Marathon Man

Marathon Man is a 1974 paranoid thriller novel by William Goldman.

Related Topics:
1974 - Paranoid thriller - William Goldman

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The story is about a former Nazi SS dentist from Auschwitz, Szell, now residing in Uruguay, trying to smuggle a large quantity of diamonds out of the US. This involves an ultra-secret intelligence agency called "The Division". The plot revolves around Thomas "Babe" Levy, a graduate student and runner haunted by McCarthyism, whose brother works for this governmental body.

Related Topics:
Nazi - SS - Auschwitz - Uruguay - Graduate student - Runner - McCarthyism

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In 1976, Marathon Man was made into a film starring Dustin Hoffman as Babe and Laurence Olivier as Dr Szell. Olivier was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and he won a Golden Globe in the same category. The film is nearly identical to the novel due to the fact that William Goldman also wrote the screenplay.

Related Topics:
1976 - Dustin Hoffman - Laurence Olivier - Oscar - Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Golden Globe

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Both the novel and the film are known for a very graphic scene in which the Nazi dentist tortures Babe by drilling into his teeth, all the while saying only one thing: "Is it safe?"

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