Why This Might Be Robert Redford's Most Prescient Movie
We all have our own favorite Robert Redford movie. But what's Redford’s most prescient film about today’s America? His Seventies trilogy about American politics — The Candidate, Three Days of the Condor and All the President's Men — are all, in their own profound ways, lasting meditations on the United States. But of the three, it might be Sydney Pollack's Three Days of the Condor (1975) which has the eeriest relevance to contemporary America. For James Grady, whose equally classic 1974 thriller Six Days of the Condor inspired the movie, Three Days of the Condor speaks to both the all-encompassing paranoia and isolation of our age. It's the anti-James Bond film for our anti-James Bond age. "For a movie that was made fifty years ago to unearth the emotions we felt then, and the emotions we're feeling now — that's extraordinary," James Grady says. Yes. After a half century, the Condor has landed.
Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Episode 2241: Gary Shapiro on how to become a Pivot Guy
Episode 2240: Parmy Olson on the race for global AI supremacy between OpenAI and Deep Mind
Episode 2239: Good Morning America! AI, Trump and the Silicon Valley Future
Episode 2238: Juliana Tafur on how to put Humpty Dumpty (America) back to together again
Episode 2237: Vanessa Resier on Narcissistic Abuse - the disease that captures the spirit of our toxic times
Episode 2236: Raj M. Shah and Christopher Kirchhoff on How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Transforming the Future of War
Episode 2235: John Driscoll on why Kamala Harris lost
Episode 2234: Lauren Oyler on 2024 as America's first post internet election
Episode 2233: Paul Greenberg predicts a George Washington vs Donald Trump election in 2028
Episode 2242: Should anyone in Silicon Valley really care who wins the election?
Episode 2241: Daniel Susskind exposes the messy truth about the benefits of economic growth
Episode 2240: Jon Moynihan on how to fix the economy and create long term growth
Episode 2239: Has Halloween been rescheduled for November 5?