Full of claustrophobic tension and suspense, The Wages of Fear is one of the finest anti-action movies ever made.
A squalid 1950s South American village where bored Europeans, travelling to the American-owned oil fields in the hope of fortune, kick their heels. An out-of-control fire in a remote mine needs an urgent delivery of nitroglycerin. The oil company offers to pay four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks – a dangerous journey across the desert and through mountain roads: one jolt could see the entire supply of the unstable chemical explode. In the race against time, a competitive streak evolves between the two teams as they confront vehicle malfunction, hairpin bends, rock falls – and each other.
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzet (Quai des Orfèvres, Les diaboliques), shot in an evocative black and white, and adapted from the novel by Georges Arnaud, The Wages of Fear is a tense thrill of a journey. The four, simply looking for the money to pay for an air ticket home, push themselves and their vehicles to the limit.
Winner of the 1953 Palme d’Or at Cannes.
Rating: 91%
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