Death William Friedkins left a huge hole in the form of a camera in the hearts of millions of people who love cinema – after all, it is impossible to love cinema and not love Friedkin, one of the greatest authors of the twentieth century and beyond, the author of (at least) five masterpieces and an endless list of great films that unites that the fact that they have something to say, that they deserve viewing, insight and reflection. A career spanning nearly fifty years that we have told you about here and that we have now decided to celebrate in a different, inevitable way.
William Friedkin’s curriculum includes 22 feature films, almost all made for cinema (we’ll see the last one at the Venice Film Festival), as well as a considerable number of episodes of various TV series, from On the edge of reality To Tales from the Crypt. A marine magnum in which it is difficult to get lost, but even more difficult to find something bad or wrong: one way or another, even Friedkin’s less successful films manage to be remembered, at least to provoke a discussion. The task of ranking them in order from the least beautiful to the absolute best is titanic, and not only because as you climb in the rankings, it becomes almost impossible to choose a hierarchy. We tried: if you don’t agree, let us know, or better yet, ignore us and go for all the films of William Friedkin – you won’t regret it.
Deal of the century (1983)
A flop (it paid off when it was worth it) that almost everyone forgot about, and a frazzled and not-so-funny Chevy Chase movie. This is perhaps the only time in Friedkin’s career when we can say “pass” without any problems.
Good times (1967)
William Friedkin’s debut is a musical with Sonny & Cher, for a reason. It’s a meta-movie in which the famous couple have to make a movie, essentially, and get into a series of classic situations from westerns, thrillers, adventures, and so on. Unforgettable, minus the star power.
Team CAT (1986) and Squad CAT: Python Wolf (1988)
Two made-for-television films made just after the great Live and die in Los Angeles, with a limited budget, little money and little time. However, the first still makes you look at yourself, while the second we may not notice.
Robber’s thumb (1978)
Very little for a film that even received an Oscar nomination (for art direction), but Robber’s thumb it is nothing more than a divertissement showing how Friedkin also knew how to have fun when he wanted to, but which today is mainly based on the interpretation of the actors (primarily Peter Falk).
birthday party (1968)
One of Friedkin’s favorite films, based on the play by Harold Pinter and with an absolutely perfect cast, according to the author himself. It was ignored by the public and critics, but has been re-evaluated over the years thanks to Friedkin’s persistence.
Tree of Evil (1990)
Fascinating, albeit not entirely successful folk horror: Friedkin did not feel the matter entirely “his”, spiritual, as far as it was Exorcist but associated with paganism rather than Catholicism, and the result, while visually excellent, is a bit mechanical in its gait.
jade (1995)
In the 1990s, Friedkin also tried his hand at erotic thrillers. jade does not reach the top cornerstones of the genre (one above all the basic Instinct), also because of the two main characters, very far from the standard set by Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas. On the other hand, as a pure thriller, it performs better than almost all competitors, because fatal attraction To silver.
Honor Rules (2000)
Destroyed by critics and at the box office Honor Rules instead, it’s a demonstration that Friedkin was what is commonly referred to as a “handle”, even when it came to locking people in a room and making them talk – as we’ll see later.
Hunting is prey (2003)
It seemed like the film would definitely kill Friedkin’s career, and indeed, at the time of its release, it was very poorly received (for a change). 20 Years Later is a great chase thriller that has some great cinematography between Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio del Toro.
That night they invented striptease (1968)
Less scandalous than the title suggests, this is a very rich (not in terms of budget, of course) musical comedy that, as the title suggests, deals with the events leading up to the birth in 1925 – or rather, to the codification in it. modern form – striptease.
Blue chips – just win (1994)
Besides being a great nostalgia bath for those who loved NBA Shaq and Kobe, blue chips It has been heavily overrated over the years and is now considered by some to be one of the best basketball films ever made. The presence of Shaq, Larry Bird, Penny Hardaway, Kevin Garnett, and even more iconic names like Calbert Cheeney makes it hard for us to objectively assess this.
Dear friend Harold’s birthday (1970)
Another “birthday”, and also one of the first American films in history with homosexual protagonists. It’s one of William Friedkin’s favorite films, “one of the few I can still watch,” he says in an interview on the DVD of the film.
Mistake – Paranoia is Contagious (2006)
With this film, William Friedkin announced to the world “I’m back!”, After a long period of various kinds of failures. It’s also a rare case of an Italian subtitle that helps us in our task, because it beautifully and in just four words describes the whole suffocating atmosphere that prevails in the film, almost everything that happens within the confines of one motel room.
Innocent killer? (1987)
Well, this is a movie that Friedkin hates, or at least doesn’t appreciate the way he should. “Should” we say this, of course: Innocent killer? about ten years ahead, but presenting them as an ultra-violent thriller, themes that Friedkin will address in a completely different way in Word to the jury.
Cruise (1980)
A movie that’s very hard to talk about: Friedkin spent months visiting New York’s gay community, specifically the sado-masochist community, trying to tell as truthfully and respectfully as possible this story about a serial killer who only kills homosexuals. , but it ended up angering the same community, convinced that the film made them look bad. Who is right? However, the movie is great.
Word to the jury (1997)
If you ask us, this is the most underrated film of William Friedkin’s entire career. A handful of actors, one room, a moral dilemma around which discussions arise, alliances are made, big words and provocations fly. It is impossible to remain indifferent to a film that constantly forces you to form an opinion and then be able to motivate it.
Killer Joe (2011)
Looking forward to the posthumous release Kane Mutiny Court Martial, Killer Joe it remains William Friedkin’s last film, and what a film! One of the most disgusting and clingy portraits of the famous “evil banality” ever made, thanks in large part to (but not only) Matthew McConaughey at the peak of his career.
Live and die in Los Angeles (1985)
The film that did for Los Angeles what The cruel hand of the law he did for New York 14 years ago: turned the city into something alive and used it to shape the story and characters. Try watching it again, and keep in mind that it grossed less than $20 million: some injustices are as old as movies.
Paying for fear (1977)
Sacred triad of Friedkin, Paying for fear this is what took more time and posthumous critical rereading to be appreciated. According to its author, this is a film about how the world is “full of strangers who hate each other, but if they do not learn to cooperate, they risk exploding.”
The cruel hand of the law (1971)
One of the most important films of the seventies and one of the most beautiful in history. We talked about it in detail here.
Exorcist (1973)
The greatest horror movie of all time, the movie that defined the genre and killed it at the same time (there’s no better exorcism movie than Exorcist, and probably never will), is one of the most powerful experiences one can have in front of a screen, and a work that with each viewing offers a new revelation to those who know how to listen. Anything good to say about Exorcist it will never be enough.