All I really recall about it is that the fat guy who later has his legs crushed in that pool of oil (or whatever the hell it was) acts all blustery during the setup. I would certainly concede that the characters are better drawn than in Sorcerer but that’s setting the bar really low and I didn’t think TWOF was all that much about character, so it’s more important that I concede that the guy getting his legs run over in the pool in TWOF is definitely better than the similar scene in Sorcerer. I don’t feel like doing a rewatch right now (it’s only been five years since I saw the two films, anyway) but I will recall Ebert saying in his Great Movies review of TWOF that the film worked better as a thriller than any kind of real social commentary.

Also, the poster for Sorcerer kicks fucking ass. I’d gladly have that on my wall if I could find it anywhere.