Let it be said that I have never been a fan of Dustin Hoffman, as an actor.  He tends to have this lazy, slacker vibe (before there was even such a term) that has always irked me. Ironically enough, that’s what made him perfect for John Schlesinger’s “Marathon Man.”

He plays Thomas Levy, a man seemingly content living a simple life, which appears even more so compared to that of his brother, Henry – played by Roy Schnider – a globe-trotting financier who’s not quite what he seems.

Thomas Levy is soon way out of his depth, but rises to the occasion, ending up more than he was before.

Dustin Hoffman and Roy Schneider were great, but let’s not forget William Devane and Laurence Olivier who also turn in remarkable performances. In fact, Lawrence Olivier was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award, though he lost to Jason Robards, for “All The President’s Men.”

“Marathon Man” is definitely a product of it’s time, 1973, so visually it could probably use an update.

The problem is that virtually everything else about the the film is a perfect storm of excellence, from the aforementioned actors, to the writer, William Goldman, that it would be very difficult to redo  and maintain the brilliance and nail-biting suspense that characterized the original.

Though mediocrity never stopped a remake being done before.