The Conversation

The Conversation (1974) is a thriller written & directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gene Hackman in the lead role. The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. Gene Hackman plays the character of Harry Caul- a well respected surveillance expert, who discovers during one of his surveillance jobs after a cryptic tape recording-that a couple's life is in danger.

"On the DVD commentary, Coppola says he was shocked to learn that the film utilized the very same surveillance and wire-tapping equipment that members of the Nixon Administration used to spy on political opponents prior to the Watergate scandal. Coppola has said this is the reason the film gained part of the recognition it has received, but that this is entirely coincidental. Not only was the script for The Conversation completed in the mid-1960s (before the Nixon Administration came to power) but the spying equipment used in the film was discovered through research and the use of technical advisers and not, as many believed, by revelatory newspaper stories about the Watergate break-in."
(From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conversation)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071360/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conversation

Mood: Thriller
Good Aspects: Suspense, great cinematography, interesting story & soundtrack.

The Ghost Writer

"The Ghost Writer" (2010) is directed by Roman Polanski. The film stars Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Catrall and Olivia Williams. A ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) has been given an assignment-to write the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan), and is sent to an isolated island to complete his assignment. The film is based on a novel "The Ghost" by Robert Harris. There is mystery surrounding suspicious circumstances of the death of the former ghost writer, and- as the current ghost writer finds out- there is a political scandal involving the former prime minister which puts the ghost writer's life in danger.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139328/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ghost_Writer_(film)

Mood: Political thriller, suspense.
Good Aspects: Interesting story, great cinematography.

Marathon Man

"Marathon Man" (1976) is a thriller directed by John Schlesinger. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Laurence Olivier and Roy Scheider. "A graduate history student is unwittingly caught in the middle of an international conspiracy involving stolen diamonds, an exiled Nazi war criminal, and a rogue government agent." (Synopsis quoted from: Wikipedia.) The film has an infamous scene with the well known quote: "Is it safe?" The film is based on the novel: "Marathon Man" written by William Goldman in 1974.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074860/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_Man_(film)

Mood: Thriller, suspense, conspiracy theories, Nazi criminals
Good aspects: Interesting story. From a technical point, "Marathon Man" was the first feature film using Steadicam with a theatrical release. (It wasn't though the first film to use Steadicam- "Bound for Glory" was the first.)
Worth noticing: Disturbing scenes.

Parallax View

"Parallax View" (1974) is a thriller directed by Alan J. Pakula, stars Warren Beatty as an ambitious reporter investigating the assassination of a senator. He discovers-following mysterious deaths of reporters who were present at the assassination- a conspiracy involving the mysterious Parallax Corporation. It is an interesting film, with an element of experimental filmmaking- one scene shows a haunting montage of iconographic imagery used as a recruitment test for the Parallax Corporation.
Alan J. Pakula also directed "Klute" (1971) and "All the President's Men" (1976).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071970/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Parallax_View

Mood: Political themes and conspiracy theories.
Good aspects: Interesting cinematography. 70's political paranoia thriller.