Three Days of the Condor

Robert Redford brings Joe Turner to life as a CIA employee with a unique role - reading everything under the sun, from books to comics, to uncover connections between real-life operations. On a drizzly December morning, the American Literary Historical Society hums along like clockwork, unaware of the discreet observer watching from across the street. The unassuming figure takes note of every employee's arrival, their movements recorded with methodical precision.

Meanwhile, Joe is consumed by a mystery within the CIA's ranks. He had sent a letter to Langley months prior, seeking answers about intriguing patterns he'd discovered linking operations in Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and other global hotspots. The silence has left him restless, and his search for answers takes him to the basement door - a route strictly forbidden by regulations. The rain-soaked streets provide a perfect alibi as Joe navigates the alleys to reach his lunch destination.

As he picks up sandwiches for his colleagues at the deli, the sedan parked outside waits patiently. The occupants, including a mailman blending seamlessly into the crowd, wait with an air of quiet determination. Once Joe has left, they spring into action, moving swiftly and silently towards the front door. The mailman stands watch, a sentinel guarding the entrance as his companions slip behind him.

Back at the Literary Historical Society, Joe returns from lunch to find the building eerily still. His attempts to enter via the intercom are met with silence, prompting him to push open the unlocked door - an anomaly in itself. The scene that greets him is one of unmitigated horror: every last soul has been brutally murdered, their bodies strewn across the floor like discarded pawns. Joe's initial shock gives way to a primal urge for self-preservation as he grabs a pistol and makes his escape into the rainy afternoon.

As Joe's eyes scanned the once-familiar streetscape, an unsettling sensation crept over him - every passerby now seemed shrouded in suspicion. The gruesome reality of his colleagues' demise had finally sunk in: whoever was responsible for the carnage might still be hunting him. With a sense of urgency, he sought out a payphone and dialed the emergency contact number at the CIA, his voice shaking as he uttered the code name "Condor" - a nod to his covert identity. "This is... uh... Condor," he stammered. "The section's been hit. Everyone's dead." The calm, measured tone of the CIA operator guided him through the initial panic, advising him not to succumb to fear and promising a swift response.

Within hours, a team from the agency arrived to verify Joe's tale of devastation. Director Higgens (Cliff Robertson), the section chief in New York, was perplexed by the sheer audacity of the attack - why target a research office? He swiftly contacted CIA headquarters, his concerns and questions mounting as he sought answers.

Meanwhile, Joe received further instructions from the agency: stay alive for just one more hour. He set off to pay his respects at the apartment of a colleague who had called in sick, only to discover the man's lifeless body - a grim reminder that death lurked around every corner. As he fled back to his own apartment building, a chance encounter with a neighbor on the sidewalk served as a timely warning: two men awaited him upstairs, their intentions far from benign.

Joe's next move was to reconnect with the CIA, agreeing to meet his department head in a predetermined alley off 72nd street - a rendezvous that would guarantee his safe extraction. However, when he arrived at the designated location, only Sam Barber (CIA accountant and college friend) was present. Joe hesitated, having never met Wicks, his section chief, or Director Higgins, but Sam's assurance that they would be there put him at ease.

The sudden appearance of Wicks and the ensuing gunfire sent Joe scrambling for cover as he returned fire, wounding his department head. In a state of panic, he abandoned the scene, leaving Wicks seriously injured but still managing to strike down Sam. Convinced that no one could be trusted, Joe seized a woman, Kathy (Faye Dunaway), as she entered her truck, holding a gun to her head as they sped away. Trapped and terrified, Joe clung to the steering wheel, desperate for a plan to extricate himself from this deadly game of cat and mouse.

As Kathy's skepticism slowly gives way to a growing unease, Turner's desperation becomes palpable. The evening news broadcasts only serve to heighten his anxiety, as the events in the alley are rebranded as an attempted robbery, with Wicks the sole casualty - Sam's name is nowhere to be found. Undeterred by Kathy's lingering uncertainty, Turner takes matters into his own hands, discreetly binding her and making a clandestine visit to Sam's apartment in Kathy's car. Mae, Sam's wife and a former flame from college days, greets him with an air of expectation, revealing that the CIA had contacted Sam after his fateful encounter with Joe, only to inform him that he would be running late. This calculated ploy sets off alarm bells for Turner, who swiftly extracts himself and Mae from the situation.

With the assassin closing in on his heels, Turner embarks on a perilous escape, eventually finding himself trapped in an elevator alongside Joubert (Max Von Sydow), a mysterious figure shrouded in secrecy. A seasoned freelance assassin from Europe, Joubert's hobbies include fine wine, classical music, and meticulously crafted military miniatures, hinting at a fascination with the Napoleonic Era. Turner's instincts scream caution, prompting him to fall back as Joubert exits the building, leaving him to concoct a plan to evade detection.

As Turner reappears at Kathy's apartment, he discovers her on the phone, conversing with her agitated boyfriend. With an air of reassurance, she navigates the conversation, eventually hanging up. Guilt begins to gnaw at Turner as he confides in Kathy that he will depart at dawn, sparking a discussion about her photographic work and his observations of her life. Turner confesses his desire to pause the horror for a few hours, and they share a poignant moment of connection. As the night wears on, they find themselves lost in each other's eyes, their shared vulnerability forging an unspoken bond that will linger long after the morning light.

As morning light creeps into their apartment, Kathy awakens to the sound of knocking at the door. THE Mailman, whose familiar face had appeared just hours prior, stands outside with an air of unyielding determination. His presence is a stark reminder that Joe's attempts to lay low have been futile, as Joubert's keen observation skills have led authorities straight to their doorstep. The Mailman, revealed to be a ruthless hitman, claims to possess a package for Kathy, one that requires her signature. Joe's initial reluctance to answer the door is met with a rehearsed volley of responses from the Mailman, each designed to wear down his resistance.

As the Mailman's well-honed tactics fail to yield the desired result, Joe reluctantly opens the door, only to be met with a seemingly trivial issue - the pen provided won't write. This minor setback allows the hitman to slip inside and shut the door behind him. In the ensuing moment of distraction, Joe takes note of the Mailman's shoes, a distinctive style that serves as a telltale sign of his true nature. With this revelation, Joe springs into action, hurling scalding hot coffee at the unsuspecting hitman just as he begins to unleash a hail of bullets from his suppressor-equipped machine gun.

As the Mailman's arsenal is momentarily neutralized, Joe finds himself in a desperate struggle for survival. The two engage in a fierce hand-to-hand combat, with the Mailman leveraging his martial arts training against Joe's resourcefulness and determination. Kathy emerges from her shower to find the two locked in a brutal battle, her photo equipment serving as an unwitting participant.

As the fight reaches its climax, Joe manages to retrieve his trusty .45, firing two decisive shots that silence the hitman once and for all. In the aftermath of the chaos, Kathy returns to find her living room in disarray, with Joe seated beside the lifeless Mailman. Her distress is palpable as she struggles to come to terms with the violence that has besmirched their sanctuary.

As Joe attempts to console his distraught partner, he takes a moment to rummage through the hitman's pockets, uncovering vital clues in the form of a hotel key and other crucial information. With the bad guys now aware of their location, Joe and Kathy are forced to flee, their lives forever changed by the brutal intrusion into their peaceful existence.

As the stakes escalate, Joe's determination to uncover the truth propels him forward, despite his trepidation. With Kathy by his side, they devise a daring plan to infiltrate the CIA's NYC office, where she cleverly feigns job interest as a ruse to locate Joe's section chief, Higgins. Once spotted, Kathy expertly facilitates Joe's covert operation, whisking Higgins away from his unsuspecting lunch companions and into the back of her Bronco. Under Turner's intense questioning, Higgins' confusion is palpable as he confesses that the tangled web of events has left him just as bewildered as they are.

As Joe confronts Higgins with the Mailman's ID and the cryptic phone number leading to CIA-Langley, a new suspect emerges: Joubert, a former CIA assassin turned contract killer. Higgins' eyes widen as he pieces together the evidence, linking Joubert and the Mailman as partners in past CIA operations.

Undeterred by the complexity of the case, Joe tracks down Joubert to his hotel hideout, where he discovers a crucial clue - a hotel key left behind by the Mailman. As he digs deeper, Joe intercepts Joubert's phone calls, including one that raises the stakes when Joubert inquires about the Condor's status. With this new information, Joe expertly taps into the telco trunk, blocking any trace and placing an anonymous call to Joubert.

The game is afoot as Joe learns that Joubert's controller is none other than Atwood, a high-ranking CIA supervisor. As he prepares to confront Atwood, Joe thanks Kathy for her invaluable assistance, but they know their paths may soon diverge once again.

As the darkness of night enveloped Atwood's rural retreat, the sudden blaring of music shattered the stillness, prompting him to investigate the source of the disturbance in his study. His curiosity led him to a shocking discovery: Turner sat calmly, gripping a firearm, with an air of calculated menace. Cornered and forced into confession, Atwood revealed to Joe that the CIA's interest in his paper was not mere academic curiosity, but rather a sinister attempt to manipulate global oil markets. The revelation sparked a maelstrom of emotions within Joe as he realized why so many innocent lives had been extinguished due to the sudden popularity of Atwood's work among various nations, including those with strategic oil reserves.

As the truth dawned on him, Joe's anger and frustration reached a boiling point, prompting him to raise his gun at Atwood. However, before the tension could escalate further, a quiet voice intervened, "Drop the gun." It was Joubert, standing poised like a statue behind Joe. As Joe surrendered, realizing he was outmatched, Joubert calmly took position beside Atwood and delivered a devastating blow, striking him in the right temple with calculated precision.

As Joe stumbled in shock, Joubert expertly manipulated the scene, collecting the dropped gun and methodically wiping down the room to eliminate any trace evidence. The revelation that he had been tasked with eliminating Atwood due to his embarrassing discovery of their nefarious plans sent a chill down Joe's spine. With his enemy neutralized, Joubert presented Joe with Atwood's gun, as if it were a grim souvenir.

As they departed the property, Joubert offered Joe a ride back to New York, his tone deceptively friendly. Upon arrival, he cautioned Joe that his life would never be the same, and warned him of the constant threat of becoming a liability. He even shared ominous insights on how such a fate might unfold, hinting at the possibility of exile in Europe as a means of escape.

In a surreal twist, Joubert's admiration for Joe's handling of the situation led him to suggest that he consider a future as an assassin himself, implying that his skills would be highly valued in the world of covert operations. As they parted ways, the shadows seemed to whisper ominous warnings, hinting at the uncertain fate that lay ahead for both men.

As Joe's newfound sense of purpose takes hold, he finds himself facing a lingering sense of unfinished business. Back in New York City, he tracks down his arch-nemesis Higgins on the streets, and their tense standoff unfolds like a powder keg waiting to ignite. Higgins, steadfast in his conviction, justifies the CIA's ruthless methods, arguing that they're necessary evils in a world where compromise is impossible.

However, Joe Turner (Robert Redford) refuses to buy into this bleak worldview, his indignation boiling over as he confronts Higgins outside the bustling distribution center of the New York Times. Turner's anger is palpable as he blasts the agency for becoming desensitized to violence, their actions a cynical game of kill or be killed.

Higgins' response is a masterclass in disdain, his voice dripping with condescension as he calls Turner a fool who has unwittingly caused more harm than good. As Turner walks away from the confrontation, Higgins issues a chilling warning: "You're about to become a very lonely man, Condor." The once-tough operative seems impervious to this threat, convinced that his quest for revenge against the CIA has finally been satisfied.

Yet, as he disappears into the crowd, the haunting echoes of Higgins' final words linger in the air like a cold mist: "How do you know they'll publish? How do you know???" The Salvation Army Band's festive Christmas tunes provide a jarring contrast to the sense of foreboding that settles over Joe, his newfound freedom now tinged with an unsettling uncertainty.