needle, but his newswoman former girlfriend Lee Carter (Paula Prentiss) was there. Even after a government commission concludes that it was a freak lone assassin, Lee tells Joe that she fears for her life since other witnesses keep dying. After she too turns up dead, Joe investigates, travelling to the small town where another witness has mysteriously expired. Stumbling on a corporate identity for the killers, Joe decides to dig deeper by infiltrating the Parallax Corporation as one of their hired assassins. As Joe becomes increasingly isolated in his assumed identity, he discovers what Parallax is all about -- but Parallax knows all about Joe too. Made between Klute (1971) and All the President's Men (1976), The Parallax View was the second film in Pakula's "paranoia" trilogy; it proved too dark even for a 1974 audience that embraced such other challenging films of that year as The Godfather, Part II and Chinatown, making The Parallax View the sole flop of Pakula's trilogy. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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77% liked it

4,589 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

26 critics

R, 1 hr. 42 min.

Directed by: Alan J. Pakula

Release Date: June 14, 1974

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DVD Release Date: June 22, 1999

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Stats: 367 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (367)

  • fb619846742
    June 6, 2011
    fb619846742
    A smart, engrossing paranoid political thriller concerning a journalist (Warren Beatty) who stumbles upon a conspiracy in which a senator who was murdered three years ago might actually have been offed by the government. While it does not possess the same character depth such as ... read moresay, "The Conversation", another paranoid political thriller, had, it still is exciting and watchable due to the twists it implements. The last fifteen minutes or so are particularly arresting, with sharp camera work which captures memorable shots, including its smart, cleverly pieced together grand finale, which doesn't disappoint.
  • ajv2688
    January 1, 2011
    ajv2688
    Maybe I need to see this movie again, but I thought it was really slow and boring. The story was pretty good, though. Overall, it's okay.
  • ythelastman89
    August 24, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Very slow paced and manipulative, but it's such a unique and powerful experience. Government conspiracies are either topics for very bad movies or very good movies, this is definitely one of the better. Warren Beatty plays such a great character and way of attaining the plot's in... read moreformation. This is more a cautionary tale about digging too deep and how there are forces at work that we aren't even aware of. For a 70s premise, this must've been shocking at its release and still sort've is. To have a sense of powerlessness is truly scary.
  • mjgildea
    August 12, 2010
    mjgildea
    I presumed that The Parallax View was going to be another horribly dated and hokey dirty government thriller (and that car chase towards the beginning definitely leaned that way) where one little guy blows the doors off of a government conspiracy. If nothing else, The Parallax Vi... read moreew showed me how nice it is to be wrong sometimes. Warren Beatty's performance definitely has me understanding the whole Warren Beatty Thing (at least late 60s/early 70s era Beatty.) But for as subdued and enjoyable as Beatty's performance was, Alan J. Pakula's direction is the real standout here. Every shot from the lat 20 minutes of this movie is a work of art. And speaking of the last 20 minutes, they were so dark and menacing to the point where enjoying the movie almost became a chore. I know this movie's a year older than me, but where's it been all my life!?!
  • pier007
    August 9, 2010
    pier007
    Terrifying conspiracy thriller that opens a new set of hypothesis in the most infamous and debated political crimes of the twentieth century in the united states. An obscure corporation and its dirty plots to prevent the rise of a different political force, fearing it would desta... read morebilize everything the big shots in power have worked for.
    Both Pakula and cinematographer Gordon Willis know how to heighten the sense of paranoia and anxiety. Michael Small's score is also effectively atmospheric.
  • deano
    December 29, 2008
    deano
    This is one of the dulliest political assassination movies I ever watched because the tale didn't make sense to me.
  • kenstachnik
    August 11, 2008
    kenstachnik
    Beatty's charm and Gordon Willis' cinematography elevate this highly influential film to great heights. Pakula's direction, and in particular his attention to humor. are sublime.

    A great watch, well worth your time.
  • harrycaul
    September 21, 2007
    harrycaul
    A really great conspiracy thriller. Warren Beatty is an investigative journalist who thinks he's getting a scoop on a politcal asassination, unaware that he's being manipulated as the fall-guy.
  • Dannyrovira
    August 31, 2010
    Dannyrovira
    One of the definitive 70s paranoid thrillers, extremely well-crafted and acted. About the assassination of a leading U.S. senator, a journalist Joseph Frady played by Warren Beatty in a wonderful subtle and understated performance notices that the reporters who witnessed the murd... read moreer are inexplicably dying. Frady investigates and finds that the assassination was part of a conspiracy involving a shadowy therapy institute called the Parallax Corporation. Driven by curiosity, he infiltrates Parallax in an effort to uncover the truth, and discovers that Parallax deliberately recruits social misfits to train them as assassins, them they are dispatched by clients to kill prominent officials who threaten to get too close to the corporation's nefarious plans. Outstanding supporting performances from a stellar cast that includes, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Paula Prentiss, Anthony Zerbe, and Earl Hindman. The direction by the late Alan J. Pakula is flawless, and the distinctive cinematography by the great Gordon Willis is a triumph. A tense and effective film. Highly Recommended.
  • mattsigur1
    April 15, 2011
    mattsigur1
    For once, I agree with Franklin! Just kidding, Cody, but he hit the nail on the head. I, too, felt something was missing, but Beatty and the shots kept me reeled in. Maybe it was just a little too slow-paced? But there are some scenes that provide intense thrills and the ending i... read mores a jawdropper.

View All The Parallax View Reviews

Critic Reviews

Don Druker
June 7, 2007
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

For my taste the suspenseful set pieces go on much too long, and the message -- that right-wing conspiracy is built into the American political and corporate structure -- is overstated. Full Review

Ed Park
June 7, 2007
Ed Park, Village Voice

It's an astringently cynical take on official history, with Warren Beatty as a muckraker investigating the strange aftershocks of a senator's killing. Full Review

Variety Staff
June 7, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

Pakula's production and direction are lavish in physical details. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

The thrills don't mount as the film goes on. They don't even accumulate. Once they are experienced, they dissolve so thoroughly that by the end you're likely to feel as cheated as I did. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
March 15, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Pakula and Gordon Willis' cinematography wring the ominous from the ordinary with utter severity Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
October 14, 2009
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A gripping paranoia political thriller that should make conspiracy buffs excited and provoke even the casual viewer. Full Review

Tim Brayton
September 30, 2009
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

One of the great American films from arguably the finest decade in American filmmaking. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
March 11, 2009
Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online

... arguably the definitive conspiracy thriller of the seventies. Full Review

June 7, 2007
Film4

The Parallax View is one of the great paranoid thrillers of the 1970s. Which, when you consider how paranoid America was post-Watergate, is high praise indeed. Full Review

June 7, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

This is one of the best political thrillers of the 1970s. Full Review

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The Parallax View Trivia

  • In which film does Warren Beatty say "don't touch me unless you love me"?  Answer »
  • Director Alan J. Pakula is famous for his "paranoia trilogy," three movies from the 70's that echoed America's new fear of government after Watergate. Two of them are "All the President's Men" and "Klute." What's the third one?  Answer »
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