Directed by William Friedkin • 1977 • United States
Starring Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal
A hallucinatory journey into the heart of darkness, William Friedkin’s pulse-pounding reimagining of the suspense classic THE WAGES OF FEAR was dismissed upon its release, only to be recognized decades later as one of the boldest auteur statements of the New Hollywood. In a remote Latin American village, four desperate fugitives—a New Jersey gangster (Roy Scheider), a Mexican assassin (Francisco Rabal), an unscrupulous Parisian businessman (Bruno Cremer), and an Arab terrorist (Amidou)—take on a seemingly doomed mission: transporting two trucks full of highly explosive nitroglycerin through the treacherous jungle. Aided by Tangerine Dream’s otherworldly synth score, Friedkin turns each bump in the road into a tour de force of cold-sweat tension—conjuring a hauntingly nihilistic vision of a world ruled by chance and fate.
Up Next in ’70s Thrillers
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Chinatown
Directed by Roman Polanski • 1974 • United States
Starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John HustonAn Oscar-winning screenplay by Robert Towne, career-defining performances from Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, and Roman Polanski’s atmospheric direction come together in one of the greatest fil...
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Winter Kills
Directed by William Richert • 1979 • United States, West Germany
Starring Jeff Bridges, John Huston, Anthony PerkinsAmong the myriad conspiracy thrillers that proliferated in the 1970s, WINTER KILLS stands out for its audacious, tonally bonkers blending of paranoia and black-comic satire as wel...
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All the President’s Men
Directed by Alan J. Pakula • 1976 • United States
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack WardenAt once a taut, deeply engrossing political thriller and one of the most fascinating films ever made about the inner workings of the press, the final installment in director Alan J. Pakula’s Pa...
