Sorcerer

Sorcerer

Year: 1977

Runtime: 121 min

Language: English

Director: William Friedkin

Budget: $22M

AdventureDramaThriller

In South America, four desperate men are given a dangerous opportunity: a chance at a new life if they can successfully transport a shipment of nitroglycerin across a perilous 200-mile journey. Led by the enigmatic Jackie Scanlon, they face a grueling test of endurance, battling treacherous roads, unstable bridges, and hostile guerrilla forces in their fight for survival and the promise of redemption.

Sorcerer (1977) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

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In the heat‑blown reaches of South America, a remote village clings to the edge of an oil‑rich frontier where poverty and ambition coexist under a sky that seems to press down on everything below. The landscape is a slab of endless road and jungle, where rusted bridges span swollen rivers and the air carries the metallic scent of industry. A distant corporation looms over the community, its promises of payment and a way out whispered in taverns and markets alike, while the surrounding hills echo with the distant rumble of guerrilla patrols, reminding everyone that the world beyond the village’s thin borders is as volatile as the terrain itself.

Into this tangled setting arrive four men whose lives have been marked by loss and restless yearning. At the center is the enigmatic Jackie Scanlon, a weathered driver whose quiet confidence masks a haunted past. He is joined by three strangers—each carrying the weight of their own desperate histories—who are drawn together by a single, perilous opportunity. Their uneasy alliance is forged in shared need, and the tension between personal redemption and the stark realities of survival creates a fragile camaraderie that crackles with unspoken motives.

The contract that binds them is simple yet unforgiving: move a cargo of nitroglycerin across a brutal 200‑mile stretch of unforgiving terrain. The journey demands navigation of treacherous roads, precarious bridges, and the ever‑present threat of hostile forces that patrol the jungle’s edges. As the convoy pushes deeper into the wilderness, the harsh environment becomes both a physical and psychological crucible, testing endurance, trust, and the thin line between hope and catastrophe. The film hovers in that tension, offering a relentless, atmospheric portrait of men on the edge of redemption in a world that offers no easy exits.

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 18:05

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Grueling Survival Journeys like in Sorcerer

Desperate characters pushed to their absolute limits by a hostile environment.If you enjoyed the nerve-wracking transport mission in Sorcerer, explore more movies like it. These films feature desperate characters on perilous journeys where survival hinges on overcoming a harsh, unforgiving environment and incredible physical hardship.

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Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically follow a linear, goal-oriented structure: a group or individual must traverse a dangerous landscape to reach safety or accomplish a mission. The plot is driven by a series of escalating environmental and logistical obstacles, creating a relentless sense of danger and exhaustion.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped by their shared focus on survival as a visceral, immediate struggle. They deliver a high-tension experience defined by the raw confrontation between human vulnerability and an indifferent, often brutal, world.

Movies about Bleak Redemption like Sorcerer

Damaged men seeking a second chance through a high-stakes, violent endeavor.For viewers who liked the theme of desperate fugitives seeking a new life in Sorcerer, this collection highlights similar movies about morally compromised characters. These stories explore the grim and often ambiguous pursuit of redemption through extreme, high-risk situations.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern often involves introducing characters at their lowest point, haunted by past failures or crimes. They are presented with a dangerous 'one last job' that promises freedom or cleansing. The journey forces them to confront their past sins while grappling with the new moral compromises required to survive, leading to an ending that questions whether true redemption was ever possible.

Why These Movies?

These films are united by their dark, existential exploration of redemption. They share a heavy emotional weight, a tone of grim desperation, and a focus on characters whose fight for a future is inextricably linked to the sins of their past.

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Sorcerer Summary

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Sorcerer Summary

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Sorcerer Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Sorcerer

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Sorcerer

More About Sorcerer

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