Documentary Film Review

Friedkin Uncut (2018)

The director of The Exorcist and The French Connection, now 83 years old, is interviewed about his career…

For a big Hollywood name, William Friedkin’s something of an oddity. Only two of his 20 films as director, The French Connection (1971) and The Exorcist (1973), have become truly famous beyond cineaste circles, and both date from early in his career.

Certainly, Sorcerer (1977) has a fierce cult following, To Live and Die in L.A (1985) is highly regarded by some (though despised by others), and Cruising (1980) remains fascinating and controversial despite its profound dramatic problems. The rest, however, are barely heard of. And it’s a pity that Francesco Zippel’s determinedly positive documentary Friedkin Uncut focuses so intently on the “big” movies (especially Exorcist and French Connection) without making any connections to more obscure parts of the Friedkin oeuvre.

As a result, while there’s plenty of material here about a few specific productions (albeit not much of it that’s new), and about Friedkin’s directing practices, little sense emerges…