Harry Caul will go anywhere to bug a private conversation.

Starring: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, Allen Garfield, Cindy Williams, Frederic Forrest, Harrison Ford, Michael Higgins, Elizabeth MacRae, Teri Garr, Robert Duvall, Robert Shields

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"We know that you know, Mr. Caul. For your own sake, don't get involved any further. We'll be listening to you" - Martin Stett

Why watch this? Clandestine surveillance can have nefarious results.

Plot Summary: A reclusive and intensely private surveillance expert in San Francisco is hired by a mysterious client to record the intimate, cryptic conversation of a young couple in a crowded park. Haunted by a previous job that ended in tragedy, he becomes increasingly obsessed with the audio recordings and starts to believe the couple will be murdered. As he attempts to intervene and uncover the truth, he uncovers a deeper conspiracy that forces him to question the morality of his work.

Dad's Preview: This conspiracy-rich film, about the lucrative field of surveillance-for-hire, starts quite innocently as gadget expert Harry Caul, and his crew, record an ordinary couple in conversation. Then the tension starts to build... Harry, who is haunted by a past job that went wrong, attends a surveillance product convention. There he meet ups with old business acquaintances, and is betrayed. Two central questions are at play. First, should a person who feels that a crime will be committed try to stop it? Second, when dealing with vague, distorted information, what is your perception versus reality? Hackman is superb as a lonely, tortured and socially awkward man, struggling to keep things together, as he becomes aware of something horrible. This film's ending, will surprise you, and getting there is great filmmaking.

The Director's Company; Paramount Pictures