Stephen King has revealed his top 10 favourite films – and among the heavy-hitters from Coppola, Scorsese and Spielberg sits a title once dismissed as a box office disaster.
The horror master, who shared his picks “in no particular order,” placed William Friedkin’s 1977 thriller Sorcerer at the top of his list.
The film was released just a month after Star Wars rewrote the rules of Hollywood, and its gritty, fatalistic story about four desperate men hauling nitroglycerine across treacherous terrain couldn’t compete with George Lucas’ sci-fi spectacle. At the time, critics were lukewarm and audiences stayed away.
But in the years since, Sorcerer has been rediscovered and hailed as one of Friedkin’s finest achievements. Even the director himself, best known for The French Connection and The Exorcist, called it his most personal and difficult project.
Sorcerer is a loose remake of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s 1953 classic The Wages of Fear, which in turn was adapted from Georges Arnaud’s novel.
The film follows four fugitives from different backgrounds who find themselves stranded in a remote South American village. Each is offered a shot at survival by driving unstable crates of dynamite through miles of dangerous jungle roads.
Starring Roy Scheider in the lead, it’s a tense, relentless study into human desperation. Friedkin stripped away glamour and comfort, insisting on harsh locations and gruelling stunts to heighten the realism. The result was a film that critics and audiences in 1977 weren’t ready for – but cinephiles and filmmakers have since embraced as ahead of its time.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Sorcerer now holds an 80% rating and reviews from both fans and critics echo King’s enthusiasm. One reviewer called it: “The movie is exceptional. Fantastic action scenes, intriguing theme (almost the inverse of Heart of Darkness). The director does well to wrongfoot the audience. Acting is perfect.”
Another praised its realism: “Just the kind of bleak, realistic adventure you’re anticipating. Delivers on all fronts and gives a great sense of immersion. Technically impressive and doesn’t skimp on the effects. Thrilling, gritty, and a great twist, will leave viewers happy.”
Others marvelled at its intensity: “Really under rated. The first half of this movie has you glued to your seet, the second half has you hanging off the edge of it. A must watch for any movie fan.”
King’s selection of Sorcerer sits alongside some of cinema’s most celebrated works: The Godfather Part II, Casablanca, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind all made the cut. He also included Mean Streets, Groundhog Day, Double Indemnity, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and The Getaway.