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The Wages of Fear

Play trailer Poster for The Wages of Fear 1955 2h 36m Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 54 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In the South American jungle, supplies of nitroglycerine are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers on the rough remote roads where the slightest jolt can result in death.

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The Wages of Fear

The Wages of Fear

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Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Dave Kehr Chicago Tribune 04/01/2014
3.5/4
Turning the screws with a relentlessness that impresses even in this age of the ruthless, high-tech thriller, Clouzot strings together situations of vividly, almost sadistically imagined danger. Go to Full Review
Joshua Rothkopf Time Out 12/06/2011
5/5
Hitch's bomb-under-the-table suspense formula burnished to an expert sheen. Go to Full Review
Budd Wilkins Slant Magazine 12/06/2011
4/4
The Wages of Fear contains tension-fraught stretches of "pure cinema" that probably gave even the Master cold sweats. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 22
4/4
Nitroglycerin figures prominently in the plot of Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear, but it’s the movie itself that’s truly explosive, a powder keg of social outrage and cinematic thrills. Go to Full Review
Michael J. Casey Boulder Weekly Jul 11
5/5
Bleak as hell but so expertly made it’s hard not to sit in awe. Go to Full Review
Frank J. Avella The Contending 03/25/2025
A
To say it’s an extraordinary sit is not doing justice to this the nail-biting, anxiety-inducing, nihilistic look at the world. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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DanTheMan 2 @DanTheMan2150AD 9h A combustible powder keg of social outrage, cinematic tension and a grindingly cynical study of human nature, The Wages of Fear is a work of art so viscerally nerve-racking that one fears a misplaced whisper could cause the screen to explode. Director Henri-Georges Clouzot's stark, simple imagery and painstaking attention to detail enhance both the oppressive heat of the landscape and the psychological strain. Every frame contributes to a growing sense of dread, creating a nail-biting tension that never lets up as his troupe cross a hellish landscape of potholes, desiccated flora, rock-strewn passes, hairpin turns and rickety bridges. A spiritual godfather to every testosterone-fuelled thrill ride since, demanding and enduring with an unforgettable dread. See more Kyle M @RT77296778 Mar 14 Much like the driving quartet when the plot finally accelerate to the expected gripping point, it took the slow-and-steady approach by being mostly expositional with the anticipated thrills manifested during the last hour, fueling enough captivation, plus rough style, to solidify in fairly acknowledging its rated entertainment value albeit the deflated suspense. (B+) See more Jack F @MovieFan111 Dec 7 Despite its runtime, the movie went extremely fast (probably because it was so good). I'm usually not one for black and white movies, and I don't know why I even picked this one up in the first place, but I'm really glad I did. See more Luca D @JoeCamel7 Aug 29 A bit overrated in my opinion. The story was very straightforward. The acting only got good after it focused in on the 4 drivers. Not much good music or soundtrack. Cinematography was good but no Touch of Evil. Not sure if the characters loved or hated each other, or even knew each other? Everyone is best friends but also sworn enemies? The problem with making a movie with suspense that is constant for more than an hour is that it loses its effect and eventually becomes boring. The suspense was great at first but after an hour I stopped caring about the nitro in the back of their trucks and just wanted them to get it over with or blow up. A good movie overall but definitely not a top 50 movie of all time like people claim. Touch of Evil is similarly styled and came out a couple of years after, I would recommend that over this any day. See more Stephen C @bob25009 06/07/2025 Success in 2 hours and 36 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The cast and crew are fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Will G @Wgoodeve 05/24/2025 A fantastic foreign film. It had people that spoke English, French, Spanish, and Italian. It is on the IMDB Top #250. There was a lot of driving. Also there was some violence. See more Read all reviews
The Wages of Fear

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the South American jungle, supplies of nitroglycerine are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers on the rough remote roads where the slightest jolt can result in death.
Director
Henri-Georges Clouzot
Producer
Raymond Borderie, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Louis Wipf
Screenwriter
Henri-Georges Clouzot, Georges Arnaud, Jérôme Géronimi
Distributor
DCA Releasing
Production Co
Filmsonor, Vera Films
Genre
Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
Canadian French
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 16, 1955, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Nov 27, 2024
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 23, 2017
Runtime
2h 36m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Academy (1.33:1)