The Conversation
Harry Caul is an invader of privacy. The best in the business.
1974 • 115 min • Crime · Drama · Mystery
Synopsis
A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.
Our family guide
Best from age 14- 100 Reviewers · 4 · 60%
- 75 Audience · 2072 · 40%
A reclusive surveillance expert grapples with his conscience after he suspects a couple he is bugging will be murdered. As he digs deeper, his paranoia grows, leading to a profound crisis of morality and isolation.
- Violence & peril
- 3/10
- Language
- 2/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 3/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 1/10
- Scary moments
- 4/10
Heads up
- Discussions of murder and crime
- Some adult themes and intense situations
- Heavy emphasis on psychological tension
What it models well
- The cost of moral compromise
- Importance of personal responsibility
- Consequences of unchecked power
Talk about it after
- Ethics of surveillance and privacy
- Paranoia and its effects on individuals
- The meaning of isolation
- Seeking truth versus protecting oneself
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for The Conversation. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
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Top billed cast
Director: Francis Ford Coppola • Crew: Francis Ford Coppola
Trailers & clips
Reviewer notes
Recommended“The Conversation” is not what you’d expect - but, it must be said, is fantastic and nearly flawless in its own right. It is more similar to Antonioni’s “Blow” than DePalma’s, and a sense of eeriness flows throughout the work, bolstered by Gene Hackman’s solemn and brooding performance. The best thing about this movie though, is the shocking third act, which I wouldn’t dare spoil here.…
RecommendedGene Hackman is superb here as "Harry" - a super-efficient surveillance expert who discovers in the line of duty that a couple he is monitoring might well be about to be murdered. It becomes clear that the couple - Cindy Williams & Frederic Forrest are having an affair but that is just the tip of the conspiratorial iceberg in this tautly scripted/directed effort from Francis Ford Coppola.…
RecommendedTrusted family reviewers"The Conversation" is a tense thriller that explores how paranoia can take over all aspects of everyday life once something disturbing is discovered. Paid to eavesdrop on two people in a public place, Harry Caul ( Gene Hackman ) records the conversation and after some work produces a tape with clarity for his client.…
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersUnfortunately, it appears with every passing day that the great American paranoid political thrillers of the 60's and 70's, with its strongest work bookended by 'The Manchurian Candidate' (eerily foreseeing the JFK assassination) and 'All the President's Men' (placing a coda of closure on the Watergate scandal), simply haven't aged a day, and are as timely as ever in conceptualizing the palpable fear that ordinary ci…
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Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 7.5/10 (2,072)
- Age rating
- PG
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $1,600,000
- Box office
- $4,794,457
- IMDb
- tt0071360
