Dir: William Friedkin
1977
*****
William Friedkin once said that when he's gone he will probably be remembered for The Exorcist but he'd like to be remembered for what he considers to be his best film, 1977's Sorcerer. It's a seldom seen film, unfortunate really as it's one of the best films of the 70's - and the 70's produced some of the best films of all time. It's only mistake was that it was released the same week as a little film called Star Wars. It is phenomenal. Friedkin, rather unprofessionally, has stated that having Roy Scheider in the lead role was the worst casting choice he ever made. This is completely unfair, it would have been interesting to see his first choice (Steve McQueen) in the role but personally I think it's one of Scheider's best performances. The character development is fantastic, the film has not one but four prologues, each adding to the story and giving it gravitas which makes the intense scenes even more thrilling. The main story only really starts an hour in to the film which is exactly half way through, an unheard of structure that I'm not sure I've seen before or since, at least not so seamlessly and fluid. As epics go, it's up there with Apocalypse Now and Aguirre, the Wrath of God in my opinion. It's a top notch thriller too, beautifully written and wonderfully adapted from Georges Arnaud's novel Le Salaire de la peur (rather than remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot's 1953 version), it's got gangsters, explosions, car chases, espionage, contract killings and plenty of mystery. There is very little not to like about it. A forgotten masterpiece of 70's cinema that deserves far more recognition than it has received.
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