Imagine going to see a movie with someone on what might be a first date. The uncertainty about whether this is anything more than two new friends getting together is compounded by not knowing much about the person you're with. Is she a saint? Is he a psycho? The movie would have to be compelling to divert your attention from those concerns. The almost-flawless Wages of Fear could do that. The movie (aka Le Salaire de la Peur; 1953; … more
The Wages of Fear is a magnificent thriller, the last hour-and-a-half of which will have you chewing your nails up to your wrists. Las Piedras is a tiny South American town that reeks of poverty and bakes in the steaming sun. You can smell the squalor. Children with sores, tired donkeys and mangy dogs fill the dirt streets. It's the final stop for down-and-outers whose only hope is to find work with the Southern Oil Company (you can infer SOC easily is a … more
What Pompted You to write a Review? This is a film where I could see the French Existential philosophy in action. How was the Plot, Acting, Direction? The plot of this film was about truckers hauling very explosive nitroglycerin through the South American jungle to a mining camp. This was very dangerous work as just one bump could lead to the tanker truck exploding. However, instead of writing this as a suspense drama, this film was … more