William Friedkin, who passed away this August, may be best known for The Exorcist, but this wild 1977 thriller - his own favorite of his works and a huge flop at the time - deserves just as much recognition. An ambitious adventure-thriller, Sorcerer was intended as a loose remake of Henri-Georges Cluozot's 1951 classic The Wages of Fear.
On the edge of a South American jungle, a desperate four-man team must transport a volatile cargo of nitroglycerine over 200 miles of treacherous terrain in order to stop a potentially disastrous oil fire. Led by Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider), the men set off on a hazardous journey, during which they must contend with dangerously rocky roads, unstable bridges, and attacks from local guerillas. The four men fight for their lives as they struggle to complete their dangerous quest.
Filmography: The Exorcist (1973), The French Connection (1971).