--- title: "Three Days of the Condor: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/three-days-of-the-condor/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/three-days-of-the-condor" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Three Days of the Condor (1975): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 11 reviews: 9 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 7 May 2021. This peerless Sydney Pollack thriller has aged well and become positively prophetic in its depiction of US plots involving the Middle East and oil. Redford is slightly outclassed by Max von Sydow’s ruthless assassin in an unbearably tense lift sequence. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/classic-film-review-three-days-of-the-condor-1975-peerless-thriller-has-become-positively-prophetic-98xh7523c) ## The AV Club — Jesse Hassenger Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 3 April 2014. The critic praises the film as one of the best 1970s political thrillers, highlighting Pollack's use of unsettling sound design and everyday settings to build menace. Redford is singled out for embodying an everyman caught in paranoia and moral outrage over CIA activities. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/all-nerdy-government-paper-pushers-look-like-robert-red-1798267564) ## Time Out — CPe Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The film is an intriguing neo-Hitchcock thriller set amid CIA power games, with an intelligent script that keeps the action moving. A certain gloss irritates, but strong scenes and the Redford/Dunaway relationship compensate. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/three-days-of-the-condor) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1975. The film is a well-made, tense thriller that feels all too believable in the post-Watergate era. It singles out the bloodless CIA types and their contingency plans for particular notice. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/three-days-of-the-condor-1975) ## The Guardian — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2016. The reissue of Sydney Pollack’s sleek CIA conspiracy thriller holds up well forty years on and should appeal to viewers familiar with the Bourne films. Robert Redford’s star power adds gloss but the film’s shaping and pacing feel markedly modern. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/10/chronic-victor-frankenstein-xenia-trapped-three-days-condor-review) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 September 1975. A good-looking, entertaining suspense film that works best in its conventional pursuit and flight sequences. It creates a convincing sense of isolation around the supergovernment agencies but falls short as a serious exposé. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1975/09/25/archives/redford-a-cia-eccentric-in-three-days-of-condor.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1974. The film follows the standard studio formula but fails to elevate its substance despite big names and production values. It ultimately does not succeed in making the material work. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1974/film/reviews/three-days-of-the-condor-1200423315/) ## Collider — Andre Dellamorte Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2009. The film is solid and inspired Hollywood filmmaking that influenced later thrillers like the Bourne series, though it doesn't reach the heights of some other 1970s classics. It excels through Pollack's direction, strong performances from Redford and Dunaway, great use of locations, and a well-built conclusion featuring tense character interactions. [Read the review](https://collider.com/saturday-night-fever-and-3-days-of-the-condor-blu-ray-reviews/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 26 April 2016. The critic finds the thriller elements effective but undermined by an over-egged and dated romance subplot. Good performances, directorial style and the ambivalent conclusion lift the film. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/three-days-of-the-condor-1975-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## Polygon — Jesse Hassenger Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 19 December 2025. It stands as Robert Redford's signature paranoid 1970s spy thriller and a definitive entry in the genre, distinguished by its focus on the protagonist thinking and plotting on camera amid a convoluted conspiracy. The film is slickly made with strong chemistry and precision, though its paranoia is relatively anodyne compared to more existential or bleak contemporaries. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/three-days-of-the-condor-50-robert-redford/) ## The Skinny — Philip Concannon Rating 3/5. 12 April 2016. The critic views it as a key paranoid thriller of the mid-1970s, absorbing despite some dated flourishes, with strong narrative skill and standout performances from Redford and von Sydow. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/three-days-of-the-condor) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/three-days-of-the-condor.md