‹ All movies

The Rewatchables ·

Marathon Man

year 1976decade 70sdirector John Schlesingergenre Thriller
host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanproducer Craig Horlbeck theme New York City Month
All 31 categories

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award · 1:03:07

Harrison Ford as Babe in 1976

Bill Simmons: A young Harrison Ford is proposed as a better 1976 Babe because he matches the novel’s size, running, danger, and romance.

Bill Simmons: Tom Cruise is proposed as the ideal Babe in a hypothetical 1984 version because the role centers on running, expertise, romance, and panic.

The film

Marathon Man (1976)

Directed by John Schlesinger · Thriller

125

IMDb Find on JustWatch Find on Rotten Tomatoes
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Dustin Hoffman Thomas Babington "Babe"
Jeff Palladini Babe as a child
Laurence Olivier Dr. Christian Szell (alias 'Christopher Hess')
Roy Scheider Henry "Doc"
Scott Price Doc as a child
William Devane Peter Janeway
Marthe Keller Elsa Opel
Fritz Weaver Professor Biesenthal
Marc Lawrence Erhard
Allen Joseph H. V. Levy
Tito Goya Melendez
Ben Dova Klaus Szell
Lou Gilbert Rosenbaum
Jacques Marin LeClerc
Raymond Serra truck driver
Billy Kearns American tourist

Everything from the episode

In the order the hosts got to it. Open a row for the discussion.

34:33

Most Rewatchable Scene

The “Is it safe?” torture sequence

The “Is it safe?” torture sequence

In the discussion (9)
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:33Read transcript
  • The opening road-rage crash is nominated and also called exaggerated enough to evoke a later spoof. — Bill Simmons
  • Doc’s Paris hotel fight and the piano-wire attack are nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • Doc visiting Babe and then testing Elsa over lunch are nominated for dialogue and character revelation. — Bill Simmons
  • Doc’s stabbing and bloody arrival at Babe’s apartment are nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • Babe trapped naked in the bathroom is praised for suspense and helplessness. — Bill Simmons
  • The dental torture and repeated “Is it safe?” question are praised as iconic and terrifying. — Bill Simmons
  • Szell being recognized in the Diamond District and opening the deposit box are nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • Doc’s Paris material is a favorite for its ominous atmosphere. — Chris Ryan
  • The “Is it safe?” sequence is selected as the most rewatchable scene. — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More Most Rewatchable Scene answers
44:32

The most 1976 thing

Original Nazis still active in 1976

Original Nazis still active in 1976

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:44:32Read transcript
  • Living perpetrators from World War II still operating openly is selected as the strongest 1976 marker. — Bill Simmons
  • Marathon training being treated as strange is nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • New York City’s 1976 appearance is nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • The film’s barely stated gay relationship is nominated as period-specific. — Chris Ryan
  • Diamonds priced at fifteen thousand dollars per carat are nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • McCarthyism victims functioning as a central plot device is selected as another period marker. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More The most "year the movie came out" thing answers
46:23

What’s Aged the Best?

Location photography, conspiracy-thriller construction, early death, dentistry horror, reversals, deposit boxes, runn...

Location photography, conspiracy-thriller construction, early death, dentistry horror, reversals, deposit boxes, running skills, Steadicam use, and Devane

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:23Read transcript
  • Authentic New York and Paris location shooting is praised. — Chris Ryan
  • Doc’s death staging outside the modernist building is praised. — Chris Ryan
  • Knowing the conspiracy makes Elsa’s surveillance and other clues more rewarding on rewatch. — Chris Ryan
  • Roy Scheider dying earlier than expected is praised as an effective star misdirection. — Bill Simmons
  • The film’s use of dentistry as torture remains potent. — Chris Ryan
  • Janeway’s apparent rescue of Babe becoming another interrogation is praised as a plot reversal. — Chris Ryan
  • Movie scenes involving safety-deposit boxes are called reliably watchable. — Bill Simmons
  • Babe’s highway-ramp jump is praised despite its physical improbability. — Bill Simmons
  • Babe’s marathon training paying off during his escape is praised. — Bill Simmons
  • The film is credited as an early Steadicam production and the first such movie released. — Bill Simmons
  • William Devane’s 1976–77 run and his performance are praised. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More What’s Aged the Best? answers
53:02

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

The soccer ball rolling to Doc outside the opera

The soccer ball rolling to Doc outside the opera

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:02Read transcript
  • Szell opening the deposit box is nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • The wide waterworks confrontation is nominated. — Bill Simmons
  • The red steps and fountain around Doc’s murder are nominated. — Chris Ryan
  • The camera moving through a window to reveal Doc’s Paris balcony and the Eiffel Tower is nominated. — Chris Ryan
  • The soccer ball rolling to Doc outside the opera is selected for its unexplained menace. — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot answers
57:15

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Elsa and the unexplained farmhouse detour

Elsa and the unexplained farmhouse detour

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 00:57:15Read transcript
  • Elsa is selected because her allegiance to Szell feels insufficiently signaled. — Chris Ryan
  • The novel reveals Elsa’s allegiance after her first library meeting, making her danger explicit earlier. — Chris Ryan
  • The farmhouse detour is criticized as poorly motivated and unnecessary. — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film answers
58:52

What’s Aged the Worst?

Cuts to Doc’s action, the farmhouse, childhood flashbacks, stalking, discarded diamonds, the dated Nazi premise, Babe...

Cuts to Doc’s action, the farmhouse, childhood flashbacks, stalking, discarded diamonds, the dated Nazi premise, Babe’s apartment, and Scheider’s missed stardom

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:58:52Read transcript
  • Cutting Doc’s extended fight and reducing the violence while retaining the farmhouse sequence is criticized. — Bill Simmons
  • The repeated childhood flashbacks are called unnecessary beyond establishing the father’s suicide. — Chris Ryan
  • Following a woman home to initiate a date is criticized as dated. — Bill Simmons
  • Babe refusing to keep the diamonds or cash is strongly criticized. — Bill Simmons
  • The premise of active original Nazi criminals is said to have aged out of contemporary plausibility. — Bill Simmons
  • Babe’s sweaty, poorly ventilated apartment is imagined as smelling terrible. — Chris Ryan
  • Roy Scheider’s 1970s filmography is preferred to Hoffman’s, while his later aging and limited stardom are lamented. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More What’s Aged the Worst? answers
1:03:07

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Harrison Ford as Babe in 1976; Tom Cruise in a hypothetical 1984 version

Harrison Ford as Babe in 1976; Tom Cruise in a hypothetical 1984 version

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:03:07Read transcript
  • A young Harrison Ford is proposed as a better 1976 Babe because he matches the novel’s size, running, danger, and romance. — Bill Simmons
  • Tom Cruise is proposed as the ideal Babe in a hypothetical 1984 version because the role centers on running, expertise, romance, and panic. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award answers
1:05:44

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Richard Bright

Richard Bright

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:05:44Read transcript
Share this discussion More The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award answers
1:07:17

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Lotte Palfi Andor as the woman who recognizes Szell

Lotte Palfi Andor as the woman who recognizes Szell

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:07:17Read transcript
  • William Devane is considered but judged to have too much screen time. — Chris Ryan
  • Lotte Palfi Andor’s brief appearance recognizing Szell is selected. — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance answers
1:13:30

Apex Mountain

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

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. — Bill Simmons
  • Dentistry as a movie device is judged near its apex here. — Bill Simmons
  • Scheider’s apex is placed around Jaws. — Bill Simmons
  • Devane’s apex is jokingly assigned to The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training. — Bill Simmons
  • The dental torture is placed among the most famous torture scenes, alongside Casino Royale, Reservoir Dogs, and others. — Bill Simmons
  • Goldman is judged at or near his apex in 1976. — Bill Simmons
  • Martha Keller and Schlesinger are assigned Black Sunday and Midnight Cowboy respectively. — Bill Simmons
  • Inglourious Basterds is selected as the apex Jewish-revenge film. — Bill Simmons
  • Christoph Waltz and the melting Nazi from Raiders are considered for Nazi-villain apex. — Bill Simmons
  • The movie is preferred to Uncut Gems for Diamond District scenes. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Apex Mountain answers
1:16:20

Cruise or Hanks?

Tom Cruise as Babe

Tom Cruise as Babe

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:20Read transcript
Share this discussion More Cruise or Hanks? answers
1:20:04

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

A Szell prequel about the hunt for him during his escape to South America

A Szell prequel about the hunt for him during his escape to South America

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:04Read transcript
  • A Szell prequel set during his postwar escape toward Argentina is proposed. — Bill Simmons
  • The proposed story would follow people hunting Szell rather than make him the protagonist. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake answers
1:20:42

Is This Movie Better With…?

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:42Read transcript
  • Samuel L. Jackson is imagined replacing the “Is it safe?” exchange with his own confrontational dialogue.
  • A Stephen A. Smith version of Szell’s interrogation is also performed.
Share this discussion More Is This Movie Better With…? answers
1:21:59

Just One Oscar

Conrad Hall for cinematography

Conrad Hall for cinematography

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:21:59Read transcript
  • Conrad Hall is selected for his cinematography and especially his portrait of New York. — Chris Ryan
  • Olivier is the other leading choice, but the cinematography argument prevails. — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More Just One Oscar answers
1:25:49

What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie?

The wrist knife

The wrist knife

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:49Read transcript
  • The dental drill is selected as memorabilia nobody would want. — Bill Simmons
  • Szell’s concealed wrist knife is selected as desirable memorabilia. — Chris Ryan
  • Babe’s running clothes are rejected. — Chris Ryan
  • The wrist knife’s historical plausibility and ability to pass airport security are questioned. — Chris Ryan
Share this discussion More What Piece of Memorabilia Would You Want From This Movie? answers
1:26:55

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Kill the Nazi dentist and keep the diamonds.

Kill the Nazi dentist and keep the diamonds.

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:55Read transcript
  • The stated lesson is not to trust Nazis. — Bill Simmons
  • A second lesson says that after killing the Nazi dentist, Babe has earned the right to keep the diamonds. — Bill Simmons
Share this discussion More The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson answers
1:28:48

Who Won the Movie?

Olivier

Olivier

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:48Read transcript
  • Olivier is chosen for bridging an older acting tradition and giving a brave performance.
  • The third participant praises the film’s suspense, delayed explanations, and Diamond District sequence but does not state a winner choice. — Craig Horlbeck
Podcast choices
Speaker not identified
Laurence Olivier
Speaker not identified
Laurence Olivier
Share this discussion More Who Won the Movie? answers