(1977) Directed by William Friedkin; Written by Walon Green;
Based on the novel The Wages of Fear, by Georges Arnaud; Starring: Roy
Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, Amidou, Ramon Bieri, Peter Capell,
Karl John and Friedrich von Ledebur; Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Rating: *****
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“…the story, to me, was about the mystery of fate, the
role that fate plays in the lives of all of us. And I had made a film, in The
Exorcist, about the mystery of faith, and I now wanted to make a film that
had no supernatural element to it, but was about the mystery of fate – the fact
somebody can walk across the street, feeling in the peak of health, and get hit
by a car, that we have no control over our destinies…” – William Friedkin (from
2015 interview with Nicolas Winding Refn)
“We're carrying three cases each. One is enough to blow
out your fire, six cases will blow out the whole field. That means you don't
think all the trucks will make it, one of us is a backup.” – Jackie Scanlon (Roy
Scheider)
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s landmark 1953 French film The
Wages of Fear (based on the novel by Georges Arnaud), explored the timeless
universal theme of desperate men taking desperate measures to achieve a common
goal. Filmmaker William Friedkin, hot off two massive Hollywood hits, The
French Connection (1972) and The Exorcist (1973), chose the source
material as the basis for his follow-up film, Sorcerer.* Co-financed by
Universal and Paramount, and filmed in the Dominican Republic and Mexico** from
a script by Walon Green (The Wild Bunch), Friedkin and the studios figured
they had another hit on their hands. Unfortunately for Friedkin and the
studios, instead of knocking it out of the park with another win, Sorcerer
died a quick death at the box office,*** failing to connect with audiences or
critics. As is the case with so many films covered on this blog, time has
vindicated William Friedkin’s intensely human jungle drama, which has only grown
in esteem over the years.
* Fun Fact #1: According to Friedkin, he thought of the
controversial film title while listening to Miles Davis’ album, “Sorcerer.” In
this case, the titular evil wizard was fate itself.
** Not-So-Fun-Fact #1: Aside from the daunting logistics
of a location shoot and budget concerns nature took its toll on the crew. Friedkin
contracted malaria toward the end of the shoot, and fifty crew members had to
leave the production after suffering from gangrene and other maladies.
*** Not-So-Fun Fact #2: After its initial failure at the
box office, Sorcerer was re-edited by its international distributor,
CIC, and re-released under the title The Wages of Fear, ultimately resulting
in a lawsuit by Friedkin to retrieve his original cut.
We’re introduced to the four primary characters through the
opening scenes: Nilo (Francisco Rabal), a ruthless assassin in Vera Cruz,
Mexico; Victor Manzon (Bruno Cremer), a businessman accused of embezzlement in
Paris, France; Kassem (Amidou), a terrorist in Jerusalem; and Jackie Scanlon
(Roy Scheider),*/** a wheelman in the botched heist of a cathedral in New
Jersey. Now on the run from various authorities, the four men end up, under
assumed names, in the sleepy village of Porvenir, in an unspecified South American
country, where people go when they want to fall off the face of the Earth (“It’s
the kind of place nobody wants to go looking”). “Carlos,” (Friedrich von
Ledebur) an escaped Nazi, tends bar in Porvenir, while corrupt police officers
lord over the town. The impoverished locals rely on work from a nearby oil well,
run by an American company. After a disastrous explosion at the site, resulting
in the deaths of several townspeople, the company is eager to resume operations,
but in order to do that they need to use dynamite to stop the resulting out-of-control
fire. The dynamite in question, due to careless storage practices, is
disintegrating, leaking highly volatile nitroglycerin. Although any excessive
jostling or movement will set it off, it must be transported from 200 miles
away, through uneven roads winding through dense jungle. Attempting to
transport the dynamite is tantamount to a suicide mission, so the company must find
men desperate enough to put their lives out on the line for the promise of a
big paycheck. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with no means of leaving and nothing
to lose, the four men rise to the challenge in two questionable vehicles (the
film’s title refers to the name of one of the ramshackle trucks).
* Fun Fact #2: The script was originally written with
Steve McQueen in the lead role of Scanlon. While initially excited by the
prospect of doing the film, McQueen ultimately passed on Sorcerer after
Friedkin refused to meet his conditions, which included making his wife Ali
McGraw executive producer.
** Fun Fact #3: Friedkin’s only casting choice that made
the cut was Moroccan actor Amidou (Kassem/Martinez). Marcello Mastroianni (as
Victor Manzon) and Lino Ventura (as Nilo) backed out of the production.
The always watchable Roy Scheider hits the right notes as
Scanlon, a character as far removed from the hero type as could be. As the wheelman
on a failed heist and on the run from the mob, he’s done questionable things,
but you can’t help but feel sympathy for his predicament. The same goes for his
accidental cohorts, who are equally unsavory people, but bound together by a
task with improbable odds. As Friedkin pointed out, the disparate characters
are a metaphor for the troubled world. Despite their considerable differences,
they need to cooperate or die. They are unquestionably antiheroic, yet their
humanity shines through, conveying vulnerability, fear, and self-doubt (behind
a façade of bravado).
Conflict is the driving force behind Sorcerer,
with man against man, man against himself, and man against nature. Friedkin
compels us to put ourselves in the shoes of these men, living in a place where
life is cheap. We’re right with them, in one jaw-dropping scene after another,
as they narrowly escape oblivion. Putting aside their petty disputes and
working together towards a common goal is essential if they hope to survive.
The much-touted scene where the party is forced to cross a rickety bridge over
rushing waters is as tense and harrowing as its reputation suggests. Amidst
heavy rain and the treacherous, churning river below, they have no alternative
but to cross the swaying bridge, which threatens to collapse at any second.* In
a tense scene, when an enormous fallen tree trunk blocks their progress, the
team are forced to use their collective ingenuity, along with a case of
dynamite, to clear the way. The music by German group Tangerine Dream** propels
the action and enhances the tension, contributing to the film’s raw energy.
* Not-So-Fun-Fact #3: While shooting the complicated
scene in Tuxtepec, Mexico, four stuntmen were injured in what was then touted
as “the most dangerous stunt attempt in film history,” when their 16-ton truck
drove off the bridge.
** Fun Fact #4: Tangerine Dream’s haunting, synth-heavy
score was composed and recorded in an abandoned Bavarian church before the film
was made. Friedkin stated that he cut the film to the music.
Sorcerer is the consummate “sweaty palms” movie,
with potential calamity looming around every corner, forcing the viewer to put
themselves in the place of the characters. While Friedkin expressly stated that he didn’t want
supernatural elements in his film, there is an almost unworldly aura surrounding
everything, with people battling forces (social, political and elemental) that are
entirely beyond their control. Perhaps this could be extended towards the film’s
initial negative reception, as well. It’s a case of the right movie at the
wrong time, with the wrong title. There are many possible reasons why Sorcerer
underperformed upon its release, including a conspicuous lack of traditionally
likeable characters, few recognizable names (with the exception of Scheider),
and the misfortune of being released around the same time as Star Wars.*
But the nail in the coffin was most likely the title, suggesting a fantasy film.
All of this aside, the old Hollywood adage that “no one knows anything” still
holds true. Even if the stars aligned with the perfect release date, a cast of
bankable stars, and perfect title, nothing would have ensured Sorcerer’s
success. Fortunately, due to home video and positive word-of-mouth, Sorcerer
has enjoyed a major reassessment over the years. With the benefit of hindsight,
Sorcerer was way before its time, belatedly establishing its rightful place
in cinema history as a true classic
* Fun Fact #5: Reflecting on Sorcerer’s failure at
the time, Friedkin commented: “The zeitgeist was changing. It came out a week after
Star Wars, and Star Wars really changed the way people think
about, ‘What is a movie?’ Right to this day, and beyond. All these films about
the Avengers and the Transformers, video games and comic books,
that’s what, for the most part, Hollywood cinema has become. That just
automatically opened the floodgates to people wanting pure entertainment that
could be seen by people of all ages, basically. Would my film have worked if
there was no Star Wars? I don’t know. But without “Star Wars,” I think
American film would be different today.”
Sources for this article: “William Friedkin in Conversation with Nicolas Winding Refn on Sorcerer” (2015);
“Sorcerer Stunt Attempt Injures Four in Mexico,” Boxoffice, Jan. 24, 1977; “I
thought I was bulletproof: William Friedkin Looks Back at the ‘70s,” New York
Times, April 29, 2013; “Sorcerer Switch,” Screen International, Nov. 19,
1977; “Moxie, Not Magic, Conjured Sorcerer,” by William Friedkin,
Variety, May 10, 2016
