Marathon Man
A graduate student and obsessive runner in New York is drawn into a mysterious plot involving his brother, a member of the secretive Division.
Critics Sentiment
Szell tortures Babe using his dental skills and instruments
Babe begins relationship with Swiss girlfriend Elsa Opel
The film jumps from a slow romantic subplot to the intense dental torture sequence, representing the biggest emotional shift from mundane character building to visceral terror
Marathon Man builds deliberately through character establishment and convoluted plotting before exploding into memorably intense thriller territory. The infamous dental torture scene represents both the film's peak and its most discussed element, with critics praising Olivier's chilling performance while noting pacing issues in the setup. Despite plot holes and believability concerns, the film succeeds as a paranoid thriller anchored by strong performances.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 59
Dustin Hoffman
Thomas 'Babe' Levy
Laurence Olivier
Dr. Christian Szell
Roy Scheider
Henry 'Doc' Levy
William Devane
Janeway
Marthe Keller
Elsa Opel
Fritz Weaver
Professor Biesenthal
Richard Bright
Karl
Marc Lawrence
Erhard
James Wing Woo
Chen
Lou Gilbert
Rosenbaum
Jacques Marin
LeClerc
Allen Joseph
Babe's Father
Tito Goya
Melendez
Ben Dova
Szell's Brother
Nicole Deslauriers
Nicole
Lotte Palfi Andor
Old Lady on 47th Street
Lionel Pina
Street Gang
Church
Street Gang
Tricoche
Street Gang
Jamie Tirelli
Street Gang
Crew
Write a Review
Rate each story beat:
