The Wages of Fear (1953) is easily one of the most thrilling films ever made. As an existential study, the film explores the disparity of power between the extremely wealthy and the hopelessly poor, and begs the question: “What stands between a hopelessly poor man and hope/freedom/wealth?” The answer may be fear itself. But fearlessness proves to be an equally dangerous quality. One thing’s for sure though, The Wages of Fear stands the test of time as one of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s finest and most fearless films.
This is a film where the main character (Yves Montand) is despicably sexist, vaguely racist, disloyal, disrespectful, spiteful, violent and unkind – and the audience still ends up glued to the edge of their seats, fearing for his safety throughout the second half. The characters in this film are deeply flawed, yet fully fleshed, and will have you rooting for them despite how unlikable they behave.
The story follows several European ex-patriots with shadowy, mysterious pasts, who find themselves stranded and penniless in a dusty, squalid South American oil town. Out of work, they are unable to afford to go home, or anywhere else for that matter. They spend their days pestering the owner of the local bar until an oil well explodes nearby, injuring and killing several locals, as well as providing an unusual opportunity for four men to turn their lives around. These four men are hired to drive two trucks, each carrying a half-ton of nitroglycerin, across 300 miles of bumpy dirt roads and winding cliffs, so that the oil company can blow out the fire burning up their oil well. Any man who survives the trip walks away with a check for $2,000 (over $16,000 today, if you adjust for inflation).
The ensuing ordeal is essentially an hour-long stretch of pure adrenaline and suspense where anything can happen. Impossible obstacles are plentiful, people show their true colors in shocking ways, and life and limb are quite literally put on the line in the name of hope. With one thrilling set piece after another, The Wages of Fear is the granddaddy of all manly, high-speed action thrillers. It is a bit like History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers mixed with Speed, although it is a massive disservice to The Wages of Fear to even entertain those comparisons. This is the film that Michael Bay has been trying to make his entire career, and will fail repeatedly to do so. Neither art house nor popcorn blockbuster, yet somehow both, The Wages of Fear is a true masterpiece from its opening shot to its shocking ending. 5/5.
instantcritic 