Sorcerer

PG

Released Jun 24, 1977

2h 1m

Adventure

Drama

List

83%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

In the small South American town of Porvenir, four men on the run from the law are offered $10,000 and legal citizenship if they will transport a shipment of dangerously unstable nitroglycerin to an oil well 200 miles away. Led by Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider), the men set off on a hazardous journey, during which they must contend with dangerously rocky roads, unstable bridges, and attacks from local guerillas. The four fight for their lives as they struggle to complete their dangerous quest.

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Critics Consensus

Sorcerer, which obstinately motors along on its unpredictable speed, features ambitious sequences of insane white-knuckle tension.

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Rex Reed

New York Daily News

I don't know if there's an audience for this kind of grueling, depressing experience, but Sorcerer might bring back the kind of moviegoer who used to cheer Humphrey Bogart. It's tough and unyielding as a pair of brass knuckles.

Oct 26, 2021

Full Review

Vincent Canby

New York Times

For moviegoers who are convinced that more is more, "Sorcerer" is a big, fat, satisfyingly shapeless spectacle. For the rest of us it's a walnut of a movie-a good little melodrama surrounded by thick pulp.

Feb 28, 2021

Full Review

Peter Keough

Boston Globe

The director at his most brilliant and original.

Feb 28, 2021

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Friedkin gives the jungle a primal quality, an aliveness that makes their journey feel like a trip through an alien world waiting to swallow them up.

Jul 21, 2024

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

Despite all the “introduction” the characters are given, we don’t really “know” them and the performances have a “just get through this just like this poor sap I’m playing” doggedness.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 7, 2024

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

A very tense thriller, in which Friedkin narrates, with pulse and atmospheres, the truck voyage of four men who pursue desperate wages in the jungle of perdition. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Oct 31, 2023

Full Review

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g j

There's clearly something here of substance if you're patient enough to find it. For me it had serious pacing issues and the first hour was a bit of a slog to sit through

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/25/24

Full Review

Andrew A

‘Sorcerer’, a hidden gem that delivers on everything it teases.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/24

Full Review

Johnathon W

Superb adaptation of the "Wages of Fear" that, while not as perfect as the original, since makes for a tense thrill ride. The cast is excellent across the board, with Roy Schneider giving one of his best lead performances as a mobster on the run. Best of all, none of them portray good guys, as the opening segments shows, but you still root for them due to the crazy adventure they must go on. Behind the camera, director William Friedkin crafts one of his best movies that is much more appreciated today. The action is superb and the film does have better production values than the original (the crossing the bridge scene is absolutely nail biting). However, despite those opening scenes, the characters are not as developed as the first film. Overall, just a great thrill ride of a movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/24/24

Full Review

Sean R

Really under rated. The first half of this movie has you glued to your seet, the second half has you hanging off the edge of it. A must watch for any movie fan.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/09/24

Full Review

Darren D

The 1970's delivered a lot of great films & one is "Sorcerer" by the late William Friedkin. A story of four strangers with less than desirable past to escape & a desperation to survive which makes it near gut-wrenching to see what happens after surviving some of the most nerve-wracking moments captured on film. The ending is perfect as it lingers on Roy Scheider's emotionless look in his eyes which expresses the journey throughout the film & the life they can't escape. The soundtrack from Tangerine Dream just adds that extra sense of suspense & urgency.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/07/24

Full Review

Regina P

This movie surprisingly sucked me in. To be such an old film and have me so vested in the outcome of this road trip. Good story.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/31/23

Full Review

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William Friedkin

Director

Roy Scheider

Jackie Scanlon

Bruno Cremer

Victor Manzon

Francisco Rabal

Nilo

Amidou

Kassem

Ramon Bieri

Corlette

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Sorcerer: Official Clip - Trucker Tryouts

2:56

Sorcerer: Official Clip - The Bridge Collapses

3:07

Sorcerer: Official Clip - Held Up

2:54

Sorcerer: Official Clip - Clearing the Road

2:54

Sorcerer: Official Clip - Visions of Death

3:20

Sorcerer: Official Clip - Preparing the Trucks

2:43

Sorcerer: Official Clip - Down the Cliff

2:34

Sorcerer: Official Clip - A Deadly Bridge

2:23

Sorcerer: Official Clip - One Wrong Move

2:40

Sorcerer: Official Clip - Boxes of Nitro

1:33

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Synopsis

In the small South American town of Porvenir, four men on the run from the law are offered $10,000 and legal citizenship if they will transport a shipment of dangerously unstable nitroglycerin to an oil well 200 miles away. Led by Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider), the men set off on a hazardous journey, during which they must contend with dangerously rocky roads, unstable bridges, and attacks from local guerillas. The four fight for their lives as they struggle to complete their dangerous quest.

Director: William Friedkin
Producer: William Friedkin
Screenwriter: Walon Green
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Film Properties International N.V., Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 24, 1977, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 5, 2014
Runtime: 2h 1m

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