Sorcerer
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Movie Reviews of Sorcerer
Movie Review: "Sorce" of Greatness
Summary: 5 Stars
I had never seen or even knew about "Wages of Fear," the film on which "Sorcerer" is based. When I rented "Sorcerer" on LD in late 1998, I did so strictly out of curiosity about Friedkin's career at that point and my interest in Roy Scheider. I had known a bit about the film's reputation: winning director goes bonkers after major successes, loses perspective, blows lots of money and makes forgettable, silly picture. But "Sorcerer" is nothing of the sort. From the tropical, natural locales in Latin America and the absolutely gripping tension maintained throughout the film's final hour to the electronic music score and the rich characterizations provided by Scheider and the rest of the cast, this film is a wonder to behold. It has its own unique dreamy/nightmarish quality, reminiscent of classics like "Black Narcissus" and "Blade Runner" in that you are transported to another world as foreign and bizarre as any you can imagine, yet it is right here on earth (albeit in a faraway country). Of course, the storyline, which is built around the hopelessness and greed of a small group of desperate thugs, gives the film a noir flavor that is essential to maintaining the tension and adding to the mystique. I don't know that the film is Friedkin's best ("The French Connection" might take top honors in my book), but I think "Sorcerer" is certainly one of the '70s' best and most-interesting entries.Movie Review: Extraordinary Adventure Film
Summary: 5 Stars
William Friedkin's remake of "Wages of Fear," a story about four anonymous fugitives who transport dangerously unstable explosives across the treacherous roads of a third-world south American country to pay for their escape to a better life. "Sorcerer" is a very good film (though the original version is now a Criterion edition) and deserves more recognition than it received when originally released in 1977. Friedkin's previous movie was the well-known "The Exorcist," and the title "Sorcerer" may have misled audiences' expectations of what this film was about; de-railing Friedkin's success for a quality remake of a classic. Nonetheless, the story is gritty as four criminals come together in an ad hoc team to accomplish a near-suicidal job, transporting ancient TNT, dripping nitro-glycerin, across impossible roads and jungle terrain. The study of the four men and their ability to overcome stacked odds will keep you on the edge of your seat and the musical score by Tangerine Dream adds an eerie atmosphere to the setting. While "Wages of Fear" broke ground on this type of genre, "Sorcerer" is equally as good and I think it has a better ending. I own both on DVD and enjoy them despite the same storyline.Movie Review: THERE IS NO WIDESCREEN DEBATE ON THIS FILM
Summary: 5 Stars
THIS IS NOT THE INTENDED VERSION!!The Spotlight review by ZENCIRCUS is WRONG!! Yes, William Friedkin was a television director. And yes, he has been quoted as saying he hates widescreen formatting. But this version HAS BEEN MODIFIED to fit a standard TV screen at 1.33:1. When you play this DVD version; IT STATES THIS at the beginning of the film. This underrated masterpiece was SHOT in a ratio aspect of 1.66:1. What that means for those of you who don't understand: if your screen was 1 foot high it would be 1.66 feet wide. This version is only 1.33 feet wide as it is 1 foot high. So, this version is NOT as wide as it was originally shot. Some of the image on the sides HAS been lost. Although, when you look at the ratio, not much is being lost. But to a real film purist, THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.
YOUR WRONG ZENCIRCUS!! Another version of this classic DOES EXIST. Get your facts straight. And don't hold strong opinions about things you don't understand. Anyone who really loves film, should go to GOOGLE, type in "UNDERSTANDING ASPECT RATIOS," and learn about it. I did. Apparently ZENCIRCUS didn't do his homework. Unless William Friedkin chimes in here to correct me, his review is WRONG and should be removed from the Spotlight.
Movie Review: A note on widescreen
Summary: 5 Stars
My message to other viewers of this video/DVD is simply this: if you are concerned that there is no widescreen version of this film available, don't worry about them ever producing one because there is no widescreen version at all.William Friedkin was a television director before turning to film and he kept the 1:1.33 ratio used in television for this movie. What that means is, no widescreen version will ever be released because it doesn't exist. I am a huge fan of widescreen movies and I always check to see if a DVD or video I purchase is in widescreen or fullscreen format, UNLESS I read that the director wanted the film to be fullscreen (as with the later Kubrick movies, for example).
It is often assumed that a director's original vision for a film is always widescreen, or that all movies are automatically filmed in widescreen, and this simply isn't the case. So please, before giving the thumbs up or down to a purchase based on its aspect ratio, make sure the disc or tape represents the director's desired version.
That having been said, the Amazon review reports on the quality of this DVD and of the film itself accurately. So please view the original Wages of Fear and this film, back to back if you like, and enjoy.
Movie Review: Sorcerer is a masterpiece of fear and tension
Summary: 5 Stars
It is beyond me what the Amazon.com reviewer found so wrong with this film. Now, I haven't seen the original (Cruezot's Wages of Fear, 1955) and I'm sure it's magnificent, but if anything I think that our reviewer is so affected by his loyalty to the original film that he is unable to watch Sorcerer with an impartial eye. Too bad for him, because he missed an unforgettable experience.
I saw Sorcerer late one night on a cable channel, at least sixteen or seventeen years ago. I was immediately struck by the palpable terror and tension of this film. The performances of the four leads are all superb, though even with Scheider's character standing out as it did, it was the character of the Frenchman, Serrano, that I found most compelling. His ability to handle any situation with a cool head and intense inner strength was fascinating to watch.
But of course, the real treats of this movie are the scenes that highlight the tension that simmers throughout: the crawl of the huge nitro-laden trucks across the disintegrating rope bridge in a sheeting rain storm...well, I won't mention any more or it will ruin the film.
This is a great film, a truly underappreciated classic. Buy it.