Hollywood lost an iconic filmmaker on August 7, as William Friedkin, the Oscar-winning director behind Best Picture winner The French Connection and other classics, passed away at the age of 87, per multiple reports.
Friedkin was one of the directors that helped define the 1970s era of Hollywood, where directors wielded more influence than almost any other time in the industry. He was joined by the likes of Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, Hal Ashby and Martin Scorsese. Friedkin's heyday was in that era, but he continued to make movies over the course of his 60-plus-year career, which includes a new 2023 movie, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
After news of Friedkin's passing was shared, many in Hollywood took a moment to remember the legendary filmmaker:
Aww man…a true cinematic master whose influence will continue to extend forever. So long, William Friedkin pic.twitter.com/sXppoS0FVKAugust 7, 2023
Not many directors can say they made a gay movie that people argue about decades later. William Friedkin made two: Boys in the Band (I like it, many don't) and Cruising (I don't like it, many do). That's not nothing--and, of course, a fistful of '70s-'80s classics too. RIP.August 7, 2023
Rest in peace, William Friedkin. Always a delight to talk to. And an artist who kept reinventing himself over and over again. THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE EXORCIST, SORCERER, CRUISING, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., BLUE CHIPS (yes, BLUE CHIPS), BUG, KILLER JOE... What a career.August 7, 2023
Of course, the other way to honor Friedkin's legacy is to watch the movies that he has made. So we've compiled some of the most iconic William Friedkin movies and how you can watch them.
The Boys in the Band (1970)
One of Friedkin's breakout projects was revolutionary for its time, as he helmed the adaptation of Mart Crowley's play The Boys in the Band, which depicts the uncomfortable interactions of a group of gay friends as they gather for one of their birthdays. The movie came out in 1970, just a year after the Stonewall Riots in New York City that was a seminal moment in LGBTQ+ history. A remake was released in 2020, but Friedkin's version has garnered more support over the years for its truly groundbreaking status.
How to watch The Boys in the Band: available via digital on-demand in the US and UK.
The French Connection (1971)
If The Boys in the Band got people paying attention to Friedkin, then The French Connection was the movie that truly turned him into a premier director in Hollywood; and he has the awards to prove it, winning Best Director for the movie that we previously mentioned also nabbed Best Picture. The gritty crime drama stars Gene Hackman as Detective Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle, who attempts to track down a heroin smuggling ring. The car chase under New York's elevated train is one of the best ever put to film.
How to watch The French Connection: available via digital on-demand in the US, streaming on Disney Plus in the UK.
The Exorcist (1973)
Capping off Friedkin's meteoric four-year rise was The Exorcist, which is still considered one of the scariest movies of all time. Friedkin earned himself his second and final Oscar nomination for Best Director with this movie, well-deserved as evidenced by the ways that he and his crew made Linda Blair convincingly look possessed by a demonic force. Many would probably call The Exorcist Friedkin's best movie overall (a tall order for its belated sequel, The Exorcist: Believer, to live up to).
How to watch The Exorcist: available via digital on-demand in the US and UK.
Sorcerer (1977)
Friedkin's last movie of the 1970s was Sorcerer, a tension-filled road movie designed to have audiences on the edge of their seats. Roy Schneider headlines the movie that follows four men tasked with transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across the dangerous jungle of Latin America, where one wrong turn could lead to their death. The Boston Globe's Peter Keough said of the movie in a review that it was Friedkin at "his most brilliant and original."
How to watch Sorcerer: available via digital on-demand in the US and UK.
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
In the 80s, Friedkin returned to his The French Connection roots to direct some crime thrillers, first Cruising with Al Pacino in 1980, and then To Live and Die in L.A. with William Petersen and Willem Dafoe. To Live and Die in L.A. is widely regarded as the superior movie, with Petersen's secret service agent relentlessly pursuing Dafoe's counterfeit artist after he killed Petersen's partner.
How to watch To Live and Die in L.A.: Unfortunately, this one is not currently available to stream, but you can buy a DVD of it on Amazon.
Blue Chips (1994)
At first glance, Blue Chips seems out of character for Friedkin. A sports movie about college basketball featuring Shaquille O'Neal in a key role. But, when you get into the meat of the movie — a struggling coach (Nick Nolte) who is confronted with the moral dilemma of being fired or breaking NCAA rules to recruit players that can turn his program around — you can see where it would have captured Friedkin's attention. While not on the level of his work in the 70s, it is an entertaining sports movie from the acclaimed director.
How to watch Blue Chips: available on Prime Video in the US, via digital on-demand in the UK.
Killer Joe (2011)
Friedkin's penultimate narrative movie (he directed a documentary, The Devil and Father Amorth, in 2017), was a bit of a comeback for both him and star Matthew McConaughey, with this being one of the early titles of the "McConaissance." McConaughey stars as the titular hitman, hired by a young man (played by Emile Hirsch) whose life is in danger from the debt he owes. But he gets more than he bargained for in Killer Joe Cooper.
How to watch Killer Joe: watch for free on Pluto TV in the US; available via digital on-demand in the UK.
