Friedkin had a good thing going for him with French Connection and The Exorcist, then Sorcerer and the fact that he was a raging douchebag of James Cameron proportions (but without the track record to back it up) essentially killed his career. And good riddance, I say. The Exorcist today is a hollow, hoakey experience and The French Connection, while good, is not the classic, timeless masterpiece it's fans like to make it out to be. The fact that today it is remembered primarily for the car chase and nothing else doesn't exactly inspire confidence.