Sorcerer (1977)
Fighting fire with dynamite.
Presentation:
This may be the most explosive transport movie in the literal sense. A group of misfits must transport unstable dynamite on a perilous journey to extinguish a fire. What follows is life or death journey and frankly one of the craziest practical effects I’ve ever seen in any film. I just do not believe how the action sequences we get to see were real. This is a gift of Friedkin’s style, which always managers to create a blood pumping realism like in The French Connection. Unfortunately this film is poorly marketed with a confusing name and opening. It begins like all of Friedkin's other films by exploring the backstory of its 4 characters through 10 minute vignettes. 3 of them are foreign making this feel like a foreign film, something he never shies away from. It’s maybe 15 minutes in until we hear the first word of English. The film by modern standards is slow, but it does allow us to invest and understand each character’s motivations. This helps in the second half of the film 45 minutes in where the actual plot begins. For many scenes the lighting is natural and difficult to see. This is likely because everything is shot on real locations and you can really see the discomfort of these actors in the hard, scorching jungle climate.
Analysis:
Conclusion:
If you can make it past 40 minutes of backstory, you will be rewarded with some of the most careful driving you have ever seen. And I mean this in the most harrowing way possible. Friedkin’s direction impressively conveys the dangers of the mission so efficiently and the logistics of each scene with cinematic clarity. Just make sure you pay extra attention to what is going on in the first few minutes to understand what’s going on, or you will think it’s Incendies.
Recommendations
Fighting fire with dynamite.