I wasn't entirely sure what the heck was going on all the time -- but I still had to keep watching anyway.

Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman do a great job as an elderly Nazi chasing after his diamonds and a grad student thrust into this dangerous world by his brother (who is working as a US spy...and a courier for the ex-Nazi...?). Nearly everyone in this movie is not what they seem, leaving Hoffman's Babe really only one option: run.

There are some pretty big things that are never explained, but the plot moves so fast that you don't really notice till you sit and think about it afterwards. The movie's real strength is some pretty tense scenes: you will probably squirm like I did when Olivier's Szell grabs some dentistry equipment and goes to town on Babe's mouth. The camera LOVES capturing close-ups of Olivier's gleaming mug, whether it's him ogling some diamonds or preparing to tear somebody a new one.

This is an excellent and iconic film. Great actors, Hoffman, Olivier, and Scheider, who give enthralling performances in a story about Nazis and international intrigue. Hoffman is a grad student who is drawn into this world by association with his brother, played by Roy Scheider. Olivier's Nazi dentist character is chilling and his "is it safe?" scene with Hoffman is unforgettable. Supporting actors are also very strong, with William Devane, Fritz Weaver and Marthe Keller. There is a documentary on this disc with interviews with the cast and crew that reveal several interesting facts, such as Olivier's battle with cancer during the shoot and that Marthe Keller didn't speak English at the time and was delivering her lines phonetically. This is an excellent film full of suspense and intrigue and a must see.

This movie is a classic. I wanted to see it again. It's about a Nazi war criminal Dr. Christian Szell, (dentist) who, after the war, funneled his stolen diamond fortune to the care of his brother, who kept them in a safety deposit box in New York city. His brother gets in a fight with a Jew on the street which then leads to them both crashing and getting killed. Dr. Szell then has to come to America to recover and sell off a large cache of diamonds which he had taken from Jews killed at Auschwitz. The problem is, some of the Holocaust survivors recognize him! It's a Nail biting movie, all these murderous bad things happen just because Szell is a classic paranoid Nazi, afraid that someone will rob him after her gets the diamonds out of the bank.

A marvelous suspense thriller with a top notch cast and sharp direction, "Marathon Man" receives a very good transfer to Blu-ray. The Amazon listing mentions there aren't any special features and that's not true; the U.S. BD release features the special features from the DVD special edition.

"Babe" Levy (Dustin Hoffman)lives a frugal life in New York as he puts together his doctoral thesis in political science. "Babe" gets drawn into a conspiracy involving a Nazi war criminal (Lawrence Olivier)working with "The Company" i.e., a clandestine U.S. intelligence organization. Babe's brother (Roy Scheider)acts as liaison between The Company which puts Babe in harm's way.

Directed by John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy [Blu-ray]), "Marathon Man" was Schlesinger's first thriller and he directs it with just the right mixture of paranoia and menace. Hoffman gives a terrific performance as Babe--a man who's past is tainted because his parents were targeted by Joe McCarthy and is lost because of this. Likewise, Scheider, William Devane, Marthe Keller and Fritz Weaver give strong, compelling performances.

The Blu-ray looks exceptionally good although there was some video noise evident in a couple of scenes but it shouldn't be that distracting. The 5.1 audio mix prepared for the previous DVD edition is imported over here as well and while quite discreet, it sounds nice.

As mentioned ALL the special features are imported over from the DVD special edition: We get the excerpt from the surviving rehearsal footage shot by director John Schlesinger; "Remembering 'Marathon Man'" the retrospective featurette running just under a half hour and the original vintage featurette as well as the theatrical trailer. All of the special features are in SD.

It's a pity that no commentary track was ever recorded for this featuring the surviving cast members when the DVD was issued. Only Hoffman and Devane of the original cast are still alive and I'm sure the pair would have made for a fun commentary track today.

A strong, paranoid thriller from a decade that produced some of the best thrillers, "Marathon Man" receives an exceptional good transfer.

Great book made into movie with an excellent cast. This is one of the best spy thriller movies out there. Hoffman, Olivier, and Scheider turned in outstanding performances. Hoffman as a college grad student that seems out of his depth when he is dragged into his brothers affairs, Olivier as a Nazi war criminal that tortures with dentistry, and Scheider as the pro spy with an attitude are perfect for their roles. Now I can stream it to any of my devices. "Is it safe?"