Review: Sorcerer (1977)

[@BalBurgh]

Even with its occasional flaws this is the greatest film ever. I have no use whatsoever for The Exorcist, and this works far better than The Wages of Fear. For me. You do you.

[@gradybird3336]

I'm 68 years old and have seen a ton of movies in those years. "Sorcerer" is in my top three all-time. Tension beyond belief, an incredible work of art. I even won the soundtrack album in a radio contest all those years ago. Perfect score by Tangerine Dream.

[@andragg]

I'm your age and I agree with you about it being one of the greatest films ever. I might add that Tangerine Dream didn't do the entire score. Keith Jarrett's pipe organ music taken from his album "Hymns Spheres" was used throughout the film.

[@Mickey-1994]

A movie that deserves way more credit. I think this is another example of why the 1970s was the best decade for movies. That decade had so many great movies and some are forgotten. Jaws is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time, but this met be Roy's best performance.

[@michaeldonovan7522]

5/5 incredible movie - a masterpiece

[@flmlvr]

I'm one of the 10 or so people that actually paid to see this movie on opening weekend. I even remember where - it was the Orange Cinedome in Orange County, California. I was the ripe old age of 17. Going into the theater, my friend and I knew this would not be a supernatural movie. Keep in mind though mentioned in your review: they did NOT tell us that the first two scenes were subtitled, and if I didn't know ahead of time that Roy Scheider was in it, I would have presumed it was a foreign film. It was the second time I saw the movie in the theater (co-billed with "The Spy Who Loved Me" in which a title card was inserted at the beginning explaining about the subtitles. Anyways, back to the movie. Now we are past the one hour mark. Well, yes, by this time the storylines fell into place and we could see where this movie was taking us. But come on, what in heck did the title "Sorcerer" have to do with what we were seeing? Then comes that shot where we see the side of the truck. Till the day I die I will never forget the groan that came out of the audience - and nearly all of us said under our breath "it's the name of the TRUCK?" Yes, that was one very deceptive title. The bridge scene had everybody there gasping. But the other reaction I remember so well was the shovel murder. When the blood started spurting out of the guy's neck, the audience was one very big collective EWWWWWWWWW...... which brings me to the one point that nobody has yet addressed. How in hell did this movie manage to get a PG rating? It was positively gruesome in scenes - too gruesome for a PG rating. I guess so few people saw the movie when it first came out that nobody realized it was a PG movie. But yes, the movie did tank at the box office, and most of it was because of this little movie that opened a few weeks earlier called "Star Wars". And it would be YEARS before I would see any kind of a home video release. It was finally released on VHS - but not until something like 1992, and the original DVD release was such a lousy transfer I didn't bother buying it. I waited all the way until the blu ray was released before purchasing a disc version. And it remains one of my favorites. And to think, my friend and I really truly thought time was going to bury that movie and we would be the only two who would remember it. So glad it has been rediscovered and being appreciated once again.

[@johndeaux3703]

It's not a remake a 'wages of fear'. Both movies are just based on the same book.

[@dejanstojkovic7450]

It's one of the best movies ever filmed ,Exorcist is masterpiece and SORCERER is masterpiece masterpiece!!!!!!!!

[@jdteney]

Just watched this and rated it 4.5 as well. What a great picture. I loved it, haven't seen the original yet tho.

[@MyUnclejay]

SACRILEGE!! You list the film scores of Tangerine Dream without mentioning Michael Mann's "Thief" !!

[@dillona2349]

Yeah I had the same gripe with Nilo. Honestly this movie could have been really good if the characters actually talked to eachother now and then.

[@SquabbleBoxHQ]

Well, this is really good content. Should you ever be interested in making guest content for another channel, look us up.

[@ThatsASpaceStation]

sounds like it could be a lot of fun. I'll be in touch.

[@jamesharper3933]

Foreign or not, I think this is a great stressful film. I'm a huge Roy Scheider fan. I also highly recommend The Seven Ups, Last Embrace and The Outside Man.

[@johndelutio8968]

This guy probably doubles as a Walmart cashier.

[@ThatsASpaceStation]

Actually I work for an 8 million sub major media outlet, I was only a Wal-Mart merchandiser for a day.

[@michaeldonovan7522]

Is that an insult? Everyone has to work somewhere

[@andragg]

I disagree with this guy's opinion that The Exorcist is a better film than Sorcerer. His comments made about the music score fail to mention Keith Jarrett's pipe organ music taken from his album "Hymns Spheres" and used throughout the film. If you're going to review a film, get all the facts correct. I should do my own review of Sorcerer and Fiendkin's brilliant use of music in his films.

[@ConstantGardener-q9q]

Amazing? Really? It was so contrived. It needed more symbolism instead of stereotypes. It was only at the end when he “danced with luck” only to meet his “fate” that I thought it was poignant.

[@ThatsASpaceStation]

Can I interest you in my review of High Rise, or as it's also known "oops all metaphores"

[@clash79]

Friedkin considered it his greatest accomplishment. It's also a favorite of Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino. It's possible that this reviewer may not be alone in his praise of the film

[@SquabbleBoxHQ]

Yeah, it's amazing. Pretty much anyone who watches this now considers it a masterpiece. Shame you couldn't see it.

[@alexandergraham6912]

FYI: Clouzet said Friedkin bested him. Think about THAT. And it is arguably one of the greatest films of all time. So great, that it was persecuted for its greatness. And so was Friedkin.