Sorcerer

Whenever people talk about directors going into “god mode”, typically they are talking about a certain scene or a certain shot, but rarely do they ever talk about an entire movie. The reason I bring this up is that I think William Friedkin went god mode from start to finish with Sorcerer. This was genuinely the most asshole-clenching movie I have ever watched. What I absolutely adore about this film is the practicality that you see presented. With a story like this, it's very easy and tempting for a studio or a filmmaker to kinda cheap out and cheat the look, while still retaining the story, but not Friedkin. Having all the action and all the suspense and the completely insane imagery all on the screen genuinely elevates this movie, not only for the actors, but for everyone to a level of which we have never seen in cinema. Also, all the technical aspects about this movie are perfect. The way the color grading looks is amazing, the way everything sounds and how it all mixes together is perfect, and the editing is so brilliant. The way that this movie takes risks and not cutting to the next shot when the action is done and cutting mid-action is such a high risk with such a high reward, and it was rewarding every single time. Even the cinematography was so goddamn exquisite. I cannot even fathom how the process was to get all the shots because of how god damn chaotic everything on screen is and just how the camera moves. I legitimately thought that Roy Schneider could never top his performance in Jaws, but for a lack of better words, that performance is blown out of the water with Sorcerer. If you haven't seen this movie already, I implore you to watch this movie, especially if you have a good sound system wherever you're watching it. Rating: 10/10 Ranking: #3/1,870 2 - The Thing (1982) 3 - Sorcerer (1977) 4 - Napoleon Dynamite (2004)