46) The Wages Of Fear
Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Year: 1953
Plot Summary: An oil company hires four men from the slums of a South American jungle to drive two trucks carrying dangerous nitroglycerin needed at a remote oil field. With their cargo ready to explode at every jolt and jar on the bad roads, the drivers are gambling with their very lives for the opportunity to earn enough money to escape their sordid environment.
Who'd have thought that an old black and white foreign film about how America exploits the poor could be so suspenseful? After the first 30 minutes, every second of The Wages Of Fear will have you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails as the trucks hit every bump and encounter every obstacle. Sure, it's a simple idea for a story and one that doesn't really require a focussed attention, but nevertheless, the film-makers never let it lose its grip on you for the entire two and a half hour running length. At no point does it become monotonous or lose it's tone.
One of the ways they are able to do this is by creating characters who you have strong feelings for. Therefore, even if none of them are particularly likeable, you watch on with the need to know what fate lies in store for them. Moreover, the way the characters and their relationships with one another develop over the course of their mission excels The Wages Of Fear from being just a simple suspense movie to a brilliantly told character drama. While I found the first act of the movie slow paced, in retrospect, it's the perfect way to bring you into this story as you are familiar with the main characters and understand completely why they put their lives at danger for £2000.
Unlike similar Hollywood movies such as Speed, The Wages Of Fear is, furthermore, able to keep the tension at a high because the audience knows that situations like this are not uncommon. Western companies paying poor foreigners to do unsafe work to save money is something that is very familiar and, unfortunately, is something that happens every day. It's impossible to shake the feeling that this is something that's currently occurring while watching this BAFTA winner.
Maybe now that I know how the story plays out, the next time I see it will be underwhelming. But, as of this moment in time, I think it's fair to say that The Wages Of Fear is one of the finest foreign films in cinema.
5/5
2 comments:
I used to love this film. But the first hour (yes, it's actually an hour before they get in the trucks) is such a chore that on my last viewing, I only watched the first 50 minutes. At least next time, I won't feel bad starting right at the action.
See, I had the same kind of reaction to the first hour but I could kind of forgive it because the second half was so good. I'll see how it holds up on a second viewing. :)
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