I’m not sure how The Conversation got on my radar. I’m not a Gene Hackman fan. After watching either Serpico or The French Connection, I may have read a review that mentioned The Conversation as an outstanding film, and the prospect of a young Harrison Ford and Robert Duvall closed the deal. The Conversation is one of the two finest films starring Gene Hackman-the other is Eureka, and one of the best films directed by Francis Ford Coppola. I have no idea if my college exposure to Michelangelo Antonioni has anything to do with my enjoyment of The Conversation, but I would not mind rewatching Blow-Up, which influenced Coppola’s The Conversation, to make sure.
The Conversation is about Harry Caul, a wire tapper on an extremely challenging job that sparks a crisis of conscience and an existential dark night of the soul. Unlike Hackman’s usual characters, Caul is very withdrawn and quiet. He isn’t comfortable in his skin or around others and has an aversion to expressing his emotions. He is paranoid, but not effective at shielding himself. He only succeeds at exiling himself from any positive human contact and becoming vulnerable to the most toxic people in his life. Even though he is excellent at his job and tries to maintain a professional distance, he becomes obsessed with the possible consequences of his work, but is simultaneously unwilling to face them. He is constantly a target of envy and ridicule. The Conversation reveals bits about his childhood, but nothing that fully explains how Caul decided to enter a profession that has taken an enormous psychic toll.
The Conversation is also a thrilling movie to watch. The Conversation has visually surreal moments-some real (the overflowing toilet) and some not (the fog confession). Brian DePalma and Stanley Kubrick definitely owe Coppola some money. The Conversation is a must see!