riles-14932 Save 2.2 hours and watch something else. For such a high review, this movie sucked. The biggest problem is that it kept telling us about more interesting events happening off screen that would have been great scenes. Told about an explosion, told about one of the characters narrowly escaping a country, told about locals dying, told about some dude dying. I kept waiting for the action and tension described in the movie summary, but it never happened. It's been 5 minutes since I stopped at the 50 minute mark, and I'm already forgetting the characters and the movie. Not a classic by any mark. Doesn't even stand up to classic movies of the era.

grantss 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.

Anon Ymous I absolutely loved this film. First off, the tension must be acknowledged. This is a true edge-of-your-seat film once it gets to the meat. Bsic plot summary; a group of men are stuck in a dead-end town in South America. They have no jobs, no money, no escape and no hope. The town is chained to the American oil company nearby. An sudden explosion at a derrick requires a powerful explosion to extinguish it, and a huge amount of nitroglycerin is the only solution. The only catch; someone needs to deliver a large amount to the remote rig. The job is near-suicidal, so they offer a large sum of money to those in the town who are brave enough to do it. Ultimately, four men are chosen from the town to deliver the incredibly dangerous cargo to the raging oil fire at prices that will deliver the desperate men from their misery in the dying town. Two teams of two men are tasked with driving gallons of unstable chemicals across impossibly rough and dangerous terrain. The slightest wrong move will end their lives in an instant. At face value, this could carry a film on it's own. The washboard scene alone, only a few films have managed to put me on such edge. The rock demolishing scene is another incredibly intense scene; pouring the nitroglycerin into the hole; the fear and risk is absolutely palpable, a credit to the excellent acting, direction and editing. The switchback scene, also, is a memorable event.But, and maybe more importantly, after the initial impact of the plot, you really get into the characters of the film. To me, the most fascinating character was Jo; we are introduced to him as a incredibly self-assured, in-control alpha male who knows how to handle any situation he encounters. The show-down at the cantina solidifies this image. We see Jo as the superior to Mario; a father figure who we expect to lead his younger compatriot. But as the film progresses, the roles switch as we see him for what he truly his; a fearful, risk-averse, cowardly old man. This character progression is so central to the action of the film. We experience what the average person might go through in a similar scenario, we see our weaker side in him when he flees the collapsing wooden bridge. We feel his defeat at the stronger personality of Mario at the crucial moment We understand his utter, fatalist acceptance of his true nature as a flawed human being. Which, at the end, makes his lat scenes so devastatingly powerful. We identify so strongly with him in the face of such impossible odds that it makes his ultimate fate so devastating; he sacrifices himself for his partner despite his numerous failings and the touching finality between the two masterfully brings the two characters together in the most realistically human of ways.I find the ending a bit melodramatic, a little rushed and frankly a little cliched. I won't spoil the ending but I felt like I knew what was going to happen before he even took the wheel of the truck to head home. This is probably my only gripe with an otherwise spectacular film.I'll admit, I find a lot of films from this era hackneyed and melodramatic.This one absolutely blew me away. An absolute classic. Great storytelling, excellent directing, masterful acting for the most part (Linda, imo, overacted a bit and seemed to be unnecessary to the story beyond a stereotypical love interest), gripping tension and a great study on how humans are in the most dire of situations

thejcowboy22 When I think of an Yves Montand Movie it usually takes place in a cosmopolitan city surrounded by handsomely dressed people and exquisite sets. I picture the dashing Frenchman Yves with a cigarette, fancy suit, neat, polished surrounded by lovely starlets singing a song or two Yves mostly plays roles that fit a man of importance, a man of distinction, for example Yves would depict a Doctor, executive, movie mogul, college professor, newscaster, Military Captain or a Baron. Yves represents elegance in Foreign and American films. Wages of Fear is down right tense, disturbing, dirty and gritty from start to finish. Our story starts in a rural village somewhere in a remote section of South America. It's not quite clear where this place is which has me intrigued from the start.The towns people spoke French which I felt a gaze of wonderment. In addition to the remoteness of this town the only way back to France is the airport because the roads are dangerous. Passing deserted jungles and deserts along the way. Narrow roads protruding over cliffs make any journey heart wrenching to say the least.Our picture starts with four men. Frenchman Mario (Yves Montand) and his friend Jo (Charles Vanel). A German fellow named Bimba (Peter Van Eyck) and Italian Luigi (Folco Lulli). Work is hard to come by because this remote town is run by a corrupt American corporation SOC Southern Oil Corporation.This company is suspected of unethical practices, mainly exploiting worker and taking the law into it's own hands. The townspeople except the hardships anyway. Montand plays a gruff Corsican playboy who abuses his girlfriend Linda (Vera Clouzot) with contempt. His buddy Jo was an ex-con who feels stranded in this out of the way town. Bimba is an intense quiet man who worked in salt mine for six long years. Mario's close friend is Jo who talks about the old days when they both lived in Paris. Luigi has developed serious health issues due to collecting cement dust in his lungs. Meanwhile Jo feeling stranded is quick tempered with the other cantina regulars. Meanwhile a massive fire breaks out at an SOC Oil field some 500 kilometers from their town. Non unionized SOC truck drivers are needed to deliver nitroglycerin in two large barrels over rough terrain to quash the out of control flames. A perfect example of the company exploiting the locals into a dangerous situation for employment. The company institutes a lottery for applicants and The four men I mentioned previously where picked. A fellow by the name of Smerloff was originally picked but doesn't show so Jo takes that spot. A few years earlier Jo did some curry-favor with the American SOC foreman Bill O'Brien (William Tubbs) when they delivered illegal booze on the side. Jo shows signs of getting weak possibly local malaria and O'Brien partners him with Mario on this hazardous journey into the wilderness. The other two will drive the second truck 30 minutes behind Mario. Luigi and Bimba suspect that Jo murdered Smerloff to take that spot. So far this flick was only in French with English sub-titled and then the movie inverts to a brief English portion of the film as the SOC foreman Bill O'Brien lays down the plan and explains the nature of this dangerous mission to Non union four carrying liquid explosive. Paying each driver $2000.00 if they survive the journey to the oil fields. Driving ever so slowly through desolate areas over every obstacle imaginable. Director Henri Clouzot takes you along for one of the most suspenseful rides of your life. You feel the thirst and fever of our characters as at any moment their dreams would end in one huge explosion. Being stuck in an L.A. freeway traffic snarl or a flat tire on a rainy night would be an improvement as to what our men are faced with. The physical and mental anguish of the South American Back country. The cinematography places you riding shotgun, as every bump, precipice, pot hole ridden narrow road for at any moment one mistake and obliteration. I also viewed this movie as an Anti-American film. Big corporation taken advantage of the little town. I just felt for Mario and his chance to possibly start over again. A round about way of playing Russian roulette with Barrels of Nitro in the back just waiting to explode. I was mentally exhausted by films end. As was said by one of the Company men sending our poor souls off to the flamed oil fields,"I used to see men go off on these kinds of jobs... and not come back. When they did their hair turned white and their hands were shaky like palsy. You don't know what fear is but it's catching. Catching like small pox! Once you get it it's for life. So long Boys and Good Luck!" I gave this melodrama a medium grade of five barrels of Nitro.