Three Days of the Condor

Super-efficient thriller in which craftsman Sydney Pollack skillfully navigates the post-Watergate paranoia that made American citizens doubt all their institutions, especially the Central Intelligence Agency, which often pushed its agenda regardless of political control. Robert Redford is the CIA investigator who tries to unravel the dark conspiracy after the murder of all his colleagues in a small seemingly independent New York intelligence office, but meanwhile is himself hunted game (Max Von Sydow as a cool and efficient hitman). Mistrust, double-dealing, festering uncertainty and fear fuel the intrigue. No one can be trusted in a plot that slams shut like a trap. During his escape and attempt to get to the bottom of the opaque machinations, Redford briefly finds solace with Faye Dunaway, as the lone photographer he takes hostage in her home.