Marathon Man (1976)

NEUTRAL

Various

81%

1976, Mystery & thriller, 2h 5m

RT Critics’ Score: 81% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 11 nominations total

Click to Stream

Critics Consensus

Marathon Man runs the gamut from patient mystery to pulse-pounding thriller, aided by Laurence Oliver’s coldly terrifying performance and a brainy script by William Goldman

Audience Consensus

If you’re looking for a movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Marathon Man is the perfect pick. Sure, there might be some plot holes, but who cares when you’re too busy trying to figure out what’s going to happen next? Plus, the torture scene is not for the faint of heart, so make sure you’re ready for some intense moments. Overall, it’s a diabolical thriller that will leave you wanting more. Just maybe don’t schedule a dentist appointment right after watching it.

Storyline

Thomas “Babe” Levy, whose brother Henry James “Doc” Levy is an oil business executive, is a Ph.D. candidate in History at Columbia University. He is also training as a marathon runner. Babe is paying homage to his deceased father, H.B. Levy, in pursuing the same studies as he, the father who committed suicide while being under investigation in the Communist witch hunts. Babe’s work does not sit well with Doc who wants Babe to move on with his life. While at Columbia, Babe meets and begins to date Elsa Opel, a foreign exchange student also in History. While out for a walk in Central Park late one night, Babe and Elsa are mugged, the unusual aspect of it being that their attackers were men in suits. Babe will learn that the mugging was not a random attack after someone close to Babe is found murdered, the deceased whom was not whom he purported to be. From here, Babe is thrown into an international conspiracy concerning Nazi war criminal Christian Szell in hiding, and a large cache of diamonds. In the process, Babe learns that Szell’s associates are after him believing that he was passed sensitive information by the deceased before his death. Not knowing anything about what’s going on, Babe has to decide whom he can and cannot trust while he works to find out what’s going on. In Babe discovering what’s happening around him, his issue with Szell becomes personal.

Production Company(ies)
CNN Films, Manny O Productions, Sunset Pictures,

Distributor
Paramount Pictures

Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)

Filming Location(s)
505 South Flower St, Los Angeles, California, USA

MPAA / Certificate
R

Year of Release
1976

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Mono
Aspect ratio:

1.85 : 1
Runtime:

2h 5m
Language(s):

English, French, German, Spanish, Yiddish
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 6, 1976 Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 15, 2012

Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller

Keyword(s)
starring Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier, Roy Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver, directed by John Schlesinger, written by William Goldman, Robert Towne, Mystery & thriller, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Roger Ebert, Richard Corliss, Mike Massie, Michael Mascioli, Ruth Batchelor, Jesús Fernández Santos, Dom Nero, MPAA rating R, produced by Sidney Beckerman, Robert Evans, Nazi war criminal, stolen gems, sadistic madmen, Columbia graduate student, long-distance runner, government agent, girlfriend, Elsa, Professor Biesenthal, suspense, thriller, diabolical, suspense-movie tricks, political thriller, torture scene, dentist, New York diamond district, shootout, country house, Nazi, war booty, screen talent, William Goldman tale, convoluted, hard to follow, confusing, needlessly complicated, satisfying, taut, intriguing, patient mystery, pulse-pounding, coldly terrifying performance, brainy script

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $21,709,020
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $123,108,864
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 923
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 13,425,176

US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $36,860,605
Production budget ranking: 1,017
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $19,849,436
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $66,398,823
ROI to date (est.): 117%
ROI ranking: 868

Cast & Crew

Dustin Hoffman

Thomas Levy

Laurence Olivier

Dr. Christian Szell

Roy Scheider

Thomas Levy

Dr. Christian Szell

Henry Levy

Peter Janeway

Elsa Opel

Dustin Hoffman – Thomas Levy
Laurence Olivier – Dr. Christian Szell
Roy Scheider – Henry Levy
William Devane – Peter Janeway
Marthe Keller – Elsa Opel
Fritz Weaver – Professor Biesenthal

John Schlesinger

William Goldman

Sidney Beckerman

Robert Evans

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
John Schlesinger

Writer(s)
William Goldman, Robert Towne

Producer(s)
Sidney Beckerman, Robert Evans

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
4 wins & 11 nominations total

Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees

Top Reviews

Roger Ebert

Richard Corliss

Mike Massie

Michael Mascioli

Ruth Batchelor

Chicago Sun-Times

New Times (magazine)

Gone With The Twins

Philadelphia Gay News

Los Angeles Free Press

MARATHON MAN
All Critics (43) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (8)
If holes in plots bother you, Marathon Man will be maddening. But as well-crafted escapist entertainment, as a diabolical thriller, the movie works with relentless skill.

October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
Marathon Man is kitsch of a pretty high order. And it dips effectively into the slightly-frayed, but still-full, bag of suspense-movie tricks.

June 22, 2022

Richard Corliss
New Times (magazine)
Despite the pervasive suspense and the uniqueness of the bloodshed, the script’s insistence on withholding clues prevents a deeper involvement with the plot.

August 30, 2020 | Rating: 7/10

Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Marathon Man is an astounding, top-notch thriller that stands out as one of the year’s ten best.

May 28, 2020

Michael Mascioli
Philadelphia Gay News
John Schlesinger, who brought us Darling, Midnight Cowboy, Sunday Bloody Sunday and, alas The Day of the Locust, is by far one of the best film directors in the industry.

October 29, 2019

Ruth Batchelor
Los Angeles Free Press
What seemed at the beginning like a meticulous approach, an in-depth analysis of a political and human matter, ends up being a doll-like fight. [Full Review in Spanish]

July 18, 2019

Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
There is no classic film that captures the horror-of-human-history phenomenon more exemplarily.

October 16, 2018

Dom Nero
Esquire Magazine
Filmmaker John Schlesinger delivers a slow-moving first half that admittedly requires a fair degree of patience from the viewer…

July 16, 2018 | Rating: 3/4

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Schlesinger’s stylish political thriller features Olivier as an old, nasty Nazi, in a splashy role that earned him Oscar nomination.

April 19, 2011 | Rating: B

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Film’s notorious torture scene means adults only.

January 1, 2011 | Rating: 4/5

David Gurney
Common Sense Media
If this doesn’t turn you against going to the dentist, nothing will. Terrifying, pulsating film w/Hoffman.

June 21, 2008 | Rating: 5/5

Steve Crum
Video-Reviewmaster.com
Needlessly complicated glossy thriller.

March 1, 2008 | Rating: B-

Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…

Plot
Thomas “Babe” Levy, whose brother Henry James “Doc” Levy is an oil business executive, is a Ph.D. candidate in History at Columbia University. He is also training as a marathon runner. Babe is paying homage to his deceased father, H.B. Levy, in pursuing the same studies as he, the father who committed suicide while being under investigation in the Communist witch hunts. Babe’s work does not sit well with Doc who wants Babe to move on with his life. While at Columbia, Babe meets and begins to date Elsa Opel, a foreign exchange student also in History. While out for a walk in Central Park late one night, Babe and Elsa are mugged, the unusual aspect of it being that their attackers were men in suits. Babe will learn that the mugging was not a random attack after someone close to Babe is found murdered, the deceased whom was not whom he purported to be. From here, Babe is thrown into an international conspiracy concerning Nazi war criminal Christian Szell in hiding, and a large cache of diamonds. In the process, Babe learns that Szell’s associates are after him believing that he was passed sensitive information by the deceased before his death. Not knowing anything about what’s going on, Babe has to decide whom he can and cannot trust while he works to find out what’s going on. In Babe discovering what’s happening around him, his issue with Szell becomes personal.

Trivia