The Conversation

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The Conversation

PG

1974

1h 53m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

141 Reviews

89%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client's brusque aide (Harrison Ford) to tail a young couple, Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams). Tracking the pair through San Francisco's Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple are in danger.

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Critics Consensus

This tense, paranoid thriller presents Francis Ford Coppola at his finest -- and makes some remarkably advanced arguments about technology's role in society that still resonate today.

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David Wilson

Sight & Sound

Dec 22

An unqualified success, a complex, reverberating study of a man trapped by guilt.

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Rex Reed

New York Daily News

09/24/2024

It is a superior movie, a dynamic social document, and an exemplary public service. In every way, a Kilimanjaro among motion pictures.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

09/24/2024

The Conversation is driven by an inner logic. It's a little thin, because the logic is the working out of one character's obsession, but it's a buggy movie that can get to you so that when it's over you really feel you're being bugged.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 26

4/4

Very much a piece of its time, snuggling up nicely to other paranoia thrillers like The Parallax View and Three Days of the Condor.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Sep 25

10/10

This is nearly a one-man show, with Hackman giving an extraordinary performance as a conflicted soul whose personal beliefs, business ethic, and moral compass begin to unravel as he steadily uncovers clues about a mysterious, recorded conversation.

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Andy Punter

InSession Film

04/28/2025

A

The Conversation doesn’t offer neat resolutions. Its famous ending is a haunting tableau of paranoia consuming itself, leaving the audience, like Caul, surrounded by questions. It’s a film that demands reflection, provoking debate decades after release.

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Wes

09/26/2024

Maybe I would have appreciated it more if I was an adult back in the 70s. Boring. It’s interesting getting a look at 70s urban blight. Union Square became a big skate spot 20 years later. Movies like this are why Star Wars was such a hit and came at the right time. What a contrast!

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Alexander

08/18/2024

Super boring. Francis made this after The Godfather and even explains in the mini interview that he did not screen it with anyone except for a few babysitters. Maybe he knew subconsciously that this is a terrible movie and couldnt stand any honest feedback. Waste of my time and money. I walked out less than halfway into it.

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Levi J

@Lev77 Jun 7

Carefully-crafted, superb psychological thriller full of paranoia, complexity, and crime, along with great sound and screenwriting and a performance from Gene Hackman that is subtle, yet significant!

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Rafi M

@RT61647557 May 20

This is a movie buff's movie - an 'art house,' European style film-noir, with a desaturated color palette, slow, irregular pacing, confusing narrative, and an inconclusive ending. Great 70s styling, cars, and San Francisco locations, and a soundtrack mixing jazz and music-concrete. Gene Hackman plays a man who is full of intensity and is white-knuckled repressing it; Harrison Ford plays the most 'definite' character in the movie. There's lots of state-of-the-art surveillance gadgetry, and some really scary scenes, both 'real' and 'imagined,' none of which is clear.

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Carlos I

@carlosFibarra May 14

I keep hearing from film nerds how much I'm supposed to love this and how much it's Coppola's true masterpiece, and while it has some cool ideas and atmosphere, it bored me to tears. Gene Hackman delivers a remarkably restrained performance as the paranoid Harry Caul, and the film's exploration of privacy and surveillance feels more relevant today than ever. However, the glacial pacing and minimalist narrative can feel like a chore if you aren't in the mood for a dense character study.

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laura s

@SMITH2727 Jan 13

Slowly, as things are revealed, this becomes a gripping story. Excellent performances. And a young Harrison Ford!

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Francis Ford Coppola

Director

Gene Hackman

Harry Caul

John Cazale

Stan

Frederic Forrest

Mark

Allen Garfield

William P. "Bernie" Moran

Cindy Williams

Ann

The Conversation: Official Clip - I'm Not Afraid of Death

2:51

The Conversation: Official Clip - What Will You Do to Her?

2:15

The Conversation: Official Clip - He'd Kill Us If He Got the Chance

2:04

The Conversation: Official Clip - The Bugger Got Bugged

1:42

The Conversation: Official Clip - Phone Tap

1:59

The Conversation: Official Clip - What a Stupid Conversation

2:07

The Conversation: Official Clip - I'm Your Secret

2:13

The Conversation: Official Clip - Bug Hunt

2:59

The Conversation: Official Clip - Someone May Get Hurt

1:47

The Conversation: Official Clip - Scene of the Crime

2:05

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Synopsis

Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client's brusque aide (Harrison Ford) to tail a young couple, Mark (Frederic Forrest) and Ann (Cindy Williams). Tracking the pair through San Francisco's Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple are in danger.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Francis Ford Coppola
Screenwriter: Francis Ford Coppola
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: American Zoetrope, The Directors Company
Rating: PG
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 7, 1974, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Aug 9, 2024
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $143.4K
Runtime: 1h 53m