Sorcerer is a 1977 movie directed by William Friedkin.
Sorcerer tells the story of four men – all outcasts from society – who are tasked with transporting highly volatile nitroglycerin through the Latin American jungle.
There’s a tired cliche about Hollywood: they don’t make movies like this anymore. However, in the case of Sorcerer, it’s true. There is nothing extraordinary about this movie – but its simplicity, pacing, tension and authentic characters simply aren’t found that often.
Further, ideas of redemption and moral obligation aren’t dominant themes. We’re not given vast amounts of details regarding our characters. We know why they’re stuck in the jungle – and more importantly, we learn that their basic motivation is to escape.
At its core, Sorcerer is a classic man vs. nature story. The jungle is unforgiving and the nitroglycerin the men are transporting is highly unstable. However, given this backdrop – the men have to rely on their own ingenuity – an omnipresent character trait from the 1970’s and 1980’s that seems lost today.
Perhaps the most impressive scene in the movie occurs as the men try to navigate around a massive, fallen tree trunk. Friedkin takes his time as Amidou’s Kassem/Martinez devises a small working model of an explosive that will destroy the tree. The pacing is thorough and brilliantly creates more impact for the actual event – an enormous blast.
Friedkin packs his movie full of details, yet scenes feel concise and purposeful. The main characters are effectively introduced in their prior lives. Roy Scheider’s Scanlon/Dominguez is a mobster who finds himself on the run after a priest (the brother of a mob boss) is killed during a robbery.
Amidou’s Kassem/Martinez sets off a bomb in a crowded Jerusalem city square, while Bruno Cremer’s Manzon/Serrano is being charged with fraud and risks losing his family’s fortune. Francisco Nabal’s Nilo is the most mysterious of the men – yet his early actions perfectly describe the character.
These vignettes replace unnecessary dialogue as the means of establishing the characters. Yet, Friedkin carefully crafts details that make each story unique. Manzon witnesses the demise of his partner as their business collapses, Kassem immediately recognizes the destruction of his terror cell following the bombing and Scanlon is a hunted man.
Each character brings unique talents to their respective roles. Scheider is the representative everyman actor. He definitely has a presence and his dopey-faced earnestness is endearing. His bursts of intensity are both dangerous and hysterical. Or in the words of my non-movie loving wife: “he’s clearly acting.”
Cremer is excellent as Manzon. He presents the character with a cultured air that underlies a grim, desperate struggle. He is perhaps the character most out of their element in the jungle – yet his jagged scarred appearance suggests a more rugged background.
Amidou’s Kassem is the most intriguing of the group. The character doesn’t have many lines of dialogue but his soulful eyes and quiet ferocity are potent. His scenes with Rabal’s Nilo are intense, as Kassem blames him for the death of Karl John’s Marquez.
Yet the stars of the movie are the Sorcerer rig – an amalgamation of rusted out truck parts – and the swinging rope bridge the men must cross to complete their mission.
These scenes are terrifying. Friedkin exploits the dangers by patiently detailing the truck tires gripping broken wood, the churning engine ready to die at any moment and the blindness the characters must overcome in the pouring rain. The tone is straight from a horror movie – complete with pulsing electronic synthesizer music and a bridge ready to consume another victim.
The BEST – Three Shots and a Shovel
As Scanlon and Nilo proceed on their journey, they are stopped by a group of guerrillas. There is a brief, terrific burst of action initiated by Rabal’s Nilo – in what proves to be his act of redemption.
The BEST Part 2 – The Final Dance
The scene is clearly forced but still touching. Scheider’s Scanlon finally achieves his goal of leaving the jungle, but asks for a dance with the soulful, weary Agrippa – played by Rosario Almontes.
The BEST Part 3 – John Carpenter – Only Better
Readers of this site know of my disdain for John Carpenter – or at least his juvenile attempts to create characters. Watching Sorcerer, I couldn’t help but think that Carpenter’s movies would be infinitely better if he followed Friedkin’s simple formula for establishing characters.
It’s also worth considering that the bridge scenes created as much or even more tension than anything in Carpenter’s special effects-laden movies.
The BEST Part 4 – That Final Scene
Of course, I won’t spoil it – but we come full circle in a really fun way.
The WORST – Walking Through Hell
One of my few complaints about Sorcerer is the fever dream sequence featuring Scanlon/Dominguez as he travels the last leg before delivering the nitroglycerin. In a movie as naturalistic as Sorcerer, this scene feels out of place both in terms of plot and tone.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4/5
Sorcerer is excellent, simple storytelling. The acting is solid and the characters don’t get in the way of the plot – which is a very basic tenant of filmmaking that is not always adhered to. Friedkin does a tremendous job creating tension in ways that rival horror movies. Sorcerer is a must watch.
