---
title: "Sorcerer: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/sorcerer/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/sorcerer"
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Sorcerer (1977): what the critics said

Critics' score 76 from 7 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative.

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.

## Little White Lies — Ian Schultz

Rating 4/5/5. 27 October 2017. 

The critic calls the film a stunning reimagining that deserves recognition among Friedkin’s greatest achievements. They praise Roy Scheider’s performance and single out Tangerine Dream’s pulsating score.

[Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/sorcerer-1977)

## Slant Magazine — Clayton Dillard

Rating 4/4. 23 May 2014. 

Dillard presents Sorcerer as a formally ambitious, existentially fraught film that critiques corporate power. He especially praises the sound mixing in the stormy bridge-crossing sequence and Tangerine Dream’s unsettling score.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/sorcerer/)

## Radio Times — Andrew Collins

Rating 4/5. 

Collins says the film has been re-evaluated and almost merits lost-masterpiece status. He praises its dialogue-light international thriller approach and perilous, pre-CGI driving sequences.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-z92657/sorcerer/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 3 November 2017. 

Bradshaw finds the film a fierce, austere and intriguing work of pessimism. He especially praises its gripping final stretch, including Scanlon’s psychological breakdown and the awful twist.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/03/sorcerer-review-william-friedkin-rerelease)

## Time Out — RM

Fi1m's normalised score 62/100 (inferred from the text). 

The available page identifies this as Time Out’s review, but provides no readable critic verdict. Its metadata singles out the film’s costly production and poor US box-office performance.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/sorcerer)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1976. 

The review finds the film admirable in its craft but mostly distant and uninvolving. It praises the vivid jungle truck sequences and especially the cinematography during torrential rainstorms.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1976/film/reviews/sorcerer-1200423911/)

## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams

Rating ★★★★. 6 March 2014. 

The critic calls the restored film worthy of rediscovery, despite a prologue that runs too long. They praise its breathtaking cinematography, production design and sound, especially its suspenseful set-pieces.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/cineskinny/reviews/sorcerer)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/sorcerer.md