Sorcerer is directed by William Friedkin and adapted to the screen by Waldo Green from Georges Arnaud's novel Le Salaire de la peur (The Wages of Fear). It stars Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Raba and Amidou. Music is scored by Tangerine Dream and cinematography by John M. Stephens and Dick Bush.

It bombed famously at the cinema, was a location shoot nightmare with rows aplenty between cast and director, and even recently a court case erupted over the film as Friedkin sued Paramount and Universal over ownership of the picture. A film with such a mystical sounding title, could it be cursed? All the shenanigans surrounding Sorcerer have sort of had it hovering around the "forgotten" bin, where were it not for the Friedkin purists and 1970s movie aficionados it would have dropped in and had the lid put on it. However, if ever a movie from 1977 deserved to be revisited and treated better on home formats, then Sorcerer is the one. Where in its complete two hour form plays out as a lesson in skilled story formation, letting us know how these guys came to be in the situation they find themselves in, which in turn gives way to utter suspense as desperate men fight nature's jungle whilst perched on the precipice of explosive doom.

There are a number of factors put forward on why Sorcerer failed at the box office. The title itself is a classic case of misdirection, the name given to one of the trucks in the story, it conjured up images of mystical and magical dalliances, it's safe to say that the film is a million miles away from that sort of genre. It also went up against the box office monster that was Star Wars, in comparison, and Friedkin readily admits this, it's dwarfed in production scope and cross demographic appeal. Then there is the matter of the "cut" version that did the rounds, where almost thirty minutes were chopped to allow more showings in theatres, without Friedkin's permission, the resulting film was a travesty of Friedkin's vision. Lead man Scheider, who is terrific, didn't want to promote the film, such was his anger at Friedkin cutting a subplot involving his character being shown in a sympathetic light. Have to say the director was right in keeping it grim.

Also there's the Clouzot's factor and his version of the Arnaud novel released in 1953. Much beloved by many a critic as some sort of sacred cow of French cinema, Clouzot's The Wages of Fear is a very good film, but hardly a masterpiece. Looking back at some of the reviews upon Sorcerer's release, it seems that some big critics of the day wanted to appear cool by lauding from the roof tops about a foreign movie and how it shouldn't be remade. Weird really since Sorcerer isn't a remake, it's an interpretation on Arnaud's source. Inspired by Clouzot? Undoubtedly, but it's not remaking his movie. They moaned about the good hour of build up, calling it slow, but I'm sure I remember it rightly that Clouzot's movie does the same thing, and that didn't have Friedkin's fluid camera and Tangerine Dream laying hypnotic synthesisers all over it.

Though the current Region 1 DVD of the film is full frame and grainy in print, the skill of the director, photographer and actors really comes to the fore. Film is often gritty and realistic and playing better now thematically than it did back in the 1970s. The locations are real and you are easily transported into the character's world, you feel the danger as nature and human bandits enter the fray; as if it wasn't bad enough with the case sensitive explosives in the back! There are risks at almost every turn, breath holding the order of the day, and the famous bridge scene is as good a sequence as 70s cinema has to offer (a logistic nightmare for Friedkin that required take after take to finish). All this only works because we have had the hour of build up previously. True, we may hanker for deeper character interaction as they traverse the perilous terrain, but this isn't about bonding, it's about men risking their lives for freedom and redemption. It beats a black heart and never once cops out. A truly great film crying out to be rediscovered by old and new film lovers alike. 8.5/10

I've not yet seen The Wages Of Fear, but I have seed the American B picture remake The Violent Road. That was a good no frills film, but Sorcerer is really first rate and shows what can be done by a good director with the budget to use it. A lot of which was spent by hiring a truly international cast to play his four protagonists.

The phrase 'international cast' is a rather overused description for a group of players of various backgrounds. But in this film William Friedkin used four players who were top names in the cinema of their respective countries. Roy Scheider, Paco Rabal, Amidou, and Bruno Cresson insured that the various countries they represented would be plunking down their money to see Sorcerer as well as guaranteeing some great performances.

These four people who no one would say are the cream of the crop from their society all wind up in exile in a South American jungle working on an oil rig under assumed names. Roy Scheider is a gangster from America on the lam because he pulled the wrong job and shot the priest brother of a Mafioso. Paco Rabal is a contract killer from Spain, he might be there looking for Scheider. Bruno Cresson is a French war hero fleeing a banking scandal. And Amidou who is from Morocco is a terrorist the Israelis want real bad.

There's an oil fire that's threatening to burn over the jungle and the only available explosives to use to blow it out is some really unstable nitroglycerin which has to be transported 200 miles on some bad roads and other hazardous conditions. So four guys who really have nothing to lose volunteer to drive the stuff in two trucks.

William Friedkin made some great use of the location cinematography in the Dominican Republic to show what the great risks these guys are taking. You feel yourself riding shotgun with all of them on the trip.

As it happened I took a vacation in Spain in 2001 and when I got there the Spanish media was full of news of the death of Paco Rabal on a flight from Montreal to Madrid. You would have thought the head of state had passed away, he was that idolized by the people there. He and Roy Scheider played well off each other, their scenes are the best in the film.

Sorcerer is destined to be one eternal classic over the years, don't miss it if broadcast or better revived on the big screen.

Four men end up as drivers transporting unstable dynamite through the jungles of South America in two ramshackle trucks. A mob had set fire to the oil wells and the boss needs the dynamite transported over 200 miles. Nilo (Francisco Rabal) is a killer from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Kassem (Amidou) is an Arab terrorists on the run after setting a bomb off in Jerusalem. Victor Manzon (Bruno Cremer) is a Frenchman accused of fraud. Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider) is the getaway driver of a gang that wounded a priest that turned out to be the brother of a mafia leader. Just before departing, the Jewish Nilo kills driver Marquez who is presumably a Nazi and they take Nilo on as the replacement.

Director William Friedkin remakes, reinterprets, reimagines, or re-whatevers the classic 'The Wages of Fear'. IMO it starts off badly and slowly trying to show the four vignettes of the four men. Simple flashbacks or just talking about their past would be more compelling. The four vignettes confuse matters and takes away the pacing from the opening act. Opening a month after 'Star Wars' didn't help matters either. Also the title is all wrong with people expecting something like 'The Exorcist'. Even the trailer seems to suggest a supernatural theme to the movie. This is more like a foreign language art film that turns into a big action thriller in the second half. It is also one of the first sacrificial lamb to the era of the Hollywood blockbusters. The movie gets more interesting about 30 to 45 minutes in. It is a big production and Friedkin knows how to build tension. The drive over the bridge is insane. The location is muddy and grimy. It's sort of a drive into the heart of darkness.