Marathon Man (1976) ****

A long overdue first-time watch. John Schlesinger's paranoiac Marathon Man (1976) is one of those stylish 1970s slow burn thrillers that I always enjoy. William Goldman, who wrote the screenplay from his novel, was on fire in the '70s. The direction is assured, the performances are strong, the slow pace is punctuated by sudden bursts of brutal violence, and the diverse score features a wide range of instruments—running the gamut from melancholic to tense to frenetic.