52 Years Later, This Francis Ford Coppola 94%-Rated Gem Is Still One of the Best Thrillers Ever Made
Made on the eve of the Watergate scandal, the film predicted the existential fears of modern society with frightening accuracy.
Sandwiched between the two Godfather movies, The Conversation often remains in the shadow of its famous counterparts.
However, for many critics and connoisseurs, The Conversation is an absolute masterpiece and the pinnacle of Francis Ford Coppola's work and 1970s paranoid cinema.
What Is 'The Conversation' About?
Harry Caul, the West Coast's foremost wiretapping expert, is a cynical professional who believes his job is merely to gather information, not to make moral judgments.
His cardinal rule is to remain uninvolved in his clients' affairs. However, while carrying out a routine surveillance assignment on a couple in San Francisco, he overhears snippets of conversation suggesting a possible assassination plot.
Breaking his own principle of non-interference, Harry immerses himself in the investigation in an attempt to prevent the crime.
'The Conversation' Is a Perfect Blend of Mystery Thriller and Psychological Drama
The Conversation is, on the one hand, a masterfully crafted detective mystery. The key to solving the case is hidden in an audio recording that the main character plays over and over again, seeking new meanings.
On the other hand, it is a profound psychological exploration of a man whose profession has robbed him of his privacy and trust in the world.
Inspired by Antonioni's Blow-Up, Coppola transforms the technical challenge of deciphering the recording into a metaphor for the disintegration of consciousness. Harry's paranoia grows in proportion to his moral torment.
Gene Hackman delivers one of his finest performances, not as a heroic detective but as a broken, lonely man whose competence turns against him.
'The Conversation' Anticipated the Fear of Total Surveillance
Released just months before the Watergate scandal culminated in President Nixon's resignation, The Conversation was not only timely but also prophetic.
The film captured the nascent collective fear of losing privacy to the all-seeing eye of power and technology. Harry, an instrument of this invasion of privacy himself, becomes its victim, foreshadowing contemporary dilemmas.
Even before the term was coined, The Conversation explores the topic of post-truth: what is reality if it can be recorded, edited, rewritten, and interpreted?
What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'The Conversation'?
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The Conversation has 94% from critics and 89% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
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On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.7/10.
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On Letterboxd, The Conversation scored 4.2/5.0.
Where to Watch 'The Conversation'?
The Conversation is available to stream on Prime Video, Kanopy, and Plex.
