The Wages of Fear (1953) – 8.5/10 – Exciting cinema of survival against impossible
THE WAGES OF FEAR is a psychological drama from France about survival and perseverance through desperation. It’s based on a 1950 French novel ‘Le Salaire de la Peur’ by Georges Arnaud, who wrote the screenplay. This is an edge-of-your-seat no-holds-barred thriller that feels fresh, despite being from 1953. It’s also original and unpredictable from beginning to end—I don’t know of any similar movie. If I had known this masterpiece existed, I would have viewed it years earlier. I believe this is well ahead of its time by a director I’ve never heard of—Henri-Georges Clouzot. I want to check out his other top films in the future.
In a 1950s South American town, the local oil company hires four men to bring two large shipments of nitroglycerin by truck to an oil field on fire. The nitroglycerin must arrive fast because lives are at stake. Success means $2,000 in US dollars, which would change their lives. Adjusted for inflation, it’s approximately $25,000, a life-changing sum in a small town in a poor country. They pair Mario, the cocky main character, with the pompous, tough veteran, Jo. Mario himself is an unemployed low-life in love with Linda, a local maid. Jo is a former gangster who doesn’t take crap from anyone, but they soon become friends. In the other truck are Luigi, a hard worker dying from mesothelioma, and Bimba, a tough German whose father died doing forced labor in a Nazi salt mine. They are in it for the money. While driving carrying explosives in the rear, the two duos form a rivalry and compete to arrive first. The road itself is a series of challenges they must surmount without blowing themselves.
The filming techniques and production here are sensational. Fascinating acting, expert script, sharp editing, cinematography, and tense direction will leave you on the edge. Initially, I was unsure of the film’s direction, but your patience is worth it! The pacing picks up after the first half hour, once the four receive their truck assignments. It becomes a tense hour and 45 minutes afterward. The attention to detail and depth of the plot and characters amazed me. This movie explores themes such as survival, sacrifice, desperation, and determination under extreme pressure. I didn’t give a 9 rating because of the first 30 minutes and the ending. I can’t say much about either without spoilers.
Some interesting trivia tidbits. Various issues emerged during the production. That includes heavy rain across France during the shoot, where they built the town for this picture. Director Clouzot broke his ankle, and his wife, Vera Clouzot, who plays Linda, became ill during filming. The production went over budget. Winter arrived, forcing them to put the production on hold for six months. American censors cut several scenes because the American oil company that was shown took advantage of the labor workers, which was seen as anti-American by censors. This movie won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Though originally in black and white, the studio colorized it in 1996.
Would I recommend this? Yes, 100%, if you don’t mind subtitles. The subtitles were easy to follow. This film is a must-watch for fans of action thrillers. This was remade as SORCERER in 1977 in English, starring Roy Scheider, and I plan on watching that someday. But the original is difficult to match. I rarely rewatch films, but WAGES OF FEAR is worth a rewatch. My rating is 8.5/10.
*Any trivia facts were obtained from IMDB’s trivia page and plot/basic history/names information from Wiki
