Every William Friedkin Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best (original) (raw)
Updated Jun 3, 2025, 7:12 PM EDT
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William Friedkin was an American filmmaker who made films across numerous genres throughout his directing career, which lasted over half a century. His earliest release goes back to 1967, and though he passed away in August 2023, he had one movie released posthumously: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.
He directed 19 other theatrically released feature films in his career, with those being ranked below (plus one of his TV movies that deserves mention). It's a body of work that could be called uneven, but few would argue that it's not at least interesting, and it's indisputable that it contains some all-time classics. What follows should help illustrate his diverse filmmaking career, with his movies ranked below from worst to best.
21 'Deal of the Century' (1983)
Starring: Chevy Chase, Sigourney Weaver, Gregory Hines
Standing as one of William Friedkin's most obscure and least well-received movies, it might well be the case that the less said about Deal of the Century, the better. It's a comedy about arms dealers all competing to sell weapons to a dictator in South America, all the while tripping up over things relating to tradition and cultural customs.
It has some talent and big names in the cast, including Chevy Chase and Sigourney Weaver, but very little of the comedy lands, and there's not much else going for it narratively or genre-wise. Everyone involved feels like they were operating on autopilot at best, and the lack of effort resulted in a fairly dismal Rotten Tomatoes score of 11%.
Deal of the Century
Release Date
November 4, 1983
Runtime
99 minutes
Cast
Gregory Hines
Ray Kasternak
Vince Edwards
Frank Stryker
20 'The Guardian' (1990)
Starring: Jenny Seagrove, Dwier Brown, Carey Lowell
Image via Universal Pictures
It'll become apparent further down the ranking that Friedkin had a real knack for crafting great thriller/horror movies, but unfortunately, The Guardian wasn't one of them. It's a simultaneously dark and silly horror movie, revolving around two parents hiring a new nanny for their child, only to find she's not who she at first appeared to be.
It's got certain aspects of supernatural horror that make it feel like an Evil Dead movie but not as good, which is fitting, considering Sam Raimi was once attached to direct it. The Guardian may have some appeal for those who like so-bad-they're-good horror movies, but anyone hoping to experience something genuinely scary will be let down.
The Guardian
Release Date
April 27, 1990
Runtime
92 minutes
Cast
Dwier Brown
Phil Sterling
Carey Lowell
Kate Sterling
19 'Jade' (1995)
Starring: David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Chazz Palminteri
Image via Paramount Pictures
Jade might be definable as an erotic thriller, although it's certainly an odd one if you did want to label it as such. It's got a pretty convoluted plot for something that's only just over 90 minutes long, revolving around people dealing with political problems, the legal system, and the struggles of reconnecting with old loves.
It throws a ton at the viewer, seemingly to keep a sense of unpredictability and mystery throughout, though the end result just feels a bit messy, and not in a particularly compelling way. It might make for passable entertainment for anyone who wants to see an aggressively 1990s take on the neo-noir genre, but others will likely be best off giving it a miss.
Good Times
Release Date
April 11, 1967
Runtime
91 minutes
Director
Writers
Tony Barrett
18 'Good Times' (1967)
Starring: Sonny Bono, Cher, George Sanders
Image via Columbia Pictures
Not to be mixed up with the remarkably tense 2017 Safdie Brothers movie to which it almost shares a name, 1967's Good Times is noteworthy for being William Friedkin's first feature film. It's also one of two feature films to star music duo Sonny & Cher, with the other one being 1965's Wild on the Beach (though they weren't in that one as much).
Broadly speaking, it's a comedy/musical movie, but then feels like it crosses into numerous genres, given the entire movie is really just a series of skits that parody various types of movies popular in Hollywood at the time. It's messy and chaotic, but in its own strange way, it foreshadowed Friedkin's chameleonic ability to make movies in just about every genre under the sun.
Good Times
Release Date
April 11, 1967
Runtime
91 minutes
Director
Writers
Tony Barrett
17 'Blue Chips' (1994)
Starring: Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, Ed O'Neill
Image via Paramount Pictures
Speaking of William Friedkin doing various genres, in 1994, he directed a sports movie. It was called Blue Chips, and though it's not particularly well-known nowadays, it is at least a curiosity, seeing as it starred Shaquille O'Neal, who doesn't play himself, though various other people associated with basketball do, including Kevin Garnett and Bob Knight.
Blue Chips also stars Nick Nolte as a college basketball coach who goes to desperate lengths to find the success that's been eluding him and the team he coaches. This gives it a slightly more cynical edge than your typical underdog story found in many sports movies, but the film itself is mostly just competent; not one of Friedkin's worst, but not nearly up there with his best.
16 'Rampage' (1987)
Starring: Michael Biehn, Alex McArthur, Nicholas Campbell
Image via Miramax Films
There's an interesting backstory to Rampage that's led to it being one of William Friedkin's most underrated (or least well-known) movies. It didn't get a proper release back in 1987, due to the producers going bankrupt, leading to it only really becoming accessible some years later, and even to this day isn't among the director's most famous works.
As for the film itself, it's certainly not bad, and didn't deserve the lackluster release influenced by behind-the-scenes drama. It's a particularly gritty and oftentimes horrifying movie about a serial killer facing the death penalty, and what happens when said killer escapes custody. It's the kind of down-and-dirty movie Friedkin excelled at making, and it's overall a solid watch for fans of the filmmaker.
Rampage
Release Date
September 1, 1987
Runtime
97 minutes
Cast
Alex McArthur
Charlie Reece
Nicholas Campbell
Albert Morse
Deborah Van Valkenburgh
Kate Fraser
15 'The Hunted' (2003)
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Benicio del Toro, Connie Nielsen
Image via Paramount Pictures
The Hunted doesn't mess around, with its simplicity inevitably being one of its greatest strengths. The premise is that there's a highly-trained killer in the wilderness, on the run after murdering two hunters, with a former Special Operations instructor getting assigned to track this killer down and apprehend him.
Benicio del Toro plays the suspect, and Tommy Lee Jones plays the man given the task of hunting him down, with both turning in compelling performances. It benefits from a decently executed cat-and-mouse type premise, and the British Columbian wilderness it largely takes place in, all in all making for a fast-paced and decently watchable thriller.
The Hunted
Release Date
March 11, 2003
Runtime
94 minutes
Cast
Leslie Stefanson
Irene Kravitz
14 'The Night They Raided Minsky’s' (1968)
Starring: Jason Robards, Britt Ekland, Norman Wisdom
Image via United Artists
One year after directing the (sort of) musical that was Good Times, William Friedkin returned to the musical genre with greater success in 1968, directing The Night They Raided Minsky's. Narratively, it's essentially a fictionalized take on how the striptease was invented in 1925, and various farcical situations that unfold as a result.
It's a strange and very busy movie, but it has a chaotic kind of charm to it that'll appeal to those who like bold and oftentimes ridiculous comedy movies from this era. Its goofiness does make it stand out among the more serious and gritty movies Friedkin became associated with making, making it an early career oddity/curiosity for the director.
The Night They Raided Minsky's
Release Date
December 22, 1968
Runtime
99 minutes
Cast
Britt Ekland
Rachel Schpitendavel
Jason Robards
Raymond Paine
Norman Wisdom
Chick Williams
Forrest Tucker
Trim Houlihan
13 'Rules of Engagement' (2000)
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce
Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Hayes Hodges and Samuel L Jackson as Colonel Terry Childers sitting in a courtroom in Rules of Engagement
Image via Paramount Pictures
Neither one of 2000's best movies nor one of the year's worst by any means, Rules of Engagement is just pretty good, and will hopefully prove engaging to most viewers. It's a war/legal drama movie, mostly revolving around a court-martial that takes place after a colonel is accused of ordering his men to kill several demonstrators outside the U.S. Embassy in Yemen.
Samuel L. Jackson plays the accused Colonel, with Tommy Lee Jones also starring as the man the colonel gets to defend him in court. It moves at a decent pace and though it has the kind of premise and execution people are likely familiar with, it gets the job done as a solidly presented and well-acted courtroom drama.
12 'The Birthday Party' (1968)
Starring: Robert Shaw, Patrick Magee, Sydney Tafler
Image via Continental Distributing
Standing in contrast to some of the more comedic movies from Friedkin's early career, The Birthday Party is a heavier mystery/neo-noir movie. It's based on the play of the same name by Harold Pinter, and revolves around what happens when one man is visited by two others who seem to take pleasure in verbally and psychologically tormenting him.
The premise makes it fairly clear that this is based on a play, given the fairly small cast and limited setting. In other words, it's really just a drama, and not a particularly plot-heavy one at that. But it uses these things to its advantage, and the end result is a fairly compelling - and dark - tense watch that was an early indication of how effectively Friedkin could milk tension and discomfort from a relatively simple premise.
The Birthday Party
Release Date
December 9, 1968
Runtime
123 minutes
Director
Writers
Harold Pinter
Cast
Patrick Magee
Shamus McCann
Robert Shaw
Stanley Webber
Sydney Tafler
Nat Goldberg