Blu-ray Review: William Friedkin’s Classic ‘Sorcerer’ Finally Released

The Chicago Critics Film Festival [8] is currently underway at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago (“I Origins,” “Willow Creek,” “Starred Up,” “Obvious Child,” “Animals,” and more have yet to play) but last year’s event still holds a fond place in the memory of Chicago’s film scene. The highlight was a closing night, 35MM screening of William Friedkin’s “Sorcerer,” a film which was almost impossible to find even on the home DVD/Blu-ray market until last month when Warner Bros. finally released it on an HD disc. Sadly, the release doesn’t live up to the quality of the film in any way. Again, “Sorcerer,” a film that was barely released in the wake of “Star Wars,” gets screwed. Yes, it’s great that people finally get to see the movie but “Sorcerer” demands a better release.

Rating: 3.0/5.0

Why? Friedkin’s remake of the amazing “The Wages of Fear” has held up incredibly well but as someone who saw it on film last year, I can tell you that this HD transfer is overly polished. “Sorcerer” is a gritty, grainy film and it needs to be seen that way, not with a 1080 spit-shine like we get on this release. Again, the movie’s quality pushes through the transfer but the movie just doesn’t look right. And there are no special features to make up for it. The hardcover book packaging is great but mediocre transfer and no bonus material? “Sorcerer” continues to fall through the cracks.

Sorcerer
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Synopsis:
Roy Scheider lends his intense talent taut action-adventure from director William Friedkin. Set on the edge of a South American jungle, a desperate four-man team, led by Scheider, must transport a volatile cargo of nitroglycerine over 200 miles of treacherous terrain in order to stop a potentially disastrous oil fire.

Enter into this potentially explosive mix of split-second strategy and jolting suspense set against an outstanding score by Tangerine Dream.

Special Features:
o None

[9]	By BRIAN TALLERICO [10] Contributor HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com [9]