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William Friedkin
Director 1935 - 2023

William Friedkin

Chicago, Illinois, USA

William David Friedkin (August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in documentaries in the early 1960s, he is... Read full bio →

Directed Films

Every film this person directed

20 titles
Killer Joe

Killer Joe

William Friedkin 2011 1h 42m 7.6

When a debt puts a young man's life in danger, he turns to putting a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect the insurance.

Bug

Bug

William Friedkin 2006 1h 38m 6.2

In Oklahoma, Agnes, a lonely waitress living in an isolated and dilapidated roadside motel, meets Peter, a quiet and mysterious man with whom she establishes a peculiar relationship.

The Hunted

The Hunted

William Friedkin 2003 1h 34m 6.9

In the wilderness of British Columbia, two hunters are tracked and viciously murdered by Aaron Hallam. A former Special Operations instructor is approached and asked to apprehend Hallam—his former student—who has 'gone rogue' after suffering severe battle stress from his time in Kosovo.

Rules of Engagement

Rules of Engagement

William Friedkin 2000 2h 7m 5.9

Part war movie, part courtroom thriller, this gripping drama finds a war hero put on trial for a rescue mission gone terribly wrong with only his doubtful friend and fellow marine to represent him.

12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men

William Friedkin 1998 1h 57m 7.0

Twelve men must decide the fate of one when one juror objects to the jury's decision.

Jade

Jade

William Friedkin 1995 1h 35m 5.3

When a prominent art dealer is found murdered, the man's death leads to an intriguing investigation steeped in sex, corruption and crime. District Attorney David Corelli gets assigned to the case and discovers that a key suspect is his ex-lover Katrina Gavin, a beautiful psychologist who has settled down with his old friend and peer.

Jailbreakers

Jailbreakers

William Friedkin 1994 1h 16m

A 1950's high school cheerleader meets a leather clad rebel biker and goes out on the town with him. When he steals an item of jewellery he gets thrown in prison but not for long. He makes a desperate escape and he is determined to catch up with his lost love and re-new their criminal activities.

Blue Chips

Blue Chips

William Friedkin 1994 1h 48m 7.0

A college basketball coach is forced to break the rules in order to get the players he needs to stay competitive.

The Guardian

The Guardian

William Friedkin 1990 1h 32m 6.4

A young couple with a newborn son don't realize that their new nanny is a magical Druid sacrificing infants to an evil tree.

Rampage

Rampage

William Friedkin 1987 1h 31m 8.0

Liberal district attorney decides to seek the death penalty for a man who slaughtered a family at Christmastime, then drank their blood. He escapes, though, and starts killing again.

To Live and Die in L.A.

To Live and Die in L.A.

William Friedkin 1985 1h 56m 8.0

A Secret Service agent becomes obsessed with catching a ruthless counterfeiter.

Deal of the Century

Deal of the Century

William Friedkin 1983 1h 39m 6.0

Arms dealers from several companies vie to sell the most expensive and highest tech weapons to a South American dictator. There are complications; understanding the exact nature of how 'gifts' are used to grease the wheels of a sale, a religious conversion from one of the salesman and a romance that begins to grow between two competitors.

Cruising

Cruising

William Friedkin 1980 1h 42m 7.3

A serial killer brutally slays and dismembers several gay men in New York's S&M and leather districts. The young police officer Steve Burns is sent undercover onto the streets as decoy for the murderer. Working almost completely isolated from his department, he has to learn and practice the complex rules and signals of this little society.

The Brink's Job

The Brink's Job

William Friedkin 1978 1h 44m 6.7

In 1950, a group of unlikely criminal masterminds commits the robbery of the century. Led by Tony Pino, a petty thief fresh out of prison, and Joe McGinnis, who specializes in planning lucrative capers, the gang robs Brink's main office in Boston of more than $2 million.

Sorcerer

Sorcerer

William Friedkin 1977 2h 2m 7.9

Four men from different parts of the globe, all hiding from their pasts in the same remote South American town, agree to risk their lives transporting several cases of dynamite (which is so old that it is dripping unstable nitroglycerin) across dangerous jungle terrain.

The Exorcist

The Exorcist

William Friedkin 1973 2h 2m 8.4

Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house. A man has been called for as a last resort to try and save her. That man is The Exorcist.

The French Connection

The French Connection

William Friedkin 1971 1h 44m 7.6

A pair of NYC cops in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a drug smuggling job with a French connection.

The Boys in the Band

The Boys in the Band

William Friedkin 1970 2h 7.5

Harold is celebrating a birthday, and his friend Michael has drafted some other friends to help commemorate the event. As the evening progresses, an unexpected guest shows up, the alcohol flows, the knives come out, and dormant and unspoken emotions are unleashed.

The Night They Raided Minsky's

The Night They Raided Minsky's

William Friedkin 1968 1h 39m 5.0

A naive young Amish woman runs away from her home in Pennsylvania to New York City, where she hopes to act in religious stage plays but ends up performing in Burlesque theatre.

Good Times

Good Times

William Friedkin 1967 1h 31m

Sonny and Cher spoof many Hollywood classic movie scenes.

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