The Conversation

The Conversation (1974)
IMDB #219 [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071360/]

The Gist:
Gene Hackman plays a man who specializes in private surveillance. In fact, he seems to be an early pioneer of the trade, long before wire tapping became a thing of government conspiracy. In the beginning of the film, he is recording a rather ambiguous conversation between a man and a woman who appear to be having an affair. He talks about not caring what the conversation is about, merely that he finishes the job. However, the longer the film goes on, the more weight this conversation carries. There is a suggestion that it may lead to the young couples murder. Hackman becomes obsessed with the tape, their words play over and over throughout the film. Each time the conversation is repeated it gives new shades of meaning. The film is one of the last great efforts from Francis Ford Coppola, and is filled with a dread suspense that plays into the audience's fears perfectly.