Retro Movie : The Parallax View

The 1970s were the decade in which the conspiracy thriller movie came into its own. In the wake of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., the optimism of the 1960s gave way to feelings of distrust and paranoid thoughts. Theses negative thoughts escalated further when the United States was propelled into the aftermath of events such as the Manson murders and the Watergate scandal. Films like Executive Action, The Conversation, Night Moves, Three Days of the Condor, All The President's Men, Winter Kills and Capricorn One focused on conspiracies, real or imagined, that exposed the dark underside of the American dream. No movie illustrates these ideas and concepts in a more chilling and effective manner than The Parallax View, director Alan J. Pakula's 1974 classic starring Warren Beatty.

Beatty plays Joe Frady, a somewhat down on his luck (albeit talented and resourceful) reporter who, as the film opens, is nearby when a popular presidential candidate is assassinated. An investigative committee formed by the government finds that the murder was the act of a disturbed individual who acted alone. Lee Carter, a newswoman who witnessed the murder firsthand, visits Frady several years after the killing. She tells him that she believes something odd is going on, as a number of witnesses to the shooting have died, seemingly under normal or accidental circumstances. Carter, a former flame of Frady's, is herself found dead of a drug overdose shortly after her visit to his home, and Frady decides to investigate.

What he discovers is that a mysterious organization called The Parallax Corporation is recruiting people who are on the fringe of society, and don't fit the accepted behavioral norm. These antisocial outsiders are given training, and new jobs, but are ultimately used as assassins, taking out politicians that don't fit the shadowy group's world view. The oddball loners are then framed for the crimes, and take the fall for the killings as a "lone gunman." Frady convinces his editor that he should go undercover in the organization, allow them to recruit him, and expose their activities to the world. It's a choice that could ultimately prove to be Frady's undoing. The power of the Parallax organization, and their connections, run far deeper than he ever imagined.

In The Parallax View, nothing is quite what it seems. There are multiple layers of secrets, lies and misdirection at the center of this shadowy organization. As he digs deeper, Frady becomes caught in the middle of a deadly conspiracy. Just how far do the tendrils of Parallax reach? The sense of unease and impending doom is palpable in this dark and cynical thriller. The moody cinematography by Gordon Willis is superb, as is Pakula's tense direction. There's always something happening just outside the frame, and you're often unsure of exactly what's going on right before your eyes. The X-Files may have popularized the term "Trust No One" but in The Parallax View, there's a deep feeling of dread throughout the story. You really can't trust anyone.

The cast is superb. Beatty delivers a solid, low key performance as Frady. The fine supporting cast includes Paula Prentiss, Hume Cronyn, William Daniels, Kenneth Mars, Walter McGinn and Anthony Zerbe. The intelligent, layered script was written by David Giler and Lorenzo Semple, Jr. (with an uncredited assist by Robert Towne) and is based on the book by Loren Singer. Michael Small provides an excellent score, which helps add to the sense of unease throughout the film. Along with Klute and All The President's Men, which were also directed by Alan J. Pakula, this film is often referred to as part of his unofficial "paranoia" trilogy. The Parallax View seems even more relevant in our current environment, and is definitely worth a look. Here's a link to the trailer for the film, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzQRp0Fjpjg, which is now streaming on Amazon.