Plot & Details
Doc Levy (Roy Scheider) is an American secret agent who has been running interference between the U.S. government and escaped Nazi war criminal Szell (Laurence Olivier). Believing that Doc has stolen a valuable cache of gems, Szell emerges from his South American hiding place and heads for New York. He has Doc killed, then kidnaps Doc's in-the-dark brother, Babe (Dustin Hoffman). Repeating the phrase "Is it safe?" over and over, Szell, a onetime concentration camp dentist, tries to extract information from Babe by performing sadistic "oral surgery" upon him. Babe, who still doesn't know about the gems, escapes, breaking his own self-imposed rule of nonviolence to defend himself against his pursuers and gearing up for sadistic revenge.
- MPAA Rating: R
- Genre(s): Drama,Thriller
- Run Time: 125min.
- Theatrical Release Date: 08/10/2003
- DVD Release Date: 08/28/2001
- Director(s): John Schlesinger
- Starring: Dustin Hoffman , Laurence Olivier , Roy Scheider , William Devane , Marthe Keller
- Themes: Political Corruption,Traitorous Spies/Double Agents,Flight of the Innocent,Sibling Relationships
- Tone: Harsh,Visceral,Chilly,Menacing,Paranoid,Tense
- Keywords: Nazism,agent [representative],brother,chase,concentration-camp,espionage,fugitive,opal,pursuit,reunion,revenge,sports,student,torture,victim
- Language: English
Awards
Academy Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Supporting Actor | Laurence Olivier | Nominated |
Golden Globes
| Year | Award | Category | Cast & Crew | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama | Dustin Hoffman | Nominated |
| 1976 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Marthe Keller | Nominated |
| 1976 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Laurence Olivier | Won |
| 1976 | Hollywood Foreign Press Association | Best Screenplay | William Goldman | Nominated |
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