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Movies / On DVD / The Wages of Fear
The Wages of Fear

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The Wages of Fear (1952)

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Reviews Counted:35

Fresh:35

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.8/10

Consensus: An existential suspense classic, The Wages of Fear blends nonstop suspense with biting satire; its influence is still being felt on today's thrillers.

Runtime: 2 hrs 28 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: Henri Georges Clouzot directed this tense and suspenseful drama about four men so desperate for freedom that they willingly risk their lives to deliver a dangerous cargo. In a small, isolated, hot... Henri Georges Clouzot directed this tense and suspenseful drama about four men so desperate for freedom that they willingly risk their lives to deliver a dangerous cargo. In a small, isolated, hot and dusty Central American village, there's only one thing to do: dream of getting out. An opportunity for escape presents itself -- but only to those with nerves of steel. An American oil company has offered to pay big bucks to get two trucks filled with nitroglycerin over to a well fire. The catch: the unpaved terrain contains enough bumps and crags to make the unstable material explode... and instantly kill the driver. Nonetheless, the company has many applicants hungry for work, and a quartet of the coolest are chosen. But even these stalwart men will discover that fear of their deadly payload can ignite even the most frozen emotions. [More]

Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Vera Clouzot, Peter Van Eyck

Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Vera Clouzot, Peter Van Eyck, Folco Lulli, William Tubbs

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot

Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Screenwriter: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Producer: Raymond Borderie, Henri-Georges Clouzot
Composer: Georges Auric

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Wages of Fear

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21 - 36 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2
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Excellent, but nasty stuff.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The most nail-bitingly tense movie ever made, unbearably suspenseful.

comment Comment
06/19/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

The excitement derives entirely from the awareness of nitroglycerine and the gingerly, breathless handling of it. You sit there waiting for the theatre to explode.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Bosley Crowther
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
01/15/03
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
Showbizz.net

A terrific portrait of the class struggle that happens to have a few cases of nitro strapped to it to up the ante from the metaphorical to the extremely physical.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix

A brilliant, though frankly overlong, exercise in filmmaking that creates a stunning portrait of a miserable corner of the world.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
11/05/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
07/30/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
Jeffrey Westhoff
Jeffrey Westhoff
Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

One of the most suspenseful films ever made.

comment Comment
07/25/02
Chuck Rudolph
Chuck Rudolph
Matinee Magazine

No review available.

comment Comment
07/25/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com
N/R

A certified classic with one of the most famous plots in film history.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
02/13/01
culturevulture.net
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The kind of motion picture for which commonplace phrases like 'white-knuckle tension ride' have been coined.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

One of the all-time great truck movies.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Kathleen Maher
Kathleen Maher
Austin Chronicle

A film that works, and works well enough to get audible gasps from the audience.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

An expertly directed, personally felt film.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post

The film's extended suspense sequences deserve a place among the great stretches of cinema.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
21 - 36 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2
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