The Conversation

Perhaps the most renowned film maker of his generation, Francis Ford Coppola emerged in the seventies with his mega blockbuster The Godfather. Following his great success Coppola released a film starring Gene Hackman entitled The Conversation. While the content of the film will forever be remembered as outstanding, the film did not merit the same success as it?s predecessor.

The protagonist in The Conversation is an independent bugger and private investigator of sorts by the name of Harry Caul (Gene Hackman). Caul is a middle aged man who might be referred to as unstable as he is constantly showing symptoms of paranoia and neuroticism. Harry also displays a reluctance to discuss past experiences such as his departure from the East Coast and other key aspects of his past that could have led to his nervous attitude. The inciting incident in the film occurs when Harry hears the female who he has been hired to bug utter the words ?He?d kill us if he had the chance?. This statement separates this case from any other case that Harry is done and is what sparks Harry?s quest for the truth. The obligatory scene in this film occurs after Harry sees the blood in the toilet and