William Devane

Marathon Man - 3/5

This movie is a capable thriller, but some of the tense scenes have cheap, underwhelming reversals. The setup is great and much of the runtime is devoted to dwelling in the uncertainty of the protagonist’s position. There’s a torture scene that seemed mostly pointless to dwell on in retrospect, and the ending is downright out of character. But for a tense, paranoid conspiracy thriller you could do a lot worse.

Closest comparison: It’s like Enemy of the State by way of Three Days of the Condor.

Setting: Espionage
Plot: Espionage
Tone: Thriller

McCabe & Mrs. Miller - 1/5

This movie is a no account grimy western that thinks reading depravity into historical settings is profound. The only good thing about this movie is its Leonard Cohen score, but that even clashes with the overall tone of the film. This film is an unmitigated disaster.

Content warning: female nudity

Closest comparison: It’s like Once Upon a Time in the West crossed with Taxi Driver.

Setting: Western
Plot: Entrepreneur
Tone: Sleaze