High Tension: The Best of William Friedkin

He has over thirty directing credits under his belt, but his best films always leave a scar. That’s how William Friedkin just seems to work. Whether he’s terrifying us with the possession  of a young girl, repelling us with oral sex on a chicken wing, or making the tension so taut you dig your nails into your (car)seat, Friedkin always leaves us breathless. Here, Colin Biggs has assembled the very best of Friedkin, bugs, bodies, and all.

1. To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

To watch secret service agent Richard Chance (William Peterson) hunt down his partner’s killer in a constant state of heightened awareness creates an energy that is unparalleled in most action films. To Live and Die in L.A. also has the distinction of introducing the very awesome William Peterson’s to film audiences. The intrigue lies in several characters chasing counterfeit money, but the film itself is about the counterfeit relationshipa these Angelenos build, wield and abuse in their daily lives. Endlessly rewatchable.

2. Killer Joe (2011)

Matthew McConaughey’s performance as the titular Killer Joe brings to mind Henry Fonda’s casting in Once Upon a Time in the West so many years ago. A handsome, likeable lead who gets to indulge in depraved villainy, McConaughey’s trademark smile is still there, but it hides a vicious streak. For years McConaughey was the charming staple of romantic comedies, here, he possesses a terrifying formality as a man hired to kill people. It’s an outstanding case of against-the-grain casting and fits in perfectly with a dire portrait of Middle America with spousal abuse, murder-for-hire, and drug dealing all part of a day’s work. Killer Joe requires a skewed sense of humor to get through, but if you can keep with it, it’s worth it. Someone pass the chicken bucket.

3. The Exorcist (1973)

Quite simply the scariest film ever made. Friedkin resorted to some questionable calls (discharging firearms near actors’ ears and slapping them in the face) in directing the film, but the results are unquestionably superb. The Exorcist broke into the national consciousness in 1973 and it hasn’t left since. The idea of watching a little girl go to bed, only to find a demon there later is an instinctual fear that has lasted the test of time.

4.  Bug (2006)

After years of a relatively low-profile, Friedkin re-emerged in 2006 with an adaptation of Tracey Letts’ Bug. A small production–the film is set mostly within the four walls of a tiny Oklahoma motel room–powered by very intense turns by Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon. In what could be described as an eccentric love story, Peter suffers from an obsession with bugs living under his skin, but Agnes prefers love to judgment. Possibly the best realization of a fever dream offered, Friedkin will leave you wanting to believe as much as Agnes does.

5. The French Connection (1971)

Ask any film enthusiast what their top five crime films are and inevitably The French Connection will be mentioned. The film is remembered for one of the most pivotal car chases ever captured on celluloid, but the real draw here is Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle (Gene Hackman). The thin line between cop and criminal is played on a lot (also in To Live and Die in L.A.) but none do it better than Gene Hackman and Roy Scheider, who offer career-bests as narcotics officers on the hunt for French drug dealers in New York City.

6. Cruising (1980)

Considered a flop after a terrible reception in 1980, the thriller about a rookie cop investigating a murderer targeting gay men into the S&M scene has received second life. Cruising was deemed offensive in its depiction of the gay lifestyle, but time sense has lended a different lens to the film as an exotic murder mystery set in the fringes of Manhattan’s West Side. One of Pacino’s best under-seen performances as Sean Burns warps into a terrifying look at how easy it is to slip in and out of an identity. Well worth revisiting, as is Sorcerer should you get the chance.