Sorcerer
(a.k.a. "The Wages of Fear")

US (1977): Adventure/Thriller

The plot of William Friedkin's suspense thriller originated with the same Georges Arnaud novel that inspired Henri-Georges Clouzot's French suspense classic The Wages of Fear / Le salaire de la peur (1953). Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, and Amidou play four men who, for various reasons, cannot return to their own countries. They end up in a dismal South American town where an American oil company is seeking out courageous drivers willing to haul nitroglycerin over 200 miles of treacherous terrain. The four stateless men have nothing to lose -- and, besides, they'll be paid $10,000 apiece, and be granted legal citizenship, if they survive.

The suspense is almost unbearable at times, even outdistancing the tension level of The Wages of Fear in certain scenes. Sorcerer had all the earmarks of a moneymaker, but Friedkin went well over budget, there was the glaringly inappropriate title: fans of Friedkin's The Exorcist (1973) may have gone home disappointed that not one sorcerer ever rears its ugly head. Friedkin initially wanted Steve McQueen to star in the film. McQueen accepted the part, but on one condition. He wanted a co-starring role for his then wife, Ali MacGraw. Friedkin would not accept his conditions, and McQueen dropped out of the film. Friedkin later went on record, regretting not accepting McQueen's conditions. (Universal-Paramount) (Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide)

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1 nomination