The Parallax View, 1974

The Parallax View, directed by Alan J. Pakula, is the story of Joe Frady (played by Warren Beatty). Joe is tough reporter that witnesses the assassination of a Senator in a Seattle, Washington diner. Thinking that the assassination had been solved, Joe and his ex-girlfriend move on with their lives. However, Joe’s ex-girlfriend confesses three years later that she believes there’s more to the story because six of the witnesses have died since then. She is killed shortly thereafter. Joe then begins to dig around and finds the Parallax Corporation, which appears to be a therapy institute. However, as Joe soon finds out the Parallax Corporation is way more than what it appears and viewers will watch in suspense to find out if Joe makes it out alive or not.

Made in the post-Watergate era of America, The Parallax View feeds off of the paranoia that surrounded Americans at that time. Therefore, the movie has some extremely suspenseful moments as viewers wonder what will come next, but this isn’t exactly out of Pakula’s comfort zone. Pakula was masterful at creating thrillers that were complex, yet unusual. He dared viewers, especially in The Parallax View, to think outside of the normal conspiracy theories and to consider what governments and those with power can really do.

Beatty’s performance is top-notch and I don’t see how he could have done much better in his role. Beatty’s supporting cast-mates perform equally as well. With only a few minor disappointments, The Parallax View is one of the best conspiracy based movies ever made.