The Wages of Fear Movie Review

The Wages of Fear [Le salaire de la peur] (1953)

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Written by: Georges Arnaud (from the novel by), Henri-Georges Clouzot and Jérôme Géronimi (adaptation)
Directed by: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter Van Eyck, Véra Clouzot
Rated: NR [R]
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Plot
In a decrepit South American village, four men are hired to transport an urgent nitroglycerine shipment without the equipment that would make it safe.

Verdict
Few older movies manage to be so engrossing and intense. It's a suicide mission and they know it, but the promise of a hefty payday does just enough to mitigate the fear. The drive in incredible, keeping you on the edge of your seat. One wrong bump could be the end of the journey. The basis for this plight is a company that cares more about their business than people. The company knows what they're asking of these guys, and just because the guys agreed doesn't relieve the company of their moral obligation. There's a reason the company sought people from a poor town, desperate for a paycheck.
Watch It.

Review
This was the first early, early movie I remember liking as much as modern movies. The difference is the pacing an intensity. This movie was ahead of its time.

This starts in a suppressed town where the inhabitants are trapped. They manage to get just enough work to survive, but not enough to escape. In a town like this, if you can get a high paying job even though it's a death sentence, you take it. The only way to stop an oil well fire is nitroglycerine, and the only way to transport the highly volatile substance is in trucks across rough terrain. The job is too dangerous for the company employees, and this kind of town makes it easier to find people willing to agree. It's the ultimate gamble; succeed and become rich or fail and die.

Could this get into the plot quicker? Modern movies indicate it could, but this sets up the town and people. Modern movies have conditioned us to think people jump into dangerous situations for the fun of it but they don't. These are four guys desperate enough to risk death, but they do consider their options first.

Charles Vanel, Yves Montand play Jo, Mario

Jo (Charles Vanel) and Mario (Yves Montand) end up in a truck together. The harsh terrain means one bad bump could cause the cargo to explode. It's this setup that creates the basis for a dangerous drive. The tension is off the charts with rough terrain, rickety bridges, and fraying nerves. Jo soon finds that he lost his edge over the years. Mario urges him to drive faster, but Jo hesitates; afraid of the cargo and consequences. The other backup truck soon speeds by the them. These roads aren't fit for a car much less these trucks rigged to explode. They just barely make it up the mountain, relying on a rickety bridge.

Closer to their destination a boulder blocks the road. They decide to break the boulder with nitro. The way they handle one jug of the stuff contrasts with how quickly they drove with a full truckload.. This films the nervous ticks and captures the close quick shots of truck tires approaching the edge or spinning for traction. It all contributes to the uneasy feeling you have the entire movie.

What's relevant even today is a company more concerned with profits than people. Hiring someone for a dangerous task and eschewing responsibility by stating the employees know the dangers doesn't relieve their responsibility. Companies are willing to send these contractors into the fire. They aren't sending two trucks for the safety of the employees, it's for the company so if one truck explodes the plight isn't lost.

After the delivery Mario thinks he's invincible, that or he's just apathetic after such an ordeal. He might be traumatized by the experience and at a loss as to how to cope. The wages were increased for the dangerous job to entice someone to agree, but the wages the men expected didn't materialize as most of them didn't make it. As we see with Mario, even if you survive the trek you'll never be the same.