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

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

A bit of a slug to begin with, but once the nitroglycerin is added the tension adds up real quick! It was a pretty sweet, sweaty ride.

Its a really good movie.

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.

Simply perfect in any way of filmmaking.

One of the finest thrillers ever produced, thanks to some tense direction and a superb cast. The actors are all excellent in their respective roles, especially since all of them don't portray them as either good or evil. Each has their qualities and flaws, from the drivers who will do anything to complete their mission, even at the expense of each other, to the oil plant boss that sends them on their mission (he knows they will likely die, hence why he insists on paying them well if they succeed). Behind the camera, director Henri-Georges Clouzot crafts an expert thriller in an exotic setting with some politic underpinnings. He never gets too preacher but delivers a message condemning corporate greed and exploiting third world countries. However, its heart is the thrill of delivering nitro across a jungle and will keep you on the razor's edge till the end. A true classic in every since of the word.

THIS is the version to watch. The remake was awful.

"The Wages of Fear" offers a fantastic premise that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. The tension in this film is palpable, and you'll find yourself holding your breath during some of the nail-biting scenes. However, this thriller has its ups and downs. The movie's runtime is quite long, and the first act drags on painfully. It feels like it could have been significantly shorter without losing its impact. The slow buildup might test your patience, but once it gets going, the tension never lets up. The acting is commendable, with the cast delivering believable performances that draw you into their desperate situation. The soundtrack enhances the suspense, adding another layer to the atmosphere. Despite its strengths, "The Wages of Fear" leaves you wanting more from its ending. It feels abrupt and unsatisfying, leaving you with lingering questions. While it's not a perfect cinematic experience, if you can endure the slow start, the thrilling journey is worth the ride.

Absolutely depressing to watch--especially the last half hour or so. What people see in it to give such high ratings is hard to understand. You do get the "feeling" somewhat in the beginning that you are observing a South American 3rd world country, but that's about it. We regret wasting our time to see it and regret even more that we paid for it.

I don't think "The Wages of Fear" is necessarily the most thriller movie of its kind I have seen, but it is a very impressive one for its time. The filmmaking is pretty solid and the way the character motivations are explored feels genuine and timeless. The movie has a classic feel with its exposition and buildup which leads to a dangerous job the main characters have to complete. I think the movie is interesting because it explores why someone might take on something like this and explores that topic consistently. However, for the movie that is hailed as one of the best thrillers, a lot of this movie is kind of slow-paced. I still felt engaged by it, but it definitely is one of those films I appreciate more than actually enjoyed watching. Nonetheless, I still would say it is a good movie that is an impressive piece of 50s cinema and definitely doesn't feel as aged as some other films from that era sometimes can.

If you can get past the opening thirty minutes or so, which drags painfully and seems to serve little or no purpose, Henri-Georges Clouzot's Wages of Fear is a suspense classic that has rarely been matched in the almost seventy years since its release. Set in a rugged landscape of both mountains and desert, four men desperate for money agree to drive two trucks filled with nitroglycerine on a dangerous mission to deliver their explosive cargo to an oil company in the hope of extinguishing an out-of-control oil well fire. It is a story of courage, exploitation, and corporate greed that is an unrelentingly suspenseful experience, once the trucks start rolling, as the four men risk death in exchange for a lucrative pay cheque, the tension ratcheting up as they approach their destination. There is nothing quite like it.

This is really suspenseful and exciting in spite of the basic script. Well made and timeless classic. Bravo.

When does the promise of a "better" tomorrow become outweighed by the dehumanizing misery of now? Imperialism through the eyes of natives, doing what they must to scrape by while trying to keep their culture intact. Beautifully painted characters: you meet them, then all degrading initial impressions are slowly stripped away. The first half is excellent culture-shock drama, but once we hit the road, it reveals itself as one of the smartest, most suspenseful, & visually penetrating adventure thrillers ever.

An early blueprint for the suspense odyssey, The Wages of Fear takes its time (some may argue too long, at almost an hour before the journey itself starts) to establish its suite of characters, each demonstrating some fault that reflects on the harshness of the environment, be it greed, deceit, or simple callousness. The town of Las Piedras is a purgatory, an inescapable mire that draws in the sinful. The film seems to echo the Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but adding in elements of tension that go beyond human weakness, introducing a more exotic locale, a larger cast, and a cargo that threatens death constantly. The film constatnly reinforces its 'time bomb' premise, but instead of leaning on tropes of 'collaboration will carry the day', the writers let small victories cloud the atmosphere like soft lights in the dark, which only renders the film's surprise climaxes feel all the more devastating (I mean, killing half of your protagonists off-screen in such a moment of levity is just brilliant). The political and social satire may be rather overt, but it was a measure that would have simply been unthinkable in McCarthy-era America, and indeed led to the film's censorship. The editing is at times inspired and at others surprisingly straightforward or stark, the ending scene seems tacked-on, the length is a bit substantial, and the prologue does drag on beyond the needs of character establishment, but the film is still a landmark for its particular subgenre and carries an air of tension even today. (4/5)

Yet another film that proves Clouzot was the equivalent to a French Hitchcock.

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.

Wow. That's some serious tension.

An incredible masterpiece you won't ever forget.

The one thing you can’t deny with The Wages of Fear is that it is built to create tension in the viewer. Every moment of the film could lead to the death of all the main characters if the smallest thing goes wrong. The drama of this made it hard for me to breathe at first. Some of that tension fizzled for me because it seemed that the volatility of the cargo varied based on certain situations. There were still some scary moments later in the film, but I didn’t feel like I had a good handle on the level of danger any more. They needed standard rules so I could track the risk of death at any given time. The interactions between the characters were nuanced and effective. I loved how things developed over time as the severity of what they were doing got to the characters. It reminded me of one of my favorite classic films, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, where relationships gradually deteriorate when the stress gets to them as well. I didn’t quite understand all the drama that was going on between these guys before the trip was started and why they weren’t getting along, but it all came to a head later in the film so the early scenes didn’t matter as much to me. Then the movie ended and I was mad. I don’t like to spoil much of anything when I write these reviews, but that conclusion drove me crazy. I could see it coming and tried to will The Wages of Fear into a different ending. It was so close to the perfect wrap up to the story, and then they had to go and do that. It wasn’t a dealbreaker, and I wouldn’t dissuade people from seeing the film because of the ending, but I don’t know if I’ll want to watch it again. The Wages of Fear excels at making you worry about and care for the characters, it’s just a shame that the writers hated them so much.