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| Monday, December 1st
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| Movie Forums :: User Reviews :: Wages Of Fear |
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Posted on 9/02/04
Wages Of Fear
NOTE: this review was originally posted on our movie forums. Click here to see it in its original context: Wages Of Fear.
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| Rating... |
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Wages Of Fear (1953)
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
Stars: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyk, Antonio Centa
Wages Of Fear is a damn near perfect suspense thriller. The story concerns four men, broke, desperate, and stranded in a small town somewhere in South America (Venezuela, I presume). They are offered a way out of their miserable existence when an oil well catches fire three hundred miles away and the oil company needs four men to drive a load of nitroglycerin to the site to blow out the fire. The trouble is that the three hundred miles they have to drive is some of the most rugged, hostile terrain imaginable.
The tension and suspense is palpable during the driving scenes, but what raises this movie to a whole other level is that it takes the time to familiarize the audience with these men. We feel like we know them, and sympathize with them before the journey starts. The whole cast is great and believable, and it wasn't long before I truly forgot I was watching actors in a fictional film. These men made it real, as did the brilliant direction of Henri-Georges Clouzot.
Clouzot's style is gritty and realistic, with cuts between the trucks and close-ups of their actions (hands on the shift lever, feet on the pedals, etc) serving to heighten the tension. The lack of a musical score also lends a sense of realism and helps to bring home the sense of loneliness and isolation felt by these men.
Highly recommended.
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