90s Movie Review - A Family Divided

Director: Don Wrye
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Faye Dunaway, Stephen Collins, Cameron Bancroft, Judson Mills, Aidan Pendleton
Description: A respectable middle class family lives begin to fall apart when the parents come to suspect that son Chad may have been involved in a gang-rape.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 20: A FILM WITH FAYE DUNAWAY
 
Review: Karen and Roger live a happy life with their two children, Chad and Melissa. When Karen is watching the news, she learns about a missing girl. They quickly find out that Chad might have been involved in a gang-rape, and that this girl is now missing.

What would you do to protect your child? That’s the moral of the story. It’s pretty clear Chad was involved, just as his sorority friend. You would think that Roger, a lawyer, would make Chad want to do the right thing and turn himself in. But Roger wants to cover it up and protect Chad, no matter what. Karen is the one that feels this is wrong. She becomes estranged from her husband and feels she has failed as a mother, realizing what her son has done.

It's fine, the story is interesting, how each character deals with this horrible situation. Aside from Faye Dunaway, the acting is pretty bad though. And although the story is focused on this family, I would also want to know what would happen to the other guys that were involved. Especially Carter, who seemed to be the initiator of this cruel act. He seems to have no remorse and I wanted to see him get justice. We never learn what happens to any of them and we never see the victim’s side of the story either.

I know that the director wanted to do, focus on what this did to Chad’s family. But it didn’t work for me. I wanted more from this story.

Rating: 2 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 148: Three Days of the Condor

Director: Sydney Pollack

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 117 minutes

Year: 1975

Starring: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow, John Houseman, Addison Powell, Walter McGinn, Tina Chen, Michael Kane, Don McHenry, Michael B. Miller, Helen Stenborg, Jess Osuna, Dino Narizzano, Patrick Gorman, Hansford Rowe

Description: A bookish CIA researcher (Robert Redford) finds all his co-workers dead, and must outwit those responsible until he figures out who he can really trust.

Review: “Three Days of the Condor”, by director Sydney Pollack, is an excellent thriller. Good acting, strong story and with the setting of ‘70s New York you have two hours of excitement.

Joey ‘Condor’ Turner (Robert Redford) is confronted with brutal violence, he panics and runs. A cat and mouse game is being played between an anonymous hitman and CIA researcher Turner.

Strong is the feel of paranoia that Pollack managed to create. By using long shots and no sound he manages to make Turner suspect a woman and child to be enemies. Turner has to run for his life after a hit on his team. He starts doubting everyone, including himself. Who can he trust? The only that he trusts is Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway).

Robert Redford does a good job as the intelligent, yet a bit naive Turner. His performance is very believable. Also Max von Sydow as hitman Joubert. Without moving a single muscle he takes out people, he is relentless. The relationship between Joubert and Turner is interesting.

“Three Days of the Condor” is a good, solid thriller that captivates you the entire runtime.

Rating: 4/ 5