The Wages of Fear, 1953

"THE WAGES OF FEAR" brings together a group of down-and-out expatriates hanging around a sleepy Latin American town, hoping to make enough money to get home or maybe to just get drunk for the next few weeks. An American oil company gets in a bind when their gusher, 300 miles from the ex-pats, catches fire and requires an explosion to put it out; in short, what's needed are some fools crazy and desperate enough to drive a couple of trucks loaded with nitroglycerin through the jungle to the fire. The film becomes a character study of the men who agree to do it, and those characters are certainly put under a heck of a lot of tension to collect their reward. The film is long and has a somewhat unsatisfying ending, but it's not at all tedious. In many ways, the window it opens on the 1950s is like a fascinating look into a totally different era, one that seems a good century away. It's also extremely well acted. This DVD is the great Criterion edition, but note that it's Disc 1 and lacks any of the extras Criterion sets are known for (I guess the extras are on a Disc 2).

What did you think about this review?

Thank you for voting.

Like Dislike

Abuse report sent

Report abuse