The Wages of Fear (1953) directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
The Wages of Fear is the original Ice Road Truckers, the popular TV show about truck drivers who risk their lives delivering goods on dangerous roads. In this movie four men go on a suicide mission to drive highly explosive nitroglycerine across 300 miles of dangerous road where any little bump or mishap could cause them all to blow up.
First I'd just like to point out that once the trucks are on the road, the film is very exciting and suspenseful. It is a truly great thriller. However, I could have done without the thirty minute set up that doesn't even really set it up. In the early scenes we come across a poor South American town where people are sort of trapped. There are no good jobs and it is virtually impossible to leave because tickets out are so expensive. This could have been established in 15 minutes top but instead we are treated to extended scenes that don't amount to much and it's not like they are brimming with character development. We learn far more about the characters once they are on the road.
When they finally do hit the road it is pretty amazing how long the film can hold the tension. I think the key is that the four characters are divided into two trucks. We know that they must get further otherwise the movie will end prematurely but we do not know the rules of the story. Will both trucks make it out or will one blow up? Or maybe they both blow up? There are several major hazards on the road that the trucks must navigate that are filmed with great suspense. One is where they must maneuver past a creaky wooden part of the road that hangs precariously off the cliff. It is daring and dangerous in all the obvious ways we can see. Another is when a huge rock blocks the pathway and they decide to use some of the nitroglycerine to blow it up. While in the other scene we can see just how close the trucks are to the edge, in this scene all the tension is implied because while handling the nitroglycerine they could blow up at any moment with even the tiniest mishap. You know all those movies where the hero must diffuse the bomb while the timer ticks down to zero? During this entire film the timer is stuck at :01.
Another important part to the film is in the characters and how they handle themselves. The team of Luigi and Bimba are kind of secondary characters but they are given ample screen time to gain or sympathies. The conflict of the film is between Mario and Jo. It turns out that Jo is a coward but what is interesting to me is that the film doesn't really go in the direction I expected with him. Semi-spoiler in white: There never really is a moment of redemption for him. He basically sucks throughout the whole film. I thought the final sequence was pretty interesting and also very unconventional compared to the typical Hollywood ending. It is a little nihilistic but that isn't really a bad thing.
The Wages of Fear is a great thriller but could have used a bit of trimming. My only other complaint is that Mario and Luigi should have been on the same team! (Also they got it backwards here, the short chubby guy with the mustache should have bene named Mario while the tall skinny guy Luigi.)
Grade: B+
The Wages of Fear is the original Ice Road Truckers, the popular TV show about truck drivers who risk their lives delivering goods on dangerous roads. In this movie four men go on a suicide mission to drive highly explosive nitroglycerine across 300 miles of dangerous road where any little bump or mishap could cause them all to blow up.
First I'd just like to point out that once the trucks are on the road, the film is very exciting and suspenseful. It is a truly great thriller. However, I could have done without the thirty minute set up that doesn't even really set it up. In the early scenes we come across a poor South American town where people are sort of trapped. There are no good jobs and it is virtually impossible to leave because tickets out are so expensive. This could have been established in 15 minutes top but instead we are treated to extended scenes that don't amount to much and it's not like they are brimming with character development. We learn far more about the characters once they are on the road.
When they finally do hit the road it is pretty amazing how long the film can hold the tension. I think the key is that the four characters are divided into two trucks. We know that they must get further otherwise the movie will end prematurely but we do not know the rules of the story. Will both trucks make it out or will one blow up? Or maybe they both blow up? There are several major hazards on the road that the trucks must navigate that are filmed with great suspense. One is where they must maneuver past a creaky wooden part of the road that hangs precariously off the cliff. It is daring and dangerous in all the obvious ways we can see. Another is when a huge rock blocks the pathway and they decide to use some of the nitroglycerine to blow it up. While in the other scene we can see just how close the trucks are to the edge, in this scene all the tension is implied because while handling the nitroglycerine they could blow up at any moment with even the tiniest mishap. You know all those movies where the hero must diffuse the bomb while the timer ticks down to zero? During this entire film the timer is stuck at :01.
Another important part to the film is in the characters and how they handle themselves. The team of Luigi and Bimba are kind of secondary characters but they are given ample screen time to gain or sympathies. The conflict of the film is between Mario and Jo. It turns out that Jo is a coward but what is interesting to me is that the film doesn't really go in the direction I expected with him. Semi-spoiler in white: There never really is a moment of redemption for him. He basically sucks throughout the whole film. I thought the final sequence was pretty interesting and also very unconventional compared to the typical Hollywood ending. It is a little nihilistic but that isn't really a bad thing.
The Wages of Fear is a great thriller but could have used a bit of trimming. My only other complaint is that Mario and Luigi should have been on the same team! (Also they got it backwards here, the short chubby guy with the mustache should have bene named Mario while the tall skinny guy Luigi.)
Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment