I finally got around to watching this movie last week. Wow! Is all I can say. I've seen the American remake, Sorcerer, which was a great movie itself, and I've always heard WOF was better - it is. It really is. A true classic that must be seen. 10/10
WoF's focus on character development and realism (i.e.: conversational dialogue between the drivers, no music during dramatic sequences) creates much more slow-building tension than in Sorcerer IMO. Sorcerer makes a lot of typical Hollywood remake mistakes IMO - too much focus on polish, visuals, and FX and not enough on character development, and over-the-top action sequences that undermine the realism.
You're not wrong at all, but Sorcerer was still a damn fine movie. William Friedkin wasn't the typical Hollywood director - we are talking the genius who made The Excorcist and The French Connection. But yes, the character development in WoF was far far ahead. I give Sorcerer a 8/10, and WoF a 10/10.
I first watched this film when I was 10 years old dubbed in Spanish. I remember I liked it. Never bothered to watch Sorcerer just because I thought the original couldn't be improved upon. Felt like a needless remake IMO.
I won't lie, had I watched WoF first, I wouldn't feel the need to watch Sorcerer either. The fact that WoF was so much better speaks volumes because I consider Sorcerer one of the best movies of the late 70s (77-79).
