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The Wages of Fear

Play trailer Poster for The Wages of Fear Released Feb 16, 1955 2h 36m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In the South American jungle, supplies of nitroglycerine are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers on the rough remote roads where the slightest jolt can result in death.
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The Wages of Fear

The Wages of Fear

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Critics Consensus

An existential suspense classic, The Wages of Fear blends nonstop suspense with biting satire; its influence is still being felt on today's thrillers.

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Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune Turning the screws with a relentlessness that impresses even in this age of the ruthless, high-tech thriller, Clouzot strings together situations of vividly, almost sadistically imagined danger. Rated: 3.5/4 Apr 1, 2014 Full Review Joshua Rothkopf Time Out Hitch's bomb-under-the-table suspense formula burnished to an expert sheen. Rated: 5/5 Dec 6, 2011 Full Review Budd Wilkins Slant Magazine The Wages of Fear contains tension-fraught stretches of "pure cinema" that probably gave even the Master cold sweats. Rated: 4/4 Dec 6, 2011 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times A grindingly cynical study of human nature, with each participant willing to sacrifice the others for a bigger payoff. Rated: 5/5 Apr 4, 2024 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …this venerable, classic, timeless movie has been artfully revived (via 2024 UHD) n a way that should have you vibrating all the way to South America and back, over 500km of bad road… Rated: 5/5 Feb 19, 2024 Full Review Vernon Young Arts Digest Cluzot’s treatment of the finale (I sighed in relief at his staying with the juggernaut irony of the book) is a tour de force. The actors are inordinately real, especially Charles Vanel. Jan 30, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Papy D The Classic "The Wages of Fear": A Perfect Combination of Depth and Tension The film centers around four men in a remote and poverty-stricken area of Latin America. In order to obtain a high reward, they accepted an extremely dangerous task - driving two trucks fully loaded with nitroglycerin across 300 miles of rugged and perilous roads to put out the fire in an oil well in the distance. The whole process was filled with uncertainties and thrills, and the emotions of the audience fluctuated along with their journey, as if they were also in that adventure fraught with danger. This movie is not just a simple adventure thriller. It also delves deeply into human nature and social issues. Faced with extreme environments and the temptation of huge profits, the characters' personalities and values were constantly tested and magnified. For example, the protagonists were willing to risk their lives for money, which demonstrated the greed and helplessness in human nature. Meanwhile, the exploitation of local workers by the oil company revealed the cruelty and injustice of society, enabling the audience to have a deeper reflection on the complexity of human nature and society. The director, Henri-Georges Clouzot, with his consummate skills, skillfully created continuous suspense. From the moment the characters accepted the task, a tense atmosphere came rushing in. As the trucks traveled on the dangerous roads, the audience's hearts were always in their throats. Especially in some key scenes, such as when the trucks turned around on a rickety wooden bridge and when they used nitroglycerin to blast huge rocks, the director pushed the sense of tension to the extreme through precise camera language and rhythm control, making the audience feel as if they had personally experienced those thrilling moments. Although the plot of the film was exciting and thrilling, the director did not neglect the portrayal of the characters. Through the delicate depiction of the protagonists' living conditions before and after the task, their psychological changes, and the relationships among them, each character became vivid. The audience could see their fears, hesitations, struggles, and the choices they made on the verge of life and death, thus enabling them to understand their motives for behavior more deeply and establish an emotional resonance with the characters. The scene arrangements and visual presentations in the movie were highly realistic, creating a world that made the audience feel as if they were on the scene. From the dilapidated small towns to the precipitous mountain roads, from the simple bars to the stuffy interiors of the trucks, every detail revealed the director's pursuit of a sense of reality. This sense of reality not only enhanced the credibility of the film but also made it easier for the audience to immerse themselves in the plot and feel the fears and pressures faced by the characters. This film has provided valuable references and inspirations for future films in aspects such as shooting techniques, plot construction, and character shaping. It pioneered a film style that combined thriller and adventure with social criticism, influencing the creation of many films of the same genre later. At the same time, its in-depth exploration of human nature and social issues has also made positive contributions to the development of film art. I usually use these two sites for more free movies and short dramas.If you have a better website, please recommend it to me. Thank you https://omnishort.com/?utm_source=rottentomatoes https://nightgod.tv/?utm_source=rottentomatoes Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/26/24 Full Review Fredi T The film creates a depressing and gloomy atmosphere right from the start, presenting a group of people living in a poor and isolated small town in South America. They come from different backgrounds, yet they are all trapped in this lifeless place, struggling hard for a meager livelihood. The protagonists are several down-on-their-luck men. They are either running away from past crimes or have been forced here by the hardships of life. This detailed depiction of the characters' living backgrounds lays a solid foundation for the development of the subsequent story, allowing the audience to thoroughly understand why they got involved in that terrifying adventure. I usually use these two sites for more free movies and short dramas.If you have a better website, please recommend it to me. Thank you https://omnishort.com/?utm_source=rottentomatoes https://nightgod.tv/?utm_source=rottentomatoes Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/25/24 Full Review Lars N A bit of a slug to begin with, bot once the nitroglycerin is added the tension adds up real quick! It was a pretty sweet, sweaty ride. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/16/24 Full Review Chinu D Its a really good movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/14/24 Full Review acsdoug D One critic wrote that "only an idiot would argue that [William Friedkin's 1977 remake] Sorcerer is a better movie than Wages of Fear." Well, call me an idiot, but Sorcerer is the better film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/25/24 Full Review Jim H Simply perfect in any way of filmmaking. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/29/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Wages of Fear

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the South American jungle, supplies of nitroglycerine are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers on the rough remote roads where the slightest jolt can result in death.
Director
Henri-Georges Clouzot
Producer
Raymond Borderie, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Louis Wipf
Screenwriter
Henri-Georges Clouzot, Georges Arnaud, Jérôme Géronimi
Distributor
DCA Releasing
Production Co
Filmsonor, Vera Films
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 16, 1955, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Nov 27, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Runtime
2h 36m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Academy (1.33:1)
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