The Film's of William Friedkin: Discussion & Analysis

[AbelTim]

I am a fan of Williams Friedkin's work. He is a director who has worked across many different genres. He is of course popularly known for the 1973 film "The Exorcist". A perfect example of "good vs evil" on film. To me though, his absolute masterpiece is his 1977 film "Sorcerer". A film that displays man's absolute will to survive at all odds.

Please feel free to post what Friedkin film's you like, enjoy and why. I am hoping that we can have fruitful discussions and analyse his films.

"The thing that interests me is the good and evil in everybody. I don't have conventional heroes in the films that I directed, because I believe there's good and evil in everybody."

 

[challenge_everything]

This is probably in the wrong forum but I'll play along.

To me, Friedkin as a director is a bit of a chameleon. I don't find a lot of commonalities between his movies other than an uncompromising style than doesn't really give a fuck about trends or what anyone else is doing. It doesn't always work for me but even his failures are interesting in their own way.

The Exorcist is obviously a masterpiece.

I like Sorcerer but think it's flawed mainly because the build-up to the truck journey doesn't add much in terms of character development. I prefer the movie it was based on, The Wages of Fear.

I know To Live and Die in LA has a cult following but I find it cheesy as hell.

The French Connection is good but I haven't seen it for far too long.

Killer Joe is the best of his recent stuff. You could see the Coens having fun with a script like that but it wouldn't be as fucked up as Friedkin. See the chicken drumstick scene.

I have a soft spot for The Guardian too.

 

[AbelTim]

This is probably in the wrong forum but I'll play along.

To me, Friedkin as a director is a bit of a chameleon. I don't find a lot of commonalities between his movies other than an uncompromising style than doesn't really give a fuck about trends or what anyone else is doing. It doesn't always work for me but even his failures are interesting in their own way.

The Exorcist is obviously a masterpiece.

I like Sorcerer but think it's flawed mainly because the build-up to the truck journey doesn't add much in terms of character development. I prefer the movie it was based on, The Wages of Fear.

I know To Live and Die in LA has a cult following but I find it cheesy as hell.

Killer Joe is the best of his recent stuff. You could see the Coens having fun with a script like that but it wouldn't be as fucked up as Friedkin. See the chicken drumstick scene.

I have a soft spot for The Guardian too.

The Exorcist will probably be the film he is most remembered for. It is such a well executed look at the nature of good vs. evil, plus Max Von Sydow and Jason Miller's performances really make this film a hell of a lot stronger.

I think I agree with your take on Sorcerer. The scenes at the beginning are almost just filler but at the start. Friedkin could have just launched straight into the scenes in South America. Still though, it his best film for me.

I do not agree that To Live and Die in LA is cheesy. It is certainly very 80s in style but it works. One of, if not the best villain turn for Dafoe and even Petersen is credible (not a big fan of his acting).

I need to watch Killer Joe again. I have only just as of late learnt that Tracey Letts wrote the play and the script for the film. He himself is a pretty good actor.

 

[CiG]

even Peterson is credible (not a big fan of his acting).

I thought he was fantastic in both To Live and Die and Manhunter. Also he was cool as Pat Garrett in Young Guns II and in the 1990 miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts. I think he has a great presence, it's a shame his film career went into mediocre territory with all those romcoms, sports flicks and dramadies.

 

[no country for old wainds]

you knew it was coming...

 

[AbelTim]

you knew it was coming...

I'm ashamed to say I do not know this!

I thought he was fantastic in both To Live and Die and Manhunter. Also he was cool as Pat Garrett in Young Guns II and in the 1990 miniseries The Kennedys of Massachusetts. I think he has a great presence, it's a shame his film career went into mediocre territory with all those romcoms, sports flicks and dramadies.

I haven't seen the latter ones. I will check them out at some point.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Funny you guys should bring up To Live and Die in L.A. and Manhunter, I recently sat through a pretty solid episode of a podcast discussing both films and it definitely made me want to watch both again. To Live and Die in L.A. was around an 8/10 for me on the first viewing but in hindsight I feel like it could be a 9 or even 10 on rewatch, honestly just about a perfect genre movie.

Sorcerer has some amazing visuals but the older French film definitely told the story better. Other than that I've only seen The Exorcist, and too long ago to really remember much.

you knew it was coming...

Where's the dislike button

 

[AbelTim]

Funny you guys should bring up To Live and Die in L.A. and Manhunter, I recently sat through a pretty solid episode of a podcast discussing both films and it definitely made me want to watch both again. To Live and Die in L.A. was around an 8/10 for me on the first viewing but in hindsight I feel like it could be a 9 or even 10 on rewatch, honestly just about a perfect genre movie.

Sorcerer has some amazing visuals but the older French film definitely told the story better. Other than that I've only seen The Exorcist, and too long ago to really remember much.



Where's the dislike button

I highly recommend his 1980 film Cruising with Al Pacino. Certainly one of his more controversial films but still a very good one imo.

 

[CiG]

Sorcerer is so visceral and elemental that I can forgive a lot of its narrative shortcomings and lack of character development.

 

[AbelTim]

Sorcerer is so visceral and elemental that I can forgive a lot of its narrative shortcomings and lack of character development.

I really liked the characters coming from different parts of the world. Considering it's fraught production, it makes me want to watch even more Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God & Fitzcarraldo.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i know bug has a cult following these days, since nobody’s mentioned it. @Oblivious Maximus could probably elaborate on that since i haven’t seen it.

another thing i’ll mention is how good the man is at car chases. i still haven’t seen sorcerer but the french connection and to live and die in LA excel in that department.

killer joe is some good degenerate fun, i should watch that again.

i didn’t even realise he’s been making movies since the early ‘60s, can anyone shed any light on the pre-sorcerer stuff?

 

[CiG]

i didn’t even realise he’s been making movies since the early ‘60s, can anyone shed any light on the pre-sorcerer stuff?

The Boys in the Band from 1970 is a minor gem about gay people with some banter and back-and-forth that is Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?-tier at times. I love funny sharp-tongued dialogue in movies like that.

 

[RadicalThrasher]

No fans of Rampage (1987) or The Hunted (2003)?

Rampage starred Michael Biehn and was kind of a courtroom drama if memory serves correct about a serial killer who drinks blood or something along those lines. Think it was based on a true story. Been a long time since I've actually seen it, but remember liking it.

The Hunted starred Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro. Action/chase movie with a relentless, breakneck pace and some really good knife fights. Del Toro is some messed up vet who the government is trying to keep a lid on. Suffers from ptsd and big brother is worried some their secrets and former missions will come light. Tommy Lee Jones had a hand in training him and is tasked with bringing him in/stopping/killing him (pick one). Chase scenes from the city to the wilderness. Big fan and think this film gets a litttle overlooked.

 

[CiG]

Need to see both of those still. The Hunted sounds fucking awesome.

 

[RadicalThrasher]

Need to see both of those still. The Hunted sounds fucking awesome.

Think you would like this one a lot. 90 minutes or so blows by fast.

 

[AbelTim]

No fans of Rampage (1987) or The Hunted (2003)?

Rampage starred Michael Biehn and was kind of a courtroom drama if memory serves correct about a serial killer who drinks blood or something along those lines. Think it was based on a true story. Been a long time since I've actually seen it, but remember liking it.

The Hunted starred Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro. Action/chase movie with a relentless, breakneck pace and some really good knife fights. Del Toro is some messed up vet who the government is trying to keep a lid on. Suffers from ptsd and big brother is worried some their secrets and former missions will come light. Tommy Lee Jones had a hand in training him and is tasked with bringing him in/stopping/killing him (pick one). Chase scenes from the city to the wilderness. Big fan and think this film gets a litttle overlooked.

Rampage is based on Richard Trenton Chase " The Vampire of Sacramento". He murdered 6 people in 1978 while under the delusion that he needed their blood to live.

 

[CiG]

Always thought it was interesting that Romero's Martin came out the year before Richard Trenton Chase's first known murder. Pretty scary foreshadowing right there.

 

[challenge_everything]

I really liked the characters coming from different parts of the world. Considering it's fraught production, it makes me want to watch even more Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God & Fitzcarraldo.

Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo are both really good comparisons to Sorcerer, both in terms of the man vs nature aspect and the crazy production back stories.

 

[AbelTim]

Need to see both of those still. The Hunted sounds fucking awesome.

The Hunted is a solid film and it has great fight scenes in it. It's interesting because in the documentary Friedkin Uncut, Friedkin and the filmmakers neglect to mention films like The Hunted, Rules for Engagement, The Guardian, and his lesser known ones. Personally, I think it was a lost opportunity but I understand that they probably couldn't cover everything.

Always thought it was interesting that Romero's Martin came out the year before Richard Trenton Chase's first known murder. Pretty scary foreshadowing right there.

I've just read actually that his first known murder was in December 1977. I asked Arrow Video recently if they are likely to do a release of this. Sadly not. There are two versions of the film as well.

 

[Bloopy]

I prefer the movie it was based on, The Wages of Fear.

Same, although I think it's more that both were based on the same book. Sorcerer is decent, but The Wages of Fear is one of the most absolutely harrowing films I've ever seen. So tense, even hard to watch at times.

The Exorcist is one of my all-time favourites. Cruising was alright. That probably covers all of his films that I've seen. I've watched a lot of stuff along similar lines to The French Connection in the last few years, but I'm pretty sure I missed that one somehow.