7 William Friedkin Movies And Where To Stream Them

One of his first films helped save a man from the death penalty. Another revolutionized horror film and he also shot one of the best car chases of all time: William Friedkin. The American director died on August 7th at the age of 87as reported by Variety.

Controversy and masterpieces line William Friedkin’s filmography

Friedkin was born into modest circumstances in Chicago in 1935. He developed a love of film and worked his way up from small jobs on a TV station to the director’s chair. Initially, he made documentaries, including The People vs. Paul Crump (1962). The story of convict Paul Crump, who by then had been awaiting execution for nine years, was one indictment of the justice system. For Friedkin it was a first breakthrough, for Crump the ensuing controversy was a step towards commuting his sentence to life imprisonment.

Feature films followed from 1967, such as the queer drama Die Harten und die Zarten, which was re-adapted for Netflix in 2020. In 1971 Friedkin’s action milestone French Connection – Brennpunkt Brooklyn came to the cinema, two years later one of the most influential horror films anyway: The Exorcist.

Whether it’s a small documentary or a big Hollywood horror: Friedkin did not shy away from controversy. Thematically and visually he pushed to the limits of what was possible in Hollywood at the time.

In the years that followed, he remained true to himself, even if financial successes became rarer and engagements with major studios became less a matter of course. Nonetheless, Friedkin continued to make great films long after the demise of New Hollywood. As a farewell to the director, we recommend seven of his feature films, some of which have been canonized more, some less.

7 William Friedkin Classics and Where to Stream Them

French Connection – Spotlight Brooklyn: One of the best action movies ever

Based on the novel of the same name by Robin Moore, William Friedkin released the 1971 police film French Connection, which tells a story inspired by real events. No wonder the pictures almost appear documentarywhen Gene Hackman runs through icy streets as a manic cop to take down the French mafia.

A lost soul in a lost city: Friedkin deserved the directing Oscar for the gripping production of this unforgiving New York, which he received at the 1972 awards for the French Connection. Such brilliant chases rarely seen in cinemas. The film also won four other Oscars: Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Actor. (MH)

The Exorcist: Revolutionary Horror

Two years after his success with French Connection, William Friendkin ventured into another novel adaptation: The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty. The result is one of the most controversial horror films in film history. Once the devil-possessed Regan (Linda Blair) sits in bed with a wicked grin and the head rotates 180 degreesFriedkin unleashes pure horror.

Father Merrin (Max von Sydow) rushes to help the desperate mother (Ellen Burstyn). In form of a Silhouette with coat, hat and bag he stands in front of the house where evil has settled. Friedkin finds images that are both atmospheric and disturbing as he breathlessly chases his characters up and down stairs. They can’t believe the horror. It’s anchored in every single rough frame of the film. (MH)

Breathless with fear: high tension in the jungle

Few filmmakers can boast three masterpieces that they shot one after the other have. But in the 70s, William Friedkin was unstoppable. After French Connection and The Exorcist, in 1977 he released Breathless with Fear, a remake of Wage of Fear, which in turn is based on Georges Arnaud’s crime novel of the same name and tells of a journey into the unknown.

Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider) and a group of volunteers are tasked with transporting a shipment of nitroglycerin to seal a burning oil well. The money drives the men, but they don’t know that they are go straight to hell. With two trucks poised to blow up at any moment, they balance within millimeters of death. Friedkin has created a suspense masterpiece in Breathless with Fear. (MH)

Cruising: Controversial classic starring Al Pacino

Cruising (1980) is still overshadowed by a debate that began before the film was even made. A draft of the script already caused protests in the gay community. The project was accused of homophobia, protests erupted during filming, and controversy permeated some of the negative reviews the film received upon release.

Cruising hasn’t entirely shaken off its dingy image. The story of a cop (Al Pacino) who goes undercover for a Serial killers in the gay scene in New York hunting was nevertheless reassessed in many places in the following years. In 2007, Nathan Lee wrote in the Village Voice that the film was “an intoxicating, horny flashback to the final eruption of sexual abandon and by far the most vivid portrayal of gay sex ever [bis dato] was in a mainstream film.” If that’s not a recommendation… (JJ)

To Live and Die in LA: Unique Cop Thriller

William Friendkin has returned to cop films throughout his career. In 1985 he directed the action thriller Life and Death in LA, based on a novel by Gerald Petievichs. The cold New York from French Connection gives way vibrant Los Angeleswhere corrupt cops twist the law to their own liking and the lines between good and bad blur.

FBI agent Richard Chance (William Petersen) no longer wants to follow the rules. When his partner is shot and killed just two days before retirement, he does everything he can to bring down the alleged perpetrator, Eric Masters (Willem Dafoe). Friedkin uses the revenge of his protagonistto bring another legendary car chase to the cinema. To this day it has lost none of its power. (MH)

Bug – Deadly Spawn: Paranoia thriller starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon

In Germany, the psychological thriller Bug (2006) didn’t even make it to the cinemas, which is all the more reason to put it on the reserve list. Ashley Judd plays a waitress traumatized by the loss of her son who finds a soulmate in a loner (pre-breakthrough Michael Shannon) in the paranoia thriller.

Friedkin’s fondness for the social and psychological margins of society comes into play in watching these two lost ones lose themselves in increasingly dangerous fantasies. Settled in a very small space, one is imprisoned in the spiritual world of the two until one can no longer distinguish between reality and delusion. (YY)

Killer Joe: Psychological thriller with black humor

A drug dealer hires a hitman (Matthew McConaughey) to kill his own mother. Killer Joe was released in 2011 and initially received the rare NC-17 rating in the USA for its extreme portrayal of violence. The mixture of black comedy and thriller draws us into a menagerie of bizarre characters who… plunge headfirst into an escalating whirlpool of violence.

The film proved once again that Friedkin’s toughness hadn’t diminished with age, and it demonstrated his ability to find something human even in cartoons. Whether you can endure that is written on another sheet smeared with chicken fat. (YY)

William Friedkins last completed feature film is called The Caine Mutiny Court Martial. The film adaptation of a play starring Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Clarke and the late Lance Reddick will have its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival.

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