Siskel & Ebert Review The Films of... William Friedkin 

if you read The Friedkin Connection, he explains all the reasons Sorcerer bombed. The confusing title, too ambiguous , no girls, no good guys, and oh yeah a small movie came out the same week about a galactic empire, a rebellion, a princess & a death star. Audiences tastes changed

I love these compilations, Sorcerer is my favorite Friedkin movie

Loved the discussion of “Sorceror”, and yes, the very first film I was scrolling to see sadly isn’t here, a shame you weren’t able to find coverage. Pretty sure they both loved “To Live and Die”, a personal fav of mine.

Sorcerer is such an underrated gem. That drawbridge scene is breathtaking and intense!

Thank you for putting these together, I’m currently addicted to Siskel and Ebert reviews.

Friedkin was a bright guy and definitely knew the classic films and techniques if you watch interviews with him on RU-vid. He definitely was not afraid to speak his mind or share an opinion. It's a shame his work kind of fell off after the 80s. The Exorcist and The French Connection back to back will stand the test of time. Sorcerer and To Live and Die in L.A. are both very underrated in my opinion.

They’re really needs to be a restored 4K version of Rampage. It’s a decent thriller can look much better than it does now.

Bug & Killer Joe are both incredibly unique & uncompromising films. I'm glad Friedkin ended his career with two noteworthy works. While they're not favorites for a general wide audience necessarily, they are masterful works of tension, subversion & complex moral ambiguity with great performances, pacing & tone.

To Live And Die…. Is excluded? How rude and disappointing 😢

Timing’s often everything in show biz, and in the case of when “Sorcerer” was released, it was bad timing. It came out one month after “Star Wars” and “Smokey and the Bandit,” the year’s two biggest hits---came out and one week after the wretched “Exorcist II: The Heretic” came out. So “Sorcerer” had to overcome a one-two punch from blockbusters and an “Exorcist” sequel that likely made the “Sorcerer” title even more of a crutch. Many movie-goers probably figured Friedkin directed both. The "Sorcerer" producers couldn't have predicted the first two films' huge success, but they damn well surely knew when "Exorcist II" was coming out and should've made more of an effort to distinguish "Sorcerer" from it.

Great compilations. I Just saw Sorcerer for the first time a couple weeks ago..in a theatre! I didn’t think it was the masterpiece some think it is, but it’s a cool film. I’ve had the soundtrack on vinyl for years.

It's crazy to watch that Sorcerer review from 1977 and realize... If audiences missed it in the theaters they literally could never see the movie. Not until VHS rolled around years later. It gives such a different context to the S&E review.

I highly recommend the film Will directed in 2013, Killer Joe. That was a great neo-noir/black comic masterpiece.

RIP Siskel, Ebert, and Friedkin

AHHH! YES!

Bug was awesome fun

Any chance of a George Romero compilation?

I know this random but make a Michael Ritchie comp

Michael Phillips AO Scott Reviews Reissue Of The Exorcist We Say See It In May 2010 Of DVD Out Now!

Did they not do To Live & Die In LA?! If not, I’d be very curious how they would have approached the tense and violent joyride that it is back in the 1980s.

No Exorcist or French Connection sucks, but these compilations are great though. Thanks?

It sucks that you had to skip To Live and Die in L. A.

Sorcerer!!!!

Cruising is much better than these guys give it credit for. It's disturbing and ambiguous, no other 80's movie was allowed to be both.

Cruising is actually a great film but I agree Pacino sucks in it. Should've been Richard Gere.

Sorceror probably suffered from the Halloween III: Season of the Witch problem. The title didn't meet audience expectations. The fact that Star Wars came out the same time was the straw that broke the truck's back.

Cruising is a bad movie? Such a bad take.

I love Exorcist and French Connection but I’m realizing Friedkin made a lot of bad movies.