Sorcerer (1977) Review

 

Sorcerer (1977)

Sorcerer follows 4 men from checkered pasts, who all end up in a small Chilean village and are tasked to transport unstable nitroglycerin to an oil well 200 miles away, where one mistake could cost them their lives.

Had this not been recommended to me by Harper Emch, odds are I’d have never seen nor head about this one. But it is a underrated masterpiece that is surprising given it’s title and that it received studio backing at all. It’s unAmerican, relying on lots of foreign dialogue, and also for you to be invested into the characters and their brief backstories, for the story to come together and make sense. And it’s a very interesting premise, having them come together for an absorbent amount of money, where the risk far outweighs any money you could possibly hope to gain. Much of the movie is luring you into that false sense of security, that when something happens, you are instantly taken aback and also left uncomfortable and decidedly tense. Sorcerer is complemented by a hauntingly, spellbinding score by Tangerine Dream that is so good with it’s subtle synth tones.

The movie is also littered with an unusual cast, that somehow works really well, including Amidou, Francisco Rabal, Bruno Cremer, and leading with Jaws’ Roy Scheider. Scheider, whose character suffers from PTSD, captures such grit and desperation that is so powerful, especially when things go south. I love how they used his background as a getaway driver, Kassem’s as a terrorist, and Nilo’s as an assassin, to set the stage for them to overcome the elements of nature and man.

Released in the same year as Star Wars, and thus massively overshadowed, Sorcerer, directed by William Friedkin, is perfectly suspenseful and anxiety inducing, knowing that at any second, our main characters could be blown to pieces. It’s a very visceral experience that holds nothing back and is equal parts horrifying and beautiful. Man vs nature has never been more entertaining.

9/10