#228. The Conversation

"He'd kill us if he got the chance."

A paranoid survellience expert is hired to record a young couple's conversation. He refuses to hand over the tapes after he suspects the couple could be in great danger because of them. As the story unfolds, Harry's paranoia and burning conscience make it hard from him to distinguish what's in his mind from reality.

To be honest, I found most of this movie confusing. After it ended, I had to read reviews online and basically do a research paper to understand what happened in it. Now that I've done that, it makes more sense, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it was entirely too slow. I don't see how anyone could understand what was going on until about half way through the movie. From watching the trailer, I could have sworn this movie was going to be an awesome psychological thriller like "The Secret Window" or something like that, but it was far from my expectations. Sure, there were a few some-what scary moments near the end, but not enough to classify it as a "thriller".

My favorite character was the protagonist Harry Caul. He was the one with all the psychological  problems, so it's pretty much a given; he was the most interesting. The couple was also significant, but I have to say, all the others did absolutely nothing for me. But since Harry was great, the "characters" score didn't plummet too much.

Overall, I thought the movie had a very interesting plot (after I understood it), and the end isn't something you'd expect, which I appreciate. It didn't hold my attention like some other movies, but it wasn't too bad. My immediate rating is a 6.8.

Characters: 6.7/10
Acting: 7/10

Storyline: 6.8/10
Entertainment Value: 6.3/10

Immediate Rating: 6.8/10

Total Score: 33.6/50