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81 reviews in total

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56 out of 64 people found the following review useful:
Friedkin's Swan Song before Sinking into Mediocrity, 14 August 2004

Author: Lundon Boyd from United States

A remake of Henri-George Cluzot's 1953 film The Wages of Fear (also on DVD in a lovely Criterion Disc), this William Friedkin film stars Roy Scheider (at his weary, doomed finest) as one of four men exiled to an unnamed South American country by their mistakes and crimes. Trapped in squalor (and it's damn convincing looking squalor, too, far beyond the sunbaked black-and-white compositions of Wages of Fear; this film looks like it's leaving mud on your shoes), unable to return to the lives they abandoned, they're driven by circumstance to accept a normally unthinkable job. They have to drive old, unstable dynamite from its storage site hundreds of miles over mountain terrain and washed-out roads to the location of an oil well fire so the blaze can be snuffed out. The pay is exorbitant -- but it's commiserate to the danger. The risks are colossal ... and they ultimately have no choice.

Sorcerer is tense, suspenseful film-making at its finest; you become physically uncomfortably during this film thanks to the incredible sense that at any minute our heroes would literally be blown to hell. (I mean, we all walk around with the philosophical knowledge we could die at any moment, but talk about your concrete metaphors ... ) Friedkin creates a palpable sense of place, and Scheider is immensely powerful as a man whose every move suggests that he knows he's doomed. Taut with suspense, completely convincing and breathtakingly human, Sorcerer is an unfairly maligned film that delivers in every way.

And the Score is unique and nightmarish. A new DVD would be welcome to many happy fans.

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41 out of 52 people found the following review useful:
The Essence of Film Storytelling, 8 December 2003

Author: rrebenstorf from Nashville, TN

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_.

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48 out of 70 people found the following review useful:
Original Is Good, This Is Better, 31 October 2005

Author: ccthemovieman-1 from United States

Here's one exception to the general rule or opinion that re-makes are not as good as the originals. This is even better than the 1953 "The Wages Of Fear."

"Sorcerer" (a better title might have helped in the status of this film) is divided into three segments. The first part deals with the various criminal acts committed by the four principal characters in their particular part of the world.

The second part shows the seedy life these criminals must now endure in a poor South American town after they are forced to flee their respective countries.

The third segment is the major part of the story. An oil well fire rages out of control and these men are selected to do something that can solve the problem, in exchange for enough money to get them out of that hellhole. The job: transport cans of extremely-volatile nitroglycerin in a truck in a harrowing 218-mile trek through jungle terrain to the site of the disaster.

This long segment is one of the most suspenseful and well-photographed scenes I've ever seen on film. This is good stuff, particularly for the first-time viewer. There are some amazing scenes that just about wear you out.

Added to the no-nonsense story directed by one of the best, William Friedkin, is some unique electronic music by "Tangerine Dream." If you are thinking of the kids watching, there is no sex and very little profanity but some of the violence is very bloody.

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28 out of 31 people found the following review useful:
Lost Classic, 1 December 2002
Author: DB-08-DB from Sheffield, U.K.

Sorcerer is a unique, brutal, brilliant film burdened underneath a terrible, wholly unappropriate title. Watching this film, it is not only easy to see why the film was both a huge financial and commercial disaster, it is downright obvious. This is the most un-american/ hollywood/ commercial film backed by a major studio I have ever seen. It is a tough, gruelling 126 minutes that goes nowhere fast, yet holds you firm in its tight grip and beats you senseless throughout. I was exhausted when the film finally arrived at it's rather downbeat ending. The multi-national cast is faultless. Scheider is magnificent. This is an exceptionally demanding, difficult role and he hits it head on, creating an anti-hero who is very, very real: desperate, frightened and desructable. Taking this role, at the height of his fame, was either very brave or very stupid. I'm going with brave. His performance here is a million miles away from his work on Jaws and Jaws 2, yet equally compelling. The photography is in a league of it's own (I only wish the DVD came with an original 2:35:1 print, assuming there is one, as the current disc is presented in a 4:3 full frame), and the music from Tangerine Dream complements the vision perfectly. This is a brilliant piece of film making from the most daring decade of cinema, made by one of cinema's true unpredictable's. Tense, dazzling, dark and fresh, this is an underated film that deserves to be re-evaluated.

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20 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
Just getting this one filmed was a huge accomplishment., 28 October 2007

Author: TOMASBBloodhound from Omaha, NE USA

Friedkin claims this was the toughest film to make of his career, and it isn't hard to see why. The balance of this film takes place in some woe begotten Latin American country. You can just feel the poverty and desperation in the air as the only work is for an oil drilling firm who doesn't exactly seem bent on worker safety. The elements are intentionally brutal and they only add to the tension. And thats even before this story really gets going.

Early on, we are introduced to four characters who are all guilty of doing something terrible in one corner of the world or another. Roughly a half hour into the film, all four find themselves in a tiny impoverished Latin American village trying to eek out a living and forget the troubles they left behind. Not only is the local economy weak, but the place is socially on the verge of revolution. It's amazing the kind of jobs men will volunteer for to get out of these circumstances. Anyway, these four men are given the chance of transporting some highly explosive dynamite through rugged terrain in crappy old trucks so it can be used to put out a massive oil fire some 200 miles away. It is noted by one of the men that more than enough explosives are being transported. Obviously, at least one of the trucks is not expected to make it! Not only do you have an explosive cargo with unreliable trucks, but also there are armed rebels along the way who probably won't just let you pass right on through. Still, the reward for completing this job is just too much to pass on.

The film is very, very good. In fact the skill that it took to make the film is responsible for most of the stars I'm giving it. The story itself is often just not believable. The journey these four men take is ludicrously perilous. They drive their vehicles over rickety bridges that nobody in real life would have tried to get over in those trucks. Like in other Friedken films, no character is completely likable, but that only makes it tougher to figure out who will live and who will die. There are a few nice twists here and there, right up to the very end to keep you guessing. The acting is exceptional. Scheider was Friedkin's fourth or fifth choice for the main character. Steve McQueen originally wanted it badly, but he demanded a part included for then wife Ali McGraw. Friedkin balked at this and then later regretted the decision. He later stated that he never thought Scheider was a good enough leading man. This is an error, however. Scheider is a terrific actor and his performance here is outstanding.

The film bombed badly at the box office. Heck, if you weren't in line to see Star Wars that year, you were in line to see Smokey and the Bandit! This is definitely one of Friedkin's best, and it has somehow almost been completely forgotten. The film apparently got a PG rating but it is filled with violence and all manner of evil goings on. You'll have to suspend your disbelief for some of the scenes, but you'll be glad you did. I'll give it 8 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

Added Feb 14, 2008: RIP Roy Scheider!

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20 out of 25 people found the following review useful:
unforgettable, 28 February 2004

Author: (pierrely0507@aol.com) from besançon, france

Being a huge fan of Friedkin,i wanted to see "sorcerer" for a long time;after several months of researches,at last,i could on an old videotape and ,immediately,it emerged as one of the best movies i've ever seen.I must be one of the rare who don't consider it's title so inapropriate,even it's been chosen for obvious commercial reasons (the exorcist/the sorcerer).The sorcerer,it's this fate which gathers 4 men of 4 different countries together;they have nothing in common but will be obliged to collaborate for the same reason;it's too an evil nature which,a little bit like in "deliverance",seems to make everything it cans to make the mission fail.There's a subtext ,"man vs nature",which, from Friedkin's words,was wanted from the beginning,and that,to my mind, considerably enhances the film. The systematic comparisons between the 52's version and this one don't appear to me valuables;i prefer seeing it more as a second adaptation of Arnaud's novel than as a remake.In fact,it's much more close to "the treasure of the sierra madre": the painful irony of the ending and Scheider with his hat looks exactly like Bogart.According to me,even it's a good flick,the original version is very-too much?-faithful to the novel and so,quite easy to foresee (for instance,before the mission, one of the truck is sabotaged so we're sure it's gonna explode at a moment or another). One said,including Friedkin,it bombed the box-office because was no star like Steve mc Queen to attract the audience,but nothing is less sure;first of all,it's unfair for Roy Scheider who previously starred in "the french connection" and "jaws" and was quite famous and,then,it's above all a question of concept:the audience of 77 didn't want to see that kind of movie anymore,-pessimistic,ironic,with an all-male cast and unhappy ending,-and was rather ready to enjoy Lucas and Spielberg's movies. I could speak highly of its qualities for hours: cast and crew,the work on the sound,the Tangerine dream's score,the sequence of the bridge,the surreal atmosphere of the last scenes,but it's already been described in other comments;let's say it's a very special,precious and unforgettable film to me.Hoping now there will have in next months a beautiful dvd edition like those of "to live and die in L.A.",and a serious rehearsal.It deserves it.

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16 out of 21 people found the following review useful:
Friedkin's 3rd best film, 9 August 2003
Author: benschwartz from New York City, NY

An underrated film with a typically stellar Roy Scheider performance, an eerie Tangerine Dream soundtrack, and brilliant visuals. This film's reputation suffers from its inexplicable title and unfavorable comparisons to the original. But it's useless to compare since this film is an altogether different beast. Friedkin gives it his usual nihilist/fatalist/existential stamp, making it a much darker film than the French version. Very suspenseful and well-made. Made by Friedkin at the height of his powers. His third best film after Exorcist and French Connection.

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8 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
William Friedkin is Freaken Awesome, 12 August 2009

Author: pacificcanoe from United States

I love this film, its my favorite William Friedkin film, and i believe its probably his best film ever. The film stays true to his style as an intense filmmaker, who wants everything to be reality based and realistic as possible. The only problem with the film is the title, it gives off the wrong image in peoples mind of what to expect. They should have call it "Wages of Fear." Another disappointment for me is i heard that a special edition digitized version of the movie was about to be released and over a year later nothing is even out. I love this movie and it should have gotten at least 5 Oscar nominations for 1977. I hope Friedkin makes another movie soon. Universal and Paramount needs to release the DVD now or I'm gonna cry.

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15 out of 24 people found the following review useful:
Sorcerer, 27 March 2004

Author: 24_frames from london

Firstly this is a great film, I've always thought that, even though the original Wages of Fear is my all time favourite film. Roy Scheider is at his best in Sorcerer, totally believable at all times, if ever a man deserved a gong it was Roy.

A question: 1.How many versions of this film are there? I've seen at least two: the US DVD (sadly just full frame and panned and scanned), and a perhaps longer TV version that was shown on UK TV circa 1981-82. The DVD starts with a close up of a stone statue, the TV version with a long helicopter shot over the jungle with Tangerine Dream's excellent score. The group are credited at the beginning in red titles. The TV version also has one of the oil bosses describe the area as the 'Devil's Asshole!' the endings are different as well (I won't mention what happens in either just in case you haven't seen the movie) Perhaps one day Billy Friedkin will re-release this film in a package that it deserves and Mark Kermode will have something to talk about apart from the Excorcist :)

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25 out of 45 people found the following review useful:
In Many Ways, Superior to Wages of Fear, 20 March 2004
Author: homeopt from nyc, ny

Friedkin's unacknowledged masterpiece is clearly superior in the 1st and 2nd acts as he gives superb backdrops into the individual stories of the main protagonists. When we see them in the 2nd act, amidst the grit and grime of a backwater Latin American nation, we understand the desperation that would have led them to such a place.

The seering reality of the depravity they now live in was much more effective in Friedkin's movie. You don't expect to see a gorgeous hooker in this environment, unlike the unrealistic Wages of Fear. Oddly enough, Wages of Fear is actually much more Holly-wood like in its storytelling than Sorcerer.

Mind you, I do like Wages of Fear and actually thought it was a great movie, but I have to revise my opinion after seeing a movie that actually does it right.

Congrats, Friedkin.

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