Marathon Man

The Basic Plot: This one's a little tricky to talk about without giving it all away.. You've got two old men who crash their cars in Manhattan, Dustin Hoffman as Tom Levy, a grad student determined to run a marathon, and a spy named Scylla hopping around Europe, whose lives all intersect in one big kablooey mess.

My Basic Ramblings: As good as the movie was, the novel (written by the ever-amazing William Goldman) is even better. I guess what I like about the novel is that every character, even a police officer who appears only on the last page, is given a name, a history, motivation. As a writer, I find that really neat. So go read the novel before you see the movie. (Read the sequel, Brothers, too. It's totally impossible and unbelievable, but Goldman convinces you it could happen.) GO! NOW! READ IT!

Slug Bug Factor: Only one. I thought there were two, but Chris said the second one was actually a Critoën. Chris also commented on the large number of Mercury Monarchs present in the film, and kept saying how he really really wants one. Whatever.


Back