Categories & segments

Marathon Man The Rewatchables
Marathon Man poster
Marathon Man

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Babe misses clues and refuses to shoot Szell

Flex pick · Craig Horlbeck

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:35Read transcript
  • Babe should recognize that being attacked by two older men in suits is unusual.
  • He is criticized for ignoring the connections among his murdered brother, Szell, and Elsa’s concealed German identity.
  • His refusal to shoot Szell is criticized as inconsistent after he shoots others at the farmhouse.
  • The novel reportedly has Babe shoot Szell and discard the diamonds before police take him away.
Marathon Man The Rewatchables
Marathon Man poster
Marathon Man

Half-Assed Internet Research

The segment covers Doc and Janeway’s relationship, Abebe Bikila, barefoot kickers, and Goldman’s unproduced Brothers screenplay.

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:18Read transcript
  • The novel identifies Doc and Janeway as lovers more explicitly than the film.
  • The runner in the flashbacks is identified as Ethiopian Olympic champion Abebe Bikila, who won the 1960 marathon barefoot.
  • Barefoot football kickers and their poor historical accuracy are discussed.
  • Goldman reportedly wrote an unproduced, poorly regarded screenplay called Brothers connected to this story.
Marathon Man The Rewatchables
Marathon Man poster
Marathon Man

Apex Mountain

Dentistry and Goldman: near apex; Marathon Man for Diamond District scenes

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 01:13:30Read transcript
  • Hoffman’s apex is disputed between his 1976 double of this film and All the President’s Men and Kramer vs. Kramer.
  • Dentistry as a movie device is judged near its apex here.
  • Scheider’s apex is placed around Jaws.
  • Devane’s apex is jokingly assigned to The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training.
  • The dental torture is placed among the most famous torture scenes, alongside Casino Royale, Reservoir Dogs, and others.
  • Goldman is judged at or near his apex in 1976.
  • Martha Keller and Schlesinger are assigned Black Sunday and Midnight Cowboy respectively.
  • Inglourious Basterds is selected as the apex Jewish-revenge film.
  • Christoph Waltz and the melting Nazi from Raiders are considered for Nazi-villain apex.
  • The movie is preferred to Uncut Gems for Diamond District scenes.
Marathon Man The Rewatchables
Marathon Man poster
Marathon Man

Picking Nits

The exposition drive, Szell’s Diamond District visit and disguise, farmhouse detour, Jaws marquee, and Hoffman’s running form

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:53Read transcript
  • Janeway telling Babe the entire Szell story during a circular drive is questioned, though defended as a confidence-building interrogation tactic.
  • Szell personally visiting the Diamond District before retrieving the diamonds is questioned.
  • Szell’s minimal disguise is criticized.
  • The drive to the farmhouse is questioned again.
  • A Jaws marquee visible behind Hoffman is said to break the Roy Scheider fiction.
  • Hoffman’s running stride and marathon pacing are criticized as lurching and inefficient.
Marathon Man The Rewatchables
Marathon Man poster
Marathon Man

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Babe’s dental recovery, British supervillains, and renting his damaged apartment again

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:22:56Read transcript
  • The likely extensive dental treatment and anesthesia Babe would need are questioned.
  • The film is considered as a possible origin point for British actors playing Hollywood supervillains.
  • Whether Babe’s wrecked, foul-smelling apartment could ever be rented again prompts personal New York apartment stories.
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