SORCERER
[Film stats: Earned $5972 domestically (with a $22M budget… woof). Got 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
For today’s pick, I’m going back to the Roy Scheider well in what is a solid, tense film. Since I’m going back to the proverbial well here, it’s worth mentioning that director William Friedkin essentially remade THE WAGES OF FEAR with this one. He adds enough wrinkles to this adaptation of George Arnaud’s source material to make it his own, though, and it’s not just due to the score by Tangerine Dream.
Before saying anything else, I’ve got to confess that Friedkin’s directorial resume is a bit of a head scratcher. The same guy that followed up THE FRENCH CONNECTION with THE EXORCIST would later churn out dreck like THE GUARDIAN [yes, the killer Druid tree movie] and JADE. [Then there’s stuff like KILLER JOE, which will forever change the way you look at a chicken leg.] Happily, most of his stuff is at least solid, such as the better-than-expected remake of 12 ANGRY MEN, and some of it manages to be brilliant. This film might not quite be brilliant, but it is very good.
According to the IMDB, the plot is as follows: “Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous Latin American jungle.”
There’s an axiom among screenwriters that says, “Chase your hero up a tree, then set the tree on fire.” In the case of this film, that tree is not only on fire but also on the side of a cliff. With nitroglycerin branches.
The trailer might help that absurd premise make a little more sense, and it’s embedded below:
I’m not quite sure what happened with Roy Scheider. One minute, he seems to be in everything from JAWS to the previously discussed BLUE THUNDER and even 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT, and the next minute he’s in SeaQuest DSV. [He was also in THE SEVEN-UPS, which features one of the better car chase scenes in movie history – not BULLITT good, natch, but still pretty dang solid.]
While Scheider shines in this role, it’s the premise that really steals the show, and it’s one that will almost surely have you holding your breath at least once or twice during the film. That probably comes across as cliché, but the only other film that had me gripping the armrests at the theater like this one did is THE HURT LOCKER. If that’s your kind of film, then make sure to give this one a try.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out THIEF [a criminally (pun intended) underappreciated film from Michael Mann] and THE HURT LOCKER.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER; Day 23 - BLUE THUNDER; Day 24 - HOPE AND GLORY; Day 25 - LORD OF WAR; Day 26 - ONLY THE BRAVE; Day 27 - OUT OF SIGHT]
[Film stats: Earned $5972 domestically (with a $22M budget… woof). Got 79% on Rotten Tomatoes and 84% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
For today’s pick, I’m going back to the Roy Scheider well in what is a solid, tense film. Since I’m going back to the proverbial well here, it’s worth mentioning that director William Friedkin essentially remade THE WAGES OF FEAR with this one. He adds enough wrinkles to this adaptation of George Arnaud’s source material to make it his own, though, and it’s not just due to the score by Tangerine Dream.
Before saying anything else, I’ve got to confess that Friedkin’s directorial resume is a bit of a head scratcher. The same guy that followed up THE FRENCH CONNECTION with THE EXORCIST would later churn out dreck like THE GUARDIAN [yes, the killer Druid tree movie] and JADE. [Then there’s stuff like KILLER JOE, which will forever change the way you look at a chicken leg.] Happily, most of his stuff is at least solid, such as the better-than-expected remake of 12 ANGRY MEN, and some of it manages to be brilliant. This film might not quite be brilliant, but it is very good.
According to the IMDB, the plot is as follows: “Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous Latin American jungle.”
There’s an axiom among screenwriters that says, “Chase your hero up a tree, then set the tree on fire.” In the case of this film, that tree is not only on fire but also on the side of a cliff. With nitroglycerin branches.
The trailer might help that absurd premise make a little more sense, and it’s embedded below:
I’m not quite sure what happened with Roy Scheider. One minute, he seems to be in everything from JAWS to the previously discussed BLUE THUNDER and even 2010: THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT, and the next minute he’s in SeaQuest DSV. [He was also in THE SEVEN-UPS, which features one of the better car chase scenes in movie history – not BULLITT good, natch, but still pretty dang solid.]
While Scheider shines in this role, it’s the premise that really steals the show, and it’s one that will almost surely have you holding your breath at least once or twice during the film. That probably comes across as cliché, but the only other film that had me gripping the armrests at the theater like this one did is THE HURT LOCKER. If that’s your kind of film, then make sure to give this one a try.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out THIEF [a criminally (pun intended) underappreciated film from Michael Mann] and THE HURT LOCKER.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER; Day 23 - BLUE THUNDER; Day 24 - HOPE AND GLORY; Day 25 - LORD OF WAR; Day 26 - ONLY THE BRAVE; Day 27 - OUT OF SIGHT]
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