Three Days of the Condor (1975)

  I kept coming across this film on a bunch of top 10 lists so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I've never been a big fan of the "realism" trend in 70's movies, since it usually translates into slow pacing and minimal dialogue, but I'm happy to report that this was an incredibly entertaining film.

Turner (Robert Redford), codenamed Condor, is an analyst working for the CIA.  He's not a spy, not a field agent, just a guy who reads books all day looking for hidden messages.  One rainy day, he goes out to get lunch and comes back to find his entire office has been murdered.  He immediately calls it in to the area chief (Cliff Robertson), who sends out an SOS to Washington, D.C.  But Turner is not out of the woods yet, as it seems that it's the CIA who put the hit out.  He barely escapes and kidnaps Kathy (Faye Dunaway), who is just trying to go skiing, forcing her to be a hostage in her own home. 

My mother also highly recommended this movie, seeing as she originally saw it in theaters.  Apparently, it really captures the mood of the 70's, what with the suspicion of government, the paranoia, and the lofty idealism.  She left out the part where Max von Sydow plays a badass contract killer, but that's what you have me for.  Seriously, though, he is awesome in this.  I might have to buy this one.