Dir: F F Coppola
Starring: Gene Hackman
Year: 1974
In the hands of a lesser director than Coppola this would have a been boring film. But Coppola is a rare talent who makes complete films, sometimes seemingly out of nothing.
There are two big turning points in this film: 1. The crime is not what you think it is, and 2. The Conversation is not even about the crime - it's about the man. Both of these denouements (can you have two?) come within the last 10-15 minutes of the film, which, even after two hours of filmage, leaves you wanting more.
I was genuinely scared by this film - not that it's a horror film, or even scary, but it just has a certain tension that leaves you feeling chilled. The soundtrack has an off-beat jazz vibe that sits somewhere between The Sting and a Charlie Parker LP, creating the perfect background for the paranoia and intensity of Hackman's character and his disturbing world of surveillance.
Hackman + Coppola = Genius.
Genius!
