The Formula (1980)

30% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
25% of users liked it
(964 ratings)

With George C. Scott and Marlon Brando heading the cast, The Formula should have been far better than it is. Adapted by Steve Shagan from his own best-selling novel, the film is predicated on the concept that a formula for synthetic fuel had been developed by the Nazis during WW II. In the… More With George C. Scott and Marlon Brando heading the cast, The Formula should have been far better than it is. Adapted by Steve Shagan from his own best-selling novel, the film is predicated on the concept that a formula for synthetic fuel had been developed by the Nazis during WW II. In the intervening 35 years since the war's end, the formula has disappeared and several people connected with it have died under mysterious circumstances. Also during this period, oil magnate Adam Steiffel (Marlon Brando) had commiserated with one of the decedents. Police officer Barney Caine (George C. Scott), a friend of the dead man, hopes to solve the mystery, and in so doing gets mixed up in a wide-ranging conspiracy to manipulate worldwide fuel prices. Reportedly, The Formula underwent a great deal of editing-room surgery before its release. If so, the editors certainly erred in retaining so many of the film's interminable "steadicam" sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 57 min.
Directed By: John G. Avildsen
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 19, 1980 Wide
On DVD: Nov 7, 2006

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
its completely muddled plot is a disaster: There can be no joy in unraveling a plot that is a mystery even to itself.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
The murder scene is littered with so many red herrings it might as well be a delicatessen.
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com
plays like a tedious checklist of murders without a score card.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Only Marlon Brando in a small role as a daffy oil tycoon gives the film some spark.
Tom Milne, Time Out
Laborious
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
The Formula is an intriguing thriller that raises many questions about business ethics and the moral bankruptcy of the very rich.
, Film4
A potentially fascinating subject is torpedoed by an overplotted and overloaded script, and opaque direction.

Read all 7 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bruce B

This started out as a WWII Film and I was just sitting down and getting ready to enjoy what looked to be a somewhat promising war movie, when all of a sudden we were throw forward by a number of years. That was the first surprise. Anyway George C Scott plays a LA Cop who uncovers a… More
This started out as a WWII Film and I was just sitting down and getting ready to enjoy what looked to be a somewhat promising war movie, when all of a sudden we were throw forward by a number of years. That was the first surprise. Anyway George C Scott plays a LA Cop who uncovers a plot involving a Nazi Formula for Synthetic Fuel. The second Surprise was that Hollywood was still doing a Nazi theme in 1980, the third and final surprise was that the oil Tycoon was none other then Marlon Brando, I sure didn't recognize him. Scott travels to Berlin to try and track down the ring responsible for his friends death. There's plenty of good acting and action, and if you consider the film date 1980 its a thriller worth 3 1/2 stars.
Mike T

Even though he's being fed his lines through a visible hearing aid, Marlon Brando still pulls off an excellent performance that serves as the highlight of this flop. George C. Scott fights to pull a compelling character out of an essentially hollow protagonist, and he does a… More
Even though he's being fed his lines through a visible hearing aid, Marlon Brando still pulls off an excellent performance that serves as the highlight of this flop. George C. Scott fights to pull a compelling character out of an essentially hollow protagonist, and he does a pretty good job overall. The film itself is muddled, confusing and extremely tedious. The mystery never really adds up to anything, and by the end I simply didn't care anymore.
Steve S

In light of the current geo-political context, this film, while no intellectual breakthrough, is more relevant than ever.

Cast

            George C. Scott as Barney Caine

            Marthe Keller as Lisa

            Marlon Brando as Adam Steiffel

            John Van Dreelen as Hans Lehman

            John Gielgud as Dr. Esau

            Calvin Jung as Sgt. Yosuta

            G.D. Spradlin as Clements

            Beatrice Straight as Kay Neeley

            Richard Lynch as Kladen/Tedesco

            Robin Clarke as Maj. Neeley

            Ike Eisenmann as Tony

            Alan North as Nolan

            Ferdinand "Ferdy" Mayne as Siebold

            Gerry Murphy as Chauffer

            David Byrd as Obermann

            Wolfgang Preiss as Franz Tauber

            Martin Brandt as Concierge (German)

            Jim Breuer as Security Guard

            Albert Carrier as Butler

            Stephanie Edwards as Reporter

            Reinhard Kolldehoff as Reimeck

            Werner Kreindl as Schellenberg

            Ric Mancini as Printman

            Craig T. Nelson as Geologist #2

            Jan Niklas as Gestapo Captain

            Lavelle Roby as Secretary

            Marshall Thompson as Geologist

            Dieter Schidor as Assassin

            Ernie Fuentes as Pool Man

            Tom Hall as Reporter

            Louis Basile as Vince Rizzo

            Weston Gavin as U.S. Army Captain

            Herb Voland as Geologist #3
See full cast