A couple weeks ago, I watched The Conversation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Gene Hackman. Really, with just that information, you should be on your way to the video store if you've not already seen this movie. Even if you have, you may want to see it again.
Gene Hackman is a professional eavesdropper, who for obvious reasons is paranoid about his own privacy. If you spent all your time prying into other people's business, you'd be worried too. He is incapable of achieving any intimacy with anyone. Protecting his privacy is his main concern.
Not far behind, is the concern that whatever information he finds will lead to harm for those upon whom he spies. Just as he detaches himself from his private life, he detaches himself from the responsibilities of his work life. He just delivers the tapes; he doesn't care what's on them. Only, he's not as detached as he'd like to be. A job in his past ended poorly, and he tortures himself with the thought that something like that could happen again.
Hackman is brilliant, which is to be expected. His performance makes us wonder if he might not be losing his grip. The conversation in question is pieced together through the film, as he works on the tapes. Gaps are filled in over the course of the film, until we understand with Hackman the context. He tortures himself with the question of whether or not he should fulfill his contract. His state of mind is an uncomfortable place to inhabit, and the audience feels his creeping madness.
Look for Harrison Ford in one of his earlier roles.
A fantastic movie. Four stars out of five.