A maestro of cinematic realism and tension, a filmmaker of uncompromising creative vision, and a pioneering voice in the New Hollywood movement of the ’70s, William Friedkin is universally renowned as one of America’s all-time greatest directors. Across an eclectic career that spanned over seven decades, Friedkin oversaw such gems as 1985’s neo-noir classic To Live and Die in L.A., 2006’s criminally underrated psychological horror Bug, and 2011’s atmospheric black comedy crime movie Killer Joe. However, there is no denying that Friedkin’s greatest work came during the ’70s, which marked both an era of inspired brilliance from the filmmaker and a high point of his commercial success in the industry.
It wouldn’t be overstating things to suggest that it is impossible to observe the excellence of Hollywood cinema throughout the ’70s without paying mind to Friedkin’s achievements across the decade. The five pictures he directed have made an indelible imprint on the medium, whether by putting a clever, original spin on established genre tropes or by conjuring defining masterpieces of suspense. From a film many consider to be the scariest movie ever made to an underrated triumph that is now revered as being an essential milestone in queer cinema, all five of William Friedkin’s movies throughout the decade are essential achievements of the form that are as enduring as they are exceptional.
5
‘The Brink’s Job’ (1978)
The last of Friedkin’s pictures released in the 1970s, The Brink’s Job is the only one that was met with anything other than universal acclaim. However, even its pitfalls have a pioneering punch to them, illustrating that the heist movie subgenre didn’t necessarily need to adhere to its traditional slick and suave style to be intriguing. Loosely based on the Brink’s robbery in 1950, it follows an unlikely crew of crooks and petty thieves led by Tony Pino (Peter Falk), a cunning and ambitious small-time criminal who realizes the supposedly impenetrable Brink’s cash-handling company can be easily robbed. The group walks away with a stash of over $2 million, but the crackdown by law enforcement and the FBI puts the low-level thieves under immense pressure.
Not only is The Brink’s Job the least incredible of Friedkin’s ‘70s movies, but it is also the one that has aged the poorest as well. In many ways, it was the first heist movie to envision its lead characters as bumbling working-class anti-heroes of opportunism rather than calculating criminal masterminds. Their initial success comes through luck and opportunism, more so than precision. While it has its fair share of faults and is easily Friedkin’s weakest film of the decade, it does still flaunt a quirky blue-collar charm through its hard-edged characters, folk hero fun, and endeavor to showcase the thieves as being ordinary, realistic crooks rather than fantastical geniuses.
4
‘The Boys in the Band’ (1970)
It could be considered a bold claim given how substantial several of Friedkin’s other films have been, but The Boys in the Band could easily be the director’s boldest and most socially important picture, even if the masses have never heard of it. Based on Mart Crowley’s 1968 play of the same name, it unfolds as Alan (Peter White) drops in unexpectedly on his friend, Michael (Kenneth Nelson), who is hosting a birthday party for a friend, with all in attendance being gay men. The fun-loving night takes an intense and emotionally stripping turn when Michael accuses Alan of being a closeted homosexual and proposes a party game that yields dire consequences.
It is a remarkably fascinating achievement due to how its outdated qualities are also its most dramatic and piercing. A product of its time, its depiction of homosexuality is occasionally stereotypical and clichéd, one of camp humor and internal character drama, and yet each self-lacerating quip masking heartache is poignant, even today. It is also worth noting that whatever anachronisms The Boys in the Band may feature in its execution are more than overcome by the film’s cultural impact, with the movie being the first in mainstream Hollywood to explore queer stories without sanitization or vilification. It is ultimately a profoundly humane drama that Friedkin handles with care as he depicts the harsh realities of internalized homophobia in a pre-libertarian society of hostility and ignorance.
3
‘The French Connection’ (1971)
It’s difficult to comprehend how William Friedkin went from directing an intimate and richly nuanced exploration of sexuality to one of the all-time greatest crime thrillers in just a year. Realized with documentary-style intensity and a visceral grit, The French Connection revolves around NYPD detectives Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman), a dedicated though troublesome officer. Alongside his partner, Buddy “Cloudy” Russo (Roy Scheider), they try to gather evidence and arrest Alain Charnier (Fernando Rey), an elegant and sophisticated Frenchman who runs a heroin-smuggling operation.
With its vicious and challenging central character and an unforgettable car chase under New York’s elevated train tracks that remains one of the most thrilling sequences cinema has seen, The French Connection is an obvious precursor to the age of action bombast that would begin a decade later. It maintains a unique dramatic edge, however, realizing its true story with a frenetic and raw energy that thrives off the back of Friedkin’s decision to shoot on-location in the decaying city streets of 1970s New York. Revolutionary, iconic, and timelessly captivating, The French Connection is a masterpiece of crime cinema and one of the most defining achievements in Friedkin’s decades-spanning career. It went on to win Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards.
2
‘Sorcerer’ (1977)
“I measure the success or failure of a film on one thing — how close I came to my vision of it.” These were Friedkin’s words regarding 1977’s Sorcerer in an interview with The National, in which he reaffirmed his own approval of the film even though it was initially a critically dismissed box office flop that was completely overshadowed by the phenomenon surrounding Star Wars. Time has been kind to the adaptation of Georges Arnaud’s 1950 novel, The Wages of Fear, however, which has come to be celebrated as a quintessential cult classic of thriller cinema due to its nerve-rattling and unrelenting tension, grounded dramatic weight, and ability to completely immerse viewers in its high-stakes journey of life-and-death.
Filmed in the jungles of the Dominican Republic, it follows four men on the run from their respective pasts as they agree to transport a highly unstable shipment of nitroglycerin in exchange for citizenship and $10,000. Through the unyielding suspense of the payload’s volatility and the simmering hostilities between the four lead characters, Sorcerer is a masterclass in cinematic tension, one where every crumbling jungle road and collapsing bridge presents an opportunity for agonizing angst that is taken and capitalized on. Complimented by Tangerine Dream’s haunting score and the visceral dread bestowed upon it by its on-location production, Sorcerer now stands as a cult gem of thriller cinema that many view to be a forgotten masterpiece of ‘70s cinema.
1
‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Was there ever any doubt as to what would occupy the top spot on this list? The Exorcist stands not only as Friedkin’s best picture of the 1970s but as the defining triumph of his career at large, an ageless masterpiece of visceral horror cinema that became an immediate cultural phenomenon. In many ways, it’s the most important horror movie ever made, a notable moment of evolution for the genre in the medium as it proved that scary movies could be so much more than just momentary thrills. The hysteria surrounding the movie—including everything from reports of people fainting and vomiting in theaters to the Roman Catholic Church decrying it, and even to lines of hundreds of people eagerly waiting to see it—only enhanced its impact.
Based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, it follows actress Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) as she takes her 12-year-old daughter to several specialists when the child begins exhibiting several psychological and physical changes. When she learns that Regan (Linda Blair) is possessed by a demon, she turns to two priests for help. As was a trademark of the director, The Exorcist is brilliant at employing documentary-like realism to the story, making every horrific beat of Regan’s possession feel frightfully authentic. Combining a grounded and emotion-based exploration of suffering with several shocking moments that make the blood run cold, The Exorcist is William Friedkin’s greatest picture, an enduring triumph of horror, and possibly the best movie of the ‘70s.