Sorcerer (1977)
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Four men with different motives must transport highly unstable dynamite across a dangerous jungle road.
The story
Sorcerer depicts four fugitives who are assigned on a dangerous mission to transport two dilapidated trucks on a rough Latin American jungle road. The trucks are loaded with old, rotting dynamite that "sweats" its volatile basic ingredient, nitroglycerin, and the dynamite could explode if the trucks move too suddenly. The four drivers, including a Palestinian militant, a French investment banker, and a man fleeing the Italian Mafia, must navigate a treacherous landscape while dealing with internal conflicts and the constant threat of a catastrophic explosion. They are forced to cooperate to reach their destination, despite their vastly different backgrounds and the high stakes of their individual situations.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film opens with four vignettes establishing the backstories of the main characters: Nilo, a professional assassin; Kassem, a Palestinian militant and explosives expert; Victor Manzon, a French banker fleeing fraud charges; and Jackie Scanlon, an Irish-American man fleeing the Italian Mafia. They all end up in the remote village of Porvenir in South America. When an oil well requires the use of unstable, 'sweating' dynamite to extinguish a fire, the four men are hired to transport it via truck. During the journey, they face various hazards, including a bridge during a storm and a roadside ambush. After Nilo is mortally wounded in a skirmish, Jackie is left alone to navigate the final stretch. He eventually reaches the destination and is offered a new job, but the film ends with a mysterious gunshot as his past catches up with him in a bar.
- First release year
- 1977
- Runtime (minutes)
- 121
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; French; Spanish; German
- Directors
- William Friedkin
- Writers
- Walon Green · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Roy Scheider · Jackie Scanlon / "Juan Domínguez"; Bruno Cremer · Victor Manzon / "Serrano"; Francisco Rabal · Nilo ( "Pancho" to Scanlon); Amidou · Kassem / "Martínez"; Ramon Bieri · Corlette; Karl John · "Márquez"; Peter Capell · Lartigue; Anne-Marie Deschodt · Blanche Manzon
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- Survival; Cooperation; Consequence of past actions
- Tone and mood
- Tense; Gritty
- Premise and plot tags
- Action; Thriller; Survival; Road Movie
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Wages of Fear (novel by Georges Arnaud)
- Reception
- Initially a box office failure with mixed reviews, the film has since undergone a significant critical reappraisal as an overlooked masterpiece.
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Sound · 1978 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The score was composed by Tangerine Dream.; The film was a remake of a 1953 French-language film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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