Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous South American jungle.
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Title: Sorcerer (1977)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Roy Scheider | ... |
Jackie Scanlon - 'Juan Dominguez'
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| Bruno Cremer | ... | ||
| Francisco Rabal | ... |
Nilo
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| Amidou | ... |
Kassem - 'Martinez'
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Ramon Bieri | ... |
Corlette
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Peter Capell | ... |
Lartigue
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Karl John | ... |
'Marquez'
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Friedrich von Ledebur | ... |
'Carlos'
(as Fredrick Ledebur)
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Chico Martínez | ... |
Bobby Del Rios
(as Chico Martinez)
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| Joe Spinell | ... |
Spider
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Rosario Almontes | ... |
Agrippa
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Richard Holley | ... |
Billy White
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| Anne-Marie Deschodt | ... |
Blanche
(as Anne Marie Descott)
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Jean-Luc Bideau | ... |
Pascal
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Jacques François | ... |
Lefevre
(as Jacques Francois)
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
A group of outcasts from different backgrounds and nationalities are forced by misfortune to work in an oil-drilling operation in South America. When fire breaks out of control, four of the outcasts are given the opportunity to earn enough money to get out by transporting six crates of unstable dynamite through miles of jungle in two ancient trucks. Written by Keith Loh <loh@sfu.ca>, David Lee (dave@madebydave.com)
Taglines:
WANTED. Four men willing to drive a cargo of death to escape a life in hell. See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
24 June 1977 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Wages of Fear See more »Box Office
Budget:
$12,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Production Co:
Film Properties International N.V., Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures See more »
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (international)Sound Mix:
StereoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
See more »
Performed by Keith Jarrett
Used under license from Polydor Incorporated and through the courtesy of ECM Records
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The eerie background sound at the bridge crossings, greatly subdued because of storm noise, was a sound effect used in several episodes of The Outer Limits (1963). See more »Goofs
One of the soldiers killed by Nilo is seen breathing and moving after dead. See more »Quotes
Carlo Ricci: He robbed my church, shot my brother. I don't care where he is or what it costs. I want his ass.See more »
Crazy Credits
The only opening credits at the beginning of the film are the studios' names followed by the film's graffiti style font title. Although by the late 1990's it was quite common to not have credits at the beginning of a film, in 1977 it was very unusual. See more »Connections
Referenced in The Art of the Heist: An Examination of 'Thief' with Author & Critic F.X. Feeney (2015) See more »Soundtracks
Spheres (Movement 3)Performed by Keith Jarrett
Used under license from Polydor Incorporated and through the courtesy of ECM Records
See more »
After _The French Connection_ and _The Exorcist_, William Friedkin made it three masterpieces in a row with this remake of the French classic _Wages of Fear_. As an exercise in pure cinematic storytelling, _Sorcerer_ may be the best film of the three Friedkin greats.
Structurally similar to the other two of his films, and working from a tough, bare-bones Walon Green script, Friedkin gives us all the back story we need in the first reel. Once the characters are brought together in the South American jungle, the film grabs you and doesn't let go until the final frame. The viewing experience is supremely visceral. You literally feel the tension as the four major characters and their two trucks loaded with nitro encounter and attempt to overcome the elements and some very rough terrain. Each scene is its own brilliant set piece. The film would work well as a silent movie, but the sound design and Tangerine Dream's musical score in themselves are among the film's towering achievements right along with the direction, cinematography and production design.
I'm perhaps the only one not put off by the film's allegedly inappropriate title. On the contrary, I think the title adds an element of mystery to the story -- as if trouble is being concocted by an unseen force acting upon the film's morally dubious main characters. It gives a demonic personality to the confluence of fate and dumb luck. The title also serves to give the film some added distance from the very fine Clouzot original.
The performances are all first-rate, if economic, and Roy Scheider stands out with some real tough-guy charisma. He also gets to wear the coolest hat this side of Gene Hackman's porkpie derby in _The French Connection_.