Did you people see the same film I saw?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

"The Parallax View" is the kind of film that gave some American citizens cause to question the so-called "American Dream" via their distrust of their own government, entering a war in which America had no business, race riots, President Nixon being exposed for what he really was etc. The above film is a far superior political thriller in comparison to the same director's later film, "All the President's Men." "The Parallax View" is actually a powerful and quite disturbing film about the efforts of one journalist (Warren Beatty) who investigates supposedly accidental deaths which are all linked to the events that unfold at the beginning of the film. Little does Warren Beatty realise the sheer magnitude and complexity of what he is taking on. He gradually becomes rather isolated from the outside world as his search for the truth makes him realise that not all is what it appears to be..... The photography, direction, script and the music are all first class. The acting is good as well. Watch this and be prepared to be entertained to the very end. This is easily one of the best films to come out of American 1970s cinema.

An ambitious reporter (Warren Beatty) gets in way-over-his-head trouble while investigating a senator's assassination which leads to a vast conspiracy involving a multinational corporation behind every event in the world's headlines.This is not a well-known thriller, even with Beatty leading the way. I would speculate part of the reason is the title, which does not lend itself to being easily remembered. Even after seeing the film and understanding the significance, it does not seem the best choice o really grab someone's attention.But anyway, lots of action and twists and turns. Some mystery. And a great big conspiracy that is pretty much impossible, but for the sake of a good story is worth suspending your disbelief for.

Independent minded Senator Carroll is assassinated on top of the Space Needle. The assumed killer falls to his death and a commission declares him to be a lone gunman. Three years later, Lee Carter pleads with reporter Joe Frady (Warren Beatty) to investigate the Carroll assassination. The people around Carroll on that day are getting killed off. Frady finds something disturbing. He is attacked by Sheriff Wicker. He kills Wicker and discovers the name Parallax Corporation among the sheriff's belongings. His boss is Bill Rintels (Hume Cronyn) doesn't believe him at first. He suspects that they are recruiting psychopaths and he intends to infiltrate the organization.The first half is really compelling. There is a good sense of paranoia. It fades a little after the plane bombing. They couldn't film the plane exploding. It's the first sign of the movie's limitations. I wish the movie could find the next gear but it's not really there. I also wasn't impressed with the long montage sequence that Frady sits through. It could be much more compelling but it feels derivative of 'A Clockwork Orange'. It's still a very good paranoid thriller.

It's long been said that one of the reasons George Lucas went and made "Star Wars" was to lighten the bleak mood of '70s cinema. And I have to believe that "The Parallax View" is a chief contributor to that cultural feeling. The movie's cynicism is deeply-rooted, with paranoia laid on thick and assassins fueling a hopeless outlook on American politicsAnd I'm sure that makes things sound extremely dire (not to mention with that ending), but all of this makes for one terrific thriller. This is the kind of sinister cabal that can only be challenged by a second-rate reporter with a penchant for shiftiness (again, '70s), and Warren Beatty is as tough as they come (can't say I ever pictured him winning a bar fight, but he sells it). That opening on top of the Space Needle is bonkers, and the very narrative doesn't really become any more reasonable after that. And there's just something ballsy about all of this; say, putting Beatty into a Ludovico-like setup but it's the audience that gets the brainwash treatment. One wrong move, and this could completely fall apart; more silly than riveting. But it sure as hell ain't silly.