"Sorcerer" How A 1977 Box-Office Bomb Became A Cult Classic 35 Years Later (film, thriller)

[Suburban_Guy]

Always wanted to see this.

'Sorcerer' Movie Popular 35 Years Later - Business Insider

Director William Friedkin couldn't have been on more of a hot streak: "The French Connection," released in 1971, won five Oscars, and "The Exorcist," released in 1973, won two Oscars. In 1977, he released a movie he would later call the best of his career: "Sorcerer."

But "Sorcerer" was a bomb, grossing only $6 million worldwide — short of its $21 million budget — and receiving tepid initial reviews.

The existential thriller follows four criminals from around the globe as they accept a lucrative but deadly contract to transport gallons of explosive nitroglycerin across a South American jungle. The film is the second adaptation of French novel "Le Salaire de la Peur," which was adapted as "The Wages Of Fear" in 1953.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMof5PuQF7w

[Mark S.]

I've never seen it. I liked THE EXORCIST a lot, but I've always thought THE FRENCH CONNECTION was an extremely over-rated movie. Not that it's bad. It isn't. But it's hailed as a classic, and I've always found it a fairly typical '70s cop flick.

[Spatula City]

I love this movie even more than the French version. I think it resonates with me more after travelling to poor, tropical countries and living as an expat.

This is seriously the quintessential 'man' movie.

Just read the article... if Steve McQueen had been in this it would have been even more classic.