Although Harrison Ford only has a supporting role as Martin Stett in The Conversation, I wanted to include this movie in the Filmography Challenge. The Conversation is a thriller that follows Harry Caul (Gene Hackman), a surveillance expert who was hired for a job to record a conversation between a young couple, Ann (Cindy Williams) and Mark (Frederic Forrest).
It should have been a routine case with Harry recording the conversation and giving it to his client The Director (Robert Duvall). But when he went to his meeting to turn over the tapes, something didn't sit well with him leaving them with The Director's assistant Martin Stett (Harrison Ford) especially since his client wasn't there. So instead of taking his rather substantial payment, Harry took the tapes back.
What I found interesting is that when Harry was waiting for The Director, Martin seemed rather friendly in a professional sort of way as well as unassuming. But the moment Harry changed his mind about leaving the tapes, Martin's disposition quickly changed. He gave off this distinctively creepy and menacing vibe that had Harry making a quick exit. But Martin slowly followed him through the hallway until Harry reached the elevator and with one last attempt offering Harry the money. Although Martin was standing at a distance, you couldn't ignore his presence.
Martin's creepiness continues because while Harry was at a surveillance convention, he noticed Martin was there. Apparently, Martin claimed he was there only to deliver a message from The Director about the tapes. Yes, he delivered a message but his being there was an unspoken warning or threat that Harry should not forget to give The Director the tapes at the next meeting. Harry was a little shaken to see Martin at the convention because he certainly wasn't expecting to see him there of all places.
I felt like the situation surrounding this case was throwing Harry off his game. He was supposed to be one of the best in the surveillance world but there were times when he slipped up and overlooked things such as when Bernie Moran (Allen Garfield), another surveillance expert at the convention, gave Harry an ink pen that turned out to be a listening device. As the viewer, I was immediately suspicious when Bernie placed the pen in the top pocket of Harry's suit jacket and I thought Harry should have gotten rid of it. But he didn't.
However, it wasn't until Harry and a bunch of other surveillance guys and a few other guests were at Harry's office for a little impromptu party, that the whole thing was revealed as a joke. Harry became angry because it undoubtedly showed how vulnerable he was and that he was easily tricked by something he should have easily become suspicious of. I do believe it unnerved Harry seeing Martin at the convention which played a small part in him overlooking something so obvious. But that doesn't explain his next slip up.
After Harry fell asleep at his office, he woke up to the tapes being missing. During the time he had the tapes, Harry had started to think something bad might happen to the couple. Which is why I think he was starting to feel reluctant to hand over the tapes. Especially since it was revealed during the party that information that Harry had once recorded resulted in people being murdered. Before he fell asleep, he sleepily mentioned to Meredith (Elizabeth MacRae), a woman he had met through Bernie, that the tapes should be destroyed. So it was interesting that the tapes somehow mysteriously disappeared. For an instant, he thought Meredith had taken the tapes because she was gone when he woke up and so were the tapes. There is that possibility since she was the last one there with Harry. Another possibility, I believe is that when those other surveillance guys and guests left his office they didn't properly close the doors which could have allowed someone to sneak in and take the tapes. However, I could be wrong and Meredith was the thief but how did she know who to hand the tapes over to.
Somehow the tapes mysterious wound up in the hands of The Director, I do wonder if Martin was involved. Harry was paid for his services but the money couldn't erase the worry and fear he had for the couple. Especially since he found out that Ann was married to The Director and the conversation Harry had recorded may have revealed that Ann and her boyfriend Mark were in danger.
I don't want to reveal the ending because it was actually rather cleverly done with how it unfolded. What I found interesting about Harry is that because of (or due to) his job in surveillance he's very obsessive about protecting his privacy. For instance, although he has an alarm system set up in his apartment, his front door has multiple locks on it. He's very protective of his information and doesn't get too close to anyone.
I found The Conversation to be interesting especially now with it being so easy to record someone or be recorded. How can you protect your privacy if nearly everywhere you go there are cameras? However, it can potentially hold someone accountable if a crime is committed or you could see something so unbelievable it has to be recorded. But it also makes it easy to possibly tamper or alter the information to frame someone for something they didn't do. This movie brings to light ethics of recording someone and the outcome. In the movie, Harry didn't feel responsible for the content of the conversations that he recorded or how the client would use the information. But as I mentioned before, in an old case, information that he had once recorded resulted in a murder. Somehow he must have convinced himself he wasn't responsible because the client murdered someone not him. Which is true but would the murder have been committed if it wasn't for the recording? There is a lot to think over with this movie.
But I don't want to make this review or discussion any longer without focusing a bit more on Harrison Ford's character Martin Stett. Since this is the Harrison Ford Filmography Challenge. It's hard not to notice how sinister he was throughout the movie. And although he doesn't say much, what he does say can feel very chilling and threatening at times along with his mere presence.
What I found interesting is Martin was gay (it wasn't explicitly stated but the implications were there) and he wasn't portrayed stereotypical or used for laughs. Although, he was a supporting character, he's hard to over look because you're not quite sure what he's up to. He's clearly an enforcer that you don't want anything to do with. He might be unassuming but the threats he issue out are certainly not.
I know Harrison Ford has played some memorable characters and I think Martin Stett should be considered one of them.
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