Maps of Movies

Sorcerer (1977)

Where Sorcerer says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

Four prologues on four continents, a jungle that was not where you think, and a bridge that had to be moved to another country

Scenes and places

Nilo's flat in Veracruz (1977)

Nilo, an elegantly dressed man, walks into a flat, quietly shoots the tenant with a silenced revolver, then strolls out onto the square as if nothing happened.

Set in Veracruz flat and square — A flat and the town square outside it in Veracruz, Mexico. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A port city on Mexico's Gulf coast.

Filmed at Veracruz, Mexico — Veracruz is named as the location of Nilo's prologue; the exact building is not given. The film's own caption calls the town square a location of this sequence, shot last in the production. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The blast near Damascus Gate (1977)

Kassem and his cell set off a bomb near a gate of the Old City, then hide out and plan their escape. Israeli soldiers close in, and only Kassem, the demolitions expert, slips away.

Set in Damascus Gate, Jerusalem — The Old City gate near which the militants set off their explosion. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A monumental Ottoman-era gate on the north side of Jerusalem's Old City.

Filmed at Jerusalem — The Jerusalem prologue was filmed in the city with the help of Israeli security forces; whether the gate itself was used is not stated in the source. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Victor's last day in Paris (1977)

Victor Manzon is accused of fraud and given 24 hours to find collateral. When his partner takes his own life, Victor sees no way out and leaves both his wife and the country.

Set in Paris Stock Exchange and a restaurant — The financial world of Paris where Victor is accused of fraud; the Palais Brongniart is the Paris Bourse building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The Palais Brongniart, the building that housed the Paris Bourse; the exact location used in the film is not stated.

Filmed at Paris — The Paris prologue was filmed in the city; no source names the buildings used. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The church heist and the crash (1977)

Jackie Scanlon drives the getaway car after an Irish gang robs a church and a priest is shot. A heated argument in the car makes him lose focus and he crashes into a truck, the only one to survive. He learns the priest's brother is a Mafia boss who wants him dead.

Set in Catholic church and road, Elizabeth, New Jersey — A church in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and the road where the getaway car crashes. Google Maps · Apple Maps

A New Jersey city just west of Newark Airport.

Filmed at Elizabeth, New Jersey — The Elizabeth prologue and its car-crash scene were filmed in the city; the church and road are not identified. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Porvenir, the village at the end of the line (1977)

Under false names the three exiles live in extreme poverty, earning little and unable to afford a way out. Nilo turns up in the village, which makes them suspicious.

Set in Porvenir — A fictional remote village in South America that depends on an American oil company.

Town in the Dominican Republic used for the fictional village.

Filmed at Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic — Chosen as the main location of the film; Friedkin described it as a prison without walls. The exact spot in town is not given. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The burning well and the unstable dynamite (1977)

An oil well explodes and only dynamite can put out the fire, but the stored dynamite has turned so unstable that the faintest vibration could set it off. The company needs four drivers for two trucks.

Set in Burning oil well and dynamite depot — A burning oil well and a remote depot where old dynamite has turned unstable. Fictional setting.

No filming location is named in the sources.

The bridge in the storm (1977)

In a violent thunderstorm each truck must cross an old wooden suspension bridge that looks about to give way. Kassem and Victor nearly lose theirs.

Set in Decrepit suspension bridge — An old wooden suspension bridge over a flooded river in the jungle. Fictional setting.

The Papaloapan is a river in southern Veracruz state, Mexico.

Filmed at Papaloapan River, Mexico — The bridge first built in the Dominican Republic was taken apart and re-anchored here after the river there ran dry. The point is the river's reference point, not the exact bridge. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The tree across the road (1977)

A massive fallen tree blocks the path, so the drivers have to spend one of their precious boxes of dynamite to blow it apart.

Set in Jungle road blocked by a fallen tree — A jungle track blocked by a huge fallen tree. Fictional setting.

Kaoba is a Caribbean mahogany; the sources place its detonation in the Dominican Republic without naming a spot.

The cliff-side road (1977)

On a road along a cliff, a guerrilla fighter fires on the trucks and shoots out one tire of Kassem and Victor's truck.

Set in Cliff-side road — A road cut along a cliff in the jungle. Fictional setting.

No filming location is named in the sources.

The last leg through the badlands (1977)

One truck left and one man alone. Jackie fights sleeplessness and visions as the landscape turns hallucinatory.

Set in Barren badlands before the oilfield — A surreal desert landscape on the final stretch of the journey. Fictional setting.

Eroded badlands in northwestern New Mexico.

Filmed at Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico — Navajo Nation land south of Farmington; chosen for a surreal contrast with the jungle locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Characters

• Nilo — A killer who arrives in Porvenir and raises suspicion.
• Kassem — A demolitions expert who escapes the Jerusalem bomb attack.
• Victor Manzon — A Paris financier accused of fraud who flees his life.
• Jackie Scanlon — A New Jersey getaway driver hunted by the Mafia.

Questions answered on the map

• Where was the Sorcerer bridge scene really filmed?