The Wages of Fear

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Hagrid L May 26, 2018 Enthralling, nail-biting drama. In a remote South American town, four men are hired by an American oil company to transport two truckloads of nitroglycerin to an oil field, to put out a fire. It's a very hazardous task - the nitroglycerin can explode for the slightest reason, the road is treacherous and the journey is a long one. However, the money is very good and their current situation in the town is rather dire - they will do anything to improve their situation. Great thriller-drama by French director HG Clouzot. Starts slowly and even once the hazardous journey is in progress, it doesn't seem that brilliant. However, Clouzot builds the tension and from a point it is absolutely nail-biting stuff. The scene with the boulder has to be one of the most tense movie scenes I've watched in my life. A good character-drama too - the way the characters develop and the relationships between the four change adds a new dimension to the drama and makes for very engaging viewing. Not perfect though. Some events and plot devices don't make much sense, though aren't crucial to the movie. The ending felt quite silly and contrived. A similar result but with a more plausible, less predictable, less stupid way of getting there would have seen the movie get a perfect score. See more

Poe W May 25, 2018 Wow. That's some serious tension.

Draco S Apr 30, 2018 An incredible masterpiece you won't ever forget.

Theodore R Aug 23, 2017 The first hour of The Wages of Fear is a bit like a crummy version of Treasure of the Sierra Madre. It is silly anti-capitalist propaganda, but mostly forgettable. Everything that happens after that--every moment of which is breathtaking--redeems the first act. The long drive to the oil fields is tense and perfectly executed. If you liked SNL's Toonces the Driving Cat, you'll love The Wages of Fear! See more

Ron S Jun 30, 2017 The isolation these characters are restricted to only packs in the desire to see them prevail from their graduating suspenseful situations. See more

Draco G May 22, 2017 Not only does Clouzot fuel his film with tension from the very first minutes to the last, he also handles it with such a virtuosity that he makes it rise, reaching an unbearable climax at the end. Moreover, along with his monstrous demonstration of direction comes Montand's terrific presence on the screen, which is at the core of a poignant political satire. Indeed, a sharp criticism of companies and poverty can be felt through this story based on Arnaud's novel where, for a couple of bucks, four men, four friends accept that nytroglicerin will threaten their lives. On the whole, 'The Wages of Fear' is a superb piece of cinema. See more

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The Wages of Fear

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