William Friedkin Movies
One of New Hollywood's most successful wunderkinder in the early '70s, William Friedkin suffered a precipitous fall from the box-office firmament in the late '70s, punctuated by the controversial cop film Cruising (1980). Nevertheless, Friedkin managed to keep his career alive, while the lasting impact of seminal horror film The Exorcist (1973) was confirmed by its enormously successful reissue in 2000. Raised in a Chicago slum, the young Friedkin fell in with a bad crowd, but his mother set him straight and Friedkin finished high school. Unable to afford college, Friedkin got a job in the mailroom at Chicago's WGN TV station. A budding cinephile who especially loved Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear (1952), Friedkin's ambition to become a director was stoked by his first viewing of Citizen Kane (1941) while working at WGN. By his early twenties, Friedkin was directing live television and making documentaries. After spending the '50s helming, in his own estimation, over 2,000 TV programs, Friedkin made a splash on the film festival circuit in the early '60s with his documentary The People vs. Paul Crump (1962), garnering several festival prizes and the eventual commutation of the title subject's death sentence. Producer David L. Wolper offered Friedkin a job in Hollywood and Friedkin headed west in 1965. After making several documentaries for Wolper and directing episodes of TV's The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Friedkin broke into fiction features with the Sonny Bono and Cher vehicle Good Times (1967). Though Good Times was not a success, the brash tyro was tapped to direct the Norman Lear-scripted vaudeville period piece The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968). Despite moments of charm, The Night They Raided Minsky's did not popularly justify its then-generous budget. Nevertheless, Friedkin forged ahead with adaptations of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party (1968) and Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band (1970). While neither lived up to Friedkin's movie prodigy reputation, The Boys in the Band distinguished itself as the first Hollywood movie exclusively about gay men. On the verge of never living up to his press, Friedkin took to heart his then-potential father-in-law Howard Hawks' comments about making crowd-pleasing actionpictures rather than arty, psychological studies. Cutting any scenes that slowed the pace, and returning to his documentary roots, Friedkin adapted the true crime best-seller The French Connection (1971) with streetwise élan. Shot on location in New York City with documentary-style mobile cameras, The French Connection was at once a timely story about cynical cops as brutal as their drug dealer prey -- complete with star Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle mercilessly shooting a man in the back -- and a thrilling actio movie. The French Connection became a critically acclaimed hit, influencing the look of cop movies and TV series for years to come. Earning eight Oscar nominations, The French Connection went on to win the awards for Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Director, turning age-fudging Friedkin into the youngest winner to date. Friedkin's documentary experience, as well as the infamous attitude that prompted more than one wag to call him "Wild Billy," also convinced author William Peter Blatty that he could do justice to the potentially difficult adaptation of Blatty's best-selling Satanic possession thrillerThe Exorcist (1973). Though the production went over schedule and budget, and was plagued by mysterious accidents, The Exorcist handsomely rewarded the effort when it debuted during the 1973 Christmas season to long lines and eager crowds. Combining a starkly realist view of the supernatural with unprecedented, stomach-churning special effects and a barely veiled terror of feminine sexuality, The Exorcist reportedly caused audience members to wretch and faint, going on to break box-office records and spawn a horror revival. Though The Exorcist earned ten Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Director, this time the Academy preferred The Sting's (1973) lighter fare. Joining the creatively autonomous, profit-sharing Directors' Company in 1972, Friedkin quit the venture in disgust in 1974 (without ever contributing a movie) after the back-to-back failures of fellow Directors Francis Ford Coppola's lauded The Conversation (1974) and Peter Bogdanovich's Daisy Miller (1974). Friedkin had enough clout regardless to start sinking his career with his follow-up to The Exorcist, Sorcerer (1977). A stylish, if pointless, remake of The Wages of Fear, Sorcerer was an exorbitantly expensive vanity flop; The Brink's Job (1978) failed as well. Friedkin's return to New York cop stories with Cruising (1980) did not bode well either. A sordid, ambiguous film about a gay serial killer starring Al Pacino as the sexually confused cop on his trail, Cruising provoked furious protest from New York's gay community, who tried to shut down the production. Plagued by bad reviews as well as bad publicity, Cruising bombed. Though Friedkin suffered a mild heart attack in 1981, he returned to work soon after he recovered. Friedkin redeemed himself critically, if not financially, with To Live and Die in L.A. (1985). Pitting William L. Petersen's sleazy Secret Service agent against Willem Dafoe's slick, psychotic counterfeiter, and featuring a car chase that (almost) trumps The French Connection, To Live and Die in L.A. earned praise for its grittiness and top-notch acting. The Reagan-era audience, however, was less amenable to Friedkin's pessimism. Friedkin's feature career drooped through such indifferent genre works as Rampage (1987) and The Guardian (1990). Finally settling into a durable marriage in 1991 to his fourth wife, Paramount chief Sherry Lansing, and tempering his professional behavior, Friedkin made the respectable basketball movie Blue Chips (1994) and managed to emerge relatively unscathed from the squalid Joe Eszterhas fiasco Jade (1995). Returning to TV again, Friedkin's cable remake of tense jury story 12 Angry Men (1997), starring George C. Scott and Jack Lemmon, brought Friedkin his best reviews in years and garnered six Emmy nominations. Admitting, "I was arrogant beyond my talent," in 2000, Friedkin hoped that his Samuel L. Jackson-Tommy Lee Jones military drama Rules of Engagement (2000) would be his first hit since the '70s. The release of The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen (2000), featuring 11 minutes of additional footage including Linda Blair's crab walk, surpassed Friedkin's recent work and overtook the 1998 re-release of Grease as the second most popular reissue to date after the Star Wars trilogy. The success of The Exorcist's re-release helped jump-start the production of the prequel Exorcist: The Beginning (2003), directed by Friedkin's New Hollywood cohort Paul Schrader. Friedkin's next directorial assignment of his own, however, proved to be another disappointment. Though it starred acting heavyweights Benicio del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones, and earned a modicum of praise for the skillfully directed action sequences, The Hunted (2003) suffered from a thin story that bore a striking resemblance to First Blood (1982), and failed to attract a substantial audience willing to watch del Toro and Jones go mano a mano in the woods. In 2006 he adapted Tracy Letts claustrophobic psychological thriller Bug. He directed an episode of CSI in 2007, and participated in a 2009 documentary about his groundbreaking film The Boys in the Band. In 2012 he released Killer Joe, another collaboration with Tracy Letts. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
A desperate Texas drug dealer plots to settle a sizable debt by killing his mother and collecting the insurance money, but gets into an even bigger mess after hiring a twisted police detective who moonlights as a killer-for-hire to get the job done. Chris (Emile Hirsch) is in serious trouble. He's just incurred a major debt to Digger Soames (Marc Macaulay), and when you're late paying Digger, you can wind up dead. His back against the wall, Chris comes to his father Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) with a sinister proposition: they'll hire a killer to get rid of Chris' mother (and Ansel's ex-wife), then collect the insurance money that will go to Chris' teenage sister Dottie (Juno Temple), a seraphic sleepwalker who seems to exist in a world all her own. Bringing Chris' temperamental stepmother Sharla (Gina Gershon) in on the hustle, the young deadbeat and his dimwitted father enlist the services of Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a local police detective whose authority and detailed knowledge of police procedures make him the perfect hired killer. But Joe doesn't come cheap, and when his fee proves bigger than expected, Chris and Ansel agree to let him have Dottie as a "retainer" until the insurance check clears. Just when it starts to look as if everything is going according to plan, however, an unexpected complication plunges the entire situation into total chaos. A lurid black comedy that goes to some very dark places, Killer Joe is the second collaboration between acclaimed director William Friedkin and playwright/screenwriter Tracy Letts, who previously worked together on the 2006 psychological thriller Bug. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, (more)
- 2008
Director Olivier Jahan offers an glimpse into The Director's Fortnight, a sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival conceived by a group of filmmakers known as the Société des Réalisateurs de Films who sought to counter the academism of the main part of the world-renowned festival. Pierre-Henri Deleau, the one-time artistic director of the Société des Réalisateurs de Films, and as his successor Olivier Père take movie lovers behind the scenes as the dedicated group of filmmakers prepare for the 2007 Director's Fortnight. Archive footage, film clips, and interviews with over two-dozen directors offer a comprehensive look at forty years of cinematic rebellion. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2007
A man's body is thrown from a garbage truck that is being chased by the police. The victim was a limo driver connected to a nightclub with mob ties. Warrick believes the club owner is responsible and sets out to prove it. Unfortunately, Warrick's addiction to pills and a suddenly reckless lifestyle negatively impact his job. Later, Warrick becomes the chief suspect in another mob-related murder. ~ Tim Holland, Rovi
- 2007
Axel Schill's non-fiction work The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo joins Light Keeps Me Company, Tell Them Who You Are, and other recent documentaries in paying homage to one of the world's great cinematographers. Active from the early 1960s until just before his death in early 2001, Alonzo beat the odds as a young man by migrating to the U.S. as a Mexican farmer's son and then working his way up to ultimately qualify as one of the most revered cinematographers in the American film industry. Among other accomplishments, he lit a string of contemporary classics including Harold and Maude (1971), The Bad News Bears (1976), Scarface (1983), and Steel Magnolias (1989). Schill cuts together interviews with such Alonzo collaborators as Richard Dreyfuss, Sally Field, and Michael Crichton, and illustrates many of their observations with clips from the esteemed director of photography's finest work. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sid Levin, Andy Sidaris, (more)
Academy Award-winning Exorcist director William Friedkin scuttles deep into the darkest recesses of the traumatized human psyche with this tale of a lonely bartender haunted by the long-ago disappearance of her young son, and the paranoia that emerges when she enters into a tentative relationship with a deeply disturbed drifter. Adapted from the off-Broadway play by Tracy Letts, Bug centers on Agnes (Ashley Judd), who tends bar alongside pal R.C. (Lynn Collins), and has recently moved into a shoddy roadside motel in hopes of avoiding her menacing and recently paroled ex-husband, Jerry (Harry Connick Jr.). Upon making the acquaintance of subdued former soldier Peter (Michael Shannon, repeating his stage role), a veteran of the first Gulf War, Agnes finally senses that things are looking up. Quietly charming despite his melancholy aura, Peter soon reveals to Agnes that he contracted a "bug" while serving in the Middle East, and that it may have been deliberately administered as part of a secret military medical experiment. Convinced that the microscopic insects are quickly multiplying just under the surface of his skin and that they have now infected Agnes as well, Peter soon descends into a psychotic rage as he resorts to increasingly desperate measures to purge himself of the offending subdermal arthropods. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon, (more)
In the late '60s, American culture experienced a period of change as the youth movement challenged conventional attitudes about politics, sex, drugs, and gender issues, while the advancement of the Vietnam War found many citizens questioning the actions and wisdom of their government for the first time. As American attitudes continued to evolve, so did the American film industry; as costly big-budget blockbusters nearly brought the major studios to the brink of collapse, smaller and more personal films such as Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, and Five Easy Pieces demonstrated there was a ready audience for bold and challenging entertainment. As the '60s faded into the 1970s, American cinema moved into an exciting period of creativity and stylistic innovation, which led to such landmark films as The Godfather, MASH, The Last Picture Show, Shampoo, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Chinatown, and Taxi Driver, and new freedom for directors and screenwriters. Ironically, however, it was another pair of big-budget blockbusters directed by students of the new wave of filmmaking -- Jaws and Star Wars -- which brought the studios back to power and put an end to Hollywood's flirtation with offbeat creativity. A Decade Under the Influence is a documentary which explores the rise and fall of new American filmmaking in the 1970s, and features interviews with many of the key directors, screenwriters, and actors whose work typified the movement, including Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Paul Schrader, Roger Corman, Dennis Hopper, Jon Voight, and Julie Christie. A Decade Under the Influence received its world premier at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, and an expanded version of the film was later shown on the premium cable outlet The Independent Film Channel; the documentary was the final work of co-director Ted Demme, who died shortly before the film was completed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, (more)
A rogue special-forces soldier is tracked down by his former mentor in this action thriller from director William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist). In his first role since winning a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2001, Benicio del Toro stars as Aaron Hallam, one of the U.S. military's most skilled hand-to-hand combat operatives. In the years following his successful assassination of a Serbian warlord in late-'90s Kosovo, Hallam finds himself plagued by traumatic flashbacks of death and destruction, so much so that when he finally returns home, he regresses into a feral, survivalist state in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. There, he deliberately and elaborately hunts and kills poachers who happen to cross his path. When the FBI investigates the murders, they call in the man who taught Hallam everything he knows: retiree L.T. Bonham (Tommy Lee Jones). As the instructor pursues his unhinged former pupil, Bonham begins to learn about key events in Hallam's life that pushed him over the edge. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio Del Toro, (more)
In this drama, two U.S. Marines who stood side by side on the field of battle are reunited in a court of law. Attorney Hayes Hodges (Tommy Lee Jones) once aspired to a career as an officer, but a serious injury in Vietnam put an end to his military future, leaving him bitter and resentful. Col. Terry L. Childers (Samuel L. Jackson) fought alongside Hodges and once saved his life; when Childers is threatened with a court martial for ordering his troops to fire on civilians during a raid on an American embassy, Hodges is the only lawyer that he can trust, and the case gives Hodges a chance for revenge against the military system that he feels has wronged him. Rules of Engagement also features Kim Delaney, Ben Kingsley, Blair Underwood, and Anne Archer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, (more)
- 1997
This British-produced documentary offers an insightful portrait of American filmmaker Howard Hawks, whose remarkable five decade long career encompassed some of Hollywood's best loved movies. Hawks' personal and professional life is recalled by such friends and co-workers as Todd McCarthy (the noted Variety film critic who penned the director's biography), Lauren Bacall, Peter Bogdanovich, Angie Dickinson, William Friedkin and Walter Hill. It is also chronicled via archival interviews and clips from his best known films. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1997
A jury argues a case in a stuffy room on a hot summer's day. Eleven say "guilty!" But one holdout (Jack Lemmon) is convinced of the defendant's innocence and stubbornly argues "reasonable doubt." This tense courtroom drama is a remake of Sidney Lumet's 1957 favorite and was produced for the Showtime cable network. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Courtney B. Vance, (more)
An investigator seeking the truth behind the death of a noted art dealer uncovers a web of sexual deception in this erotic thriller. David Caruso plays David Corelli, a San Francisco District Attorney who faces a potential conflict of interest when he learns that the prime suspect in the murder is psychologist Katrina Gavin (Linda Fiorentino), an old flame who eventually married Corelli's close friend (Chazz Palminteri). Despite this, he continues on the case and discovers that the dealer owned a series of photographs showing prominent public figures in compromising positions with an enigmatic prostitute known only as Jade. As Corelli searches for the identity of this unknown woman, believing she holds the key to the murder's solution, he uncovers further secrets that ultimately threaten his own life. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, (more)
- 1995
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A poster boy of the American new wave, William Friedkin directed such classics as The French Connection and The Exorcist. This video profile focuses on Friedkin's life and career. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
Blue Chips examines greed, cheating, and "winning at all costs" in the world of college basketball. Nick Nolte plays the stressed-out coach on the verge of his first losing season, who hits the road in search of new players not already signed by a bigger school. He finds three prospects: a precision Chicago shooter (Anfernee Hardaway), a giant farmboy (Matt Nover), and a talented troublemaker (Shaquille O'Neal). All three, wise to the ways of college basketball recruitment, make excessive financial and lifestyle demands before they can be persuaded to come to the school; the coach, already haunted by accusations of underhanded dealings, doesn't want to dig himself a deeper hole but has no choice. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, (more)
A 15-year-old cheerleader named Angel (Shannon Doherty) falls for Tony, a dope-smoking, leather-clad punk (Antonio Sabato Jr.). He robs two stores, making her a local pariah. Her family moves to Bakersfield to make a new beginning, and she falls in love with a local jock. But Tony breaks out of jail, kills a cop and comes hunting for her. ~ Brian Gusse, Rovi
- 1990
- R
The Exorcist director William Friedkin made a return to the horror genre with this blend of straightforward suspense and Druid myth-inspired horror-fantasy. The idyllic lives of yuppie couple Phil and Kate (Dwier Brown and Carey Lowell) seem complete when they select the winsome young Camilla (Jenny Seagrove) as a live-in nanny for their newborn child, but the lovely young Camilla -- whose natural sexuality begins to work its spell on Phil -- is not what she appears to be. This becomes shockingly apparent to the audience early in the story when she is set upon by a trio of rape-minded thugs who meet with a particularly nasty fate in the woods, but it seems to take the parents much longer to come to the same conclusion. In fact, the woods are the key to the entire equation, as Camilla is revealed to be a powerful forest entity from Druid mythology who intends to sacrifice her infant charge to a hideous tree-god. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jenny Seagrove, Dwier Brown, (more)
- 1987
- R
Rampage delves into the subject of legal insanity, so often the default defense in modern-time gruesome crime trials. Alex McArthur plays an outwardly normal guy who goes on incredible killing and mutilating sprees until (and even after, when he escapes for a short time) he's captured. When he comes to trial, the liberal DA (Michael Biehn) is torn between his own leftist leanings and the reality of the heinous crimes for which the accused is being tried. He must argue for the death penalty. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Biehn, Alex McArthur, (more)
William Friedkin, a product of television, returned to the small screen to direct the made-for-TV feature C.A.T. Squad. The titular acronym stands for Counter Assault Tactical. The heroes and heroines are fitted out with state-of-the-art hardware and weaponry that would make the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pale with envy. Captained by Joe Cortese, the squad is assigned to an anti-terrorist mission, the goal of which is to protect a top-secret laser project. Filmed in Canada and Mexico, C.A.T. Squad was plagued by a tiny budget that grew tinier with each passing day. Friedkin had hoped to include an elaborate car chase in the manner of his earlier French Connection, but the money ran out before the vehicles could gas up. First telecast August 27, 1986, C.A.T Squad was followed by a TV movie sequel, C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1986
This behind-the-scenes look at the recording of Barbara Streisand's 1985 record The Broadway Album. Tackling a host of classic songs from Broadway stage musicals, Streisand invites cameras into the studio to watch her work, and provides an interview about the process of making the record. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
William Friedkin's crime thriller, based on a book by U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, concerns an arrogant Secret Service official who wants to get his man at any price. Willem Dafoe plays Eric Masters, an ultra-smooth counterfeiter who has managed to sidestep the police for years. He is so up-front about his dealings, in fact, that when some undercover agents try to make a deal with him at his health club, Eric tells them, "I've been coming to this gym three times a week for five years. I'm an easy guy to find. People know they can trust me." But when young and eager Secret Service agent Richard Chance (William L. Petersen) finds out that his partner has been cold-bloodedly murdered by Eric, he trains his relentlessness upon capturing Eric -- whether it means robbery, murder, or exploiting his friends and associates. As Chance erases the dividing line between good and evil, he drags his new partner John Vukovich (John Pankow) and Ruth Lanier (Darlanne Fluegel), an ex-con, down into the maelstrom with him. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Petersen, Willem Dafoe, (more)
The humor in this Chevy Chase comedy lies solely in the eyes of the beholder. The comic plays Eddie Muntz, an arms dealer looking to make a big sale of war planes to a South American dictator. In order to do so, his girlfriend (Sigourney Weaver) has to sleep with the dictator and his friend (Gregory Hines) has to be convinced to do one more killing. Eddie's archenemy is Stryker (Vince Edwards) who wants to make that deal himself and will stop at nothing to obtain his ends. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver, (more)
New York City detective Steve Burns Al Pacino receives orders from Captain Edelson Paul Sorvino to solve a series of brutal murders in the gay community. Steve scours the gay bars that caters to same-sex sadomasochism in a desperate attempt to solve the crime. As he infiltrates the scene, he slowly comes loose from the moorings of his own reality, and an innocent victim is tortured by the cops in an effort to exact a confession. The story is based on actual murders that took place between 1962 and 1979. The film gained considerable publicity because of the controversial subject matter while censor argued between an X and R rating for the feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Paul Sorvino, (more)
- 1978
- PG
A handful of bumbling crooks pull off the heist of the century in spite of themselves in this blend of comedy and action. Tony Pino (Peter Faulk) is a small time crook whose attempts to stage large scale robberies have a habit of going very, very wrong, and he fares better at running a diner and fencing stolen radios than making a living as a thief. However, while casing out a Goodwill office with his brother in law Vinnie (Allen Goorwitz) in hopes of robbing the safe, Tony notices the Brink's Armored Car Company's building near by, and starts to wonder how hard it would be to break in. The more Tony investigates, the more he discovers the security at Brink's is more a matter of reputation than intricate design, and that getting in after hours would be within his abilities. Tony assembles a crew of thieves -- clumsy Vinnie, sharp-dressing bookie Jazz (Paul Sorvino), money launderer Joe (Peter Boyle), fast-talking but edgy Specs (Warren Oates), funny man Stanley (Kevin J. O'Connor) and nice guy Sandy (Gerard Murphy) -- and together they pull off the biggest cash robbery of their time, walking away with $1.5 million. But stealing the money is one thing -- keeping their mouths shut and not going crazy as they wait for the statute of limitations to run out on the job is something else. Also starring Gena Rowlands, The Brink's Job was inspired by the real life robbery of the Brink's company's Boston headquarters in January 1950; as the ends credits note, at the time of the movie's release in 1978, it was the only successful robbery of a Brink's company building, though a Brink's armored car would be ambushed by thieves in Nanuet, New York in 1980. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Falk, Peter Boyle, (more)
The plot of William Friedkin's suspense thriller originated with the same Georges Arnaud novel that inspired Henri-Georges Clouzot's French suspense classic The Wages of Fear (1953). Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, Francisco Rabal, and Amidou play four men who, for various reasons, cannot return to their own countries. They end up in a dismal South American town where an American oil company is seeking out courageous drivers willing to haul nitroglycerin over 200 miles of treacherous terrain. The four stateless men have nothing to lose -- and, besides, they'll be paid 10,000 dollars apiece, and be granted legal citizenship, if they survive. The suspense is almost unbearable at times, even outdistancing the tension level of The Wages of Fear in certain scenes. Sorcerer had all the earmarks of a moneymaker, but this picture bombed for a rather odd and silly reason: its glaringly inappropriate title. Fans of Friedkin's The Exorcist may have gone home disappointed that not one sorcerer ever rears its ugly head. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, (more)
Novelist William Peter Blatty based his best-seller on the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. Blatty transformed the little boy in the 1949 incident into a little girl named Regan, played by 14-year-old Linda Blair. Suddenly prone to fits and bizarre behavior, Regan proves quite a handful for her actress-mother, Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn, although Blatty reportedly based the character on his next-door neighbor Shirley MacLaine). When Regan gets completely out of hand, Chris calls in young priest Father Karras (Jason Miller), who becomes convinced that the girl is possessed by the Devil and that they must call in an exorcist: namely, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow). His foe proves to be no run-of-the-mill demon, and both the priest and the girl suffer numerous horrors during their struggles. The Exorcist received a theatrical rerelease in 2000, in a special edition that added 11 minutes of footage trimmed from the film's original release and digitally enhanced Chris Newman's Oscar-winning sound work. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, (more)
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