The Conversation (1974 film)
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 7 of 24 films by recommenders
Praised as an essential 1970s film with a post-Watergate ensemble cast of eavesdroppers. Some find the middle long and slow and not re-watchable.
Praised as an essential 1970s film with a post-Watergate ensemble cast of eavesdroppers. Some find the middle long and slow and not re-watchable.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 85%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 5.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Essential film from its era
“If they cannot sit through essentials, like The Conservation, Jules and Jim or Jeanne Dielman”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films” “Watch it along with "The Conversation", from the same era.”
Comment from 15 Aug 2026 in “Every exterior shot in The Taking of Pelham 123”
Other films people recommend
The four most recommended other films, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan | 50 | 37 | 57% | 7 | — | — |
| Perfect Days (2023 film) | 19 | 1 | 95% | 9 | — | Approved |
| The Secret Agent (2025 film) | 18 | 9 | 67% | 2 | — | — |
| One Battle After Another | 17 | 14 | 55% | 5 | — | — |
| The Conversation (1974 film)This page | 11 | 2 | 85% | 5 | — | Approved |
What people said
13 of the 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's Radio Free Europe level propaganda, but without honestly announcing itself”
“Watch it along with "The Conversation", from the same era.”
“originally posted completely free on The Conversation”
“Chronicles where America is going as technology and politics changes and the impacts on our culture”
“Much better than The Conversation”
“I cannot imagine this film being re-watchable.”
“Gene Hackman , post-Watergate, with an ensemble cast of eavesdroppers”
“it has a bunch of regional subsections so it isn't overrun by US news like a lot of news sites”
“Global academics writing about their research when something happens in the world or when they are published in a journal.”
“If they cannot sit through essentials, like The Conservation, Jules and Jim or Jeanne Dielman”
“The Conversation also has a compelling start/end, but has a long, arguably slow, boring middle.”
“Science Journalism is done by actual scientists working in the field.”
“I use it with my family (with the Conversation client)”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.