Most critics respond warmly to Sorcerer, with praise clustering around the perilous truck sequences and the craft that makes them tense. The cinematography, production design and sound draw particular notice, while Tangerine Dream’s score is repeatedly singled out for its unsettling force. Roy Scheider’s performance also earns praise. The favourable reviews value the film’s austerity and pessimism, finding substance as well as suspense in its dialogue-light approach.
The spread is wide, however, and admiration for the filmmaking does not always mean involvement in the drama. Variety supplies the clearest dissent, praising the jungle photography and rainstorm sequences but finding the film largely distant and uninvolving. The Skinny is positive but considers the prologue too long. The central division is over how much the film’s tension and technical command compensate for its emotional distance.