Movies
Friedkin's adaptation of Le Salaire de la Peur (the book). While the film shares quite a bit of material with Clouzot's adaptation, Friedkin made it his own thing. The biggest positive is that Sorcerer is quite a bit shorter, still it drags way too much in places, Friedkin's version also isn't quite as tense as Clouzot's. A group of poor workers is promised a big sum of money when they agree to drive a delivery with highly explosive materials across the jungle. A perilous journey they'll have to finish with two ragged trucks. While they appear confident to finish the job, they have no idea of the dangers that lie ahead. Just like the original, the trip is the main feature here, it's a shame then that it takes so long before they even get started. The drama isn't too interesting, Friendkin's direction is a bit murky too, but at least there are some nice scenes scattered throughout. Just not enough to make this a successful thriller.Read all
Friedkin should've been the ideal director to make a doc on exorcisms (after all, he directed The Exorcist), but the result is laughable. Conversations are amateurish, the exorcism footage is lame and the final reconstruction is something C-grade horror films would be ashamed of. Friedkin should stick to fiction.