“Sorcerer” was beset with difficulties, ranging from Friedkin having to work with Paramount after Universal backed out of fully supporting a picture minus a commercially attractive cast replacing cinematographer Dick Bush with John M. The occasional vestiges of civilization – poorly marked roads, faded signs and indications of previous, failed excursions – aid them only to a point, most notably when both trucks are forced to cross a rope bridge that even Indiana Jones would wince at. Along with Francisco Rabal as a mysterious individual who joins the quartet, the men are tasked with transporting the dangerous cargo across hilly, rocky terrain with thick underbrush. In Friedkin’s version, the protagonists include Roy Scheider as a NYC mobster wanted for his involvement in a heist that killed a crime boss’ brother Bruno Cremer as a Paris banker about to be sent to prison for fraud and Amidou as an Arab terrorist who escapes from authorities after detonating a bomb in Israel. As with the prior picture, it follows a group of disparate men placed into a desperate situation – having to transport a deadly cargo of nitroglycerin across the rugged terrain of the South American jungle – but with an added emphasis on the respective individuals running from the past. For fans of the movie who’ve had to make do with a litany of faded old video transfers over the years, the disc’s new 1080p transfer should prove to be a revelation, offering bold colors and almost three-dimensional detail.įriedkin’s film is a remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “The Wages of Fear,” scripted by Walon Green from Georges Arnaud’s novel and primarily shot in the Dominican Republic. A notorious box-office flop that signaled a fast downward spiral in director William Friedkin’s filmography, SORCERER (***, 121 mins., 1977, PG) has been resurrected by Warner Home Video in a gorgeously restored – albeit extras-free – Blu-Ray digibook release this week.
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