Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, a paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered. Starring: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr and Harrison Ford.
You’re immediately drawn into The Conversation by the colour, warmth, texture and grain to the aesthetic of its opening sequence. Its curious, suspicious and secretive eye following Gene Hackman’s Harry perfectly sets the tone for what is to follow. Everything has an edge of threat, particularly because it lives to be vague, taking its privacy seriously, even from the audience. That creates a constant tension and a subtly growing descent for its leading man. Francis Ford Coppola keeps that feel of a watchful eye going all throughout the film.
The way that the story progresses is inherently slow and pensive, as well as intentionally a touch repetitive in how it explores unpacking the layers of a seemingly inane conversation. It’s a style that won’t work for everyone but can delight dedicated film fans. It takes a bigger patience to appreciate but it creates a fascinating discussion of psychology when your entire job revolves around paranoia, suspicion and conspiracy. How long can you really go before that starts to seep into your own life?
One of the other fantastic things it has to offer is a restrained performance from Hackman, so well known for his boisterous characters like Jimmy Doyle in The French Connection, Lex Luthor or Royal Tenenbaum. In The Conversation, he’s quiet, composed, precise and while he does get a couple of moments to let out the fire we know and love, he’s otherwise tightly wound and tight-lipped. Much like the rest of the film, it’s all about layers, every so often he gives us something that reveals another part of himself, leaving you to piece the puzzle together of who this man is.
The Conversation is served so well by this 4K restoration, boosting the excellent and enthralling cinematography work of Bill Butler and Haskell Wexler. It’s utterly tense, the sound work brings in a slightly chaotic ebb and flow to an otherwise threateningly quiet film. Gene Hackman gives one of his career highlight performances which is fantastic example of his range. He’s also supported by a wonderful ensemble. It may not be the most accessible feature from Francis Ford Coppola but for any cinema fan, it’s a box you need to tick.
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