The Wages of Fear
1953 · Movie · PG-13 · 154 min · ★ 8.0 · 93% critics
In a dusty South American town with no way out, four desperate men accept a dangerous job: driving trucks loaded with highly unstable explosives through rough jungle roads to an oil site. As the journey grinds on, fear, pride, and greed strain their uneasy teamwork, turning every bump and delay into a life-or-death test.
Based on Le Salaire de la peur
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3 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Le Salaire de la peur
- Years
- 1953
- Release date
- 1953-04-22
- Language
- French
- Rated
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 154 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 93/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.0/10 (1,091 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a slow-build thriller that turns into sustained, nerve-racking tension and moral pressure under extreme risk; Not for you if you dislike long setups, subtitles, or bleak vibes like Diabolique.
Pros: relentless suspense; gripping survival stakes; strong character tension | Cons: slow opening stretch; some dated attitudes; divisive ending tone
Themes
- petrol
- fire
- life and death
- based on novel or book
- unsociability
- central and south america
- capitalism
- venezuela
- tanker
- dynamite
- male friendship
- nitroglycerin
- +18 more
Awards & recognition
- BAFTA Award — Best Film · 1955
- Golden Bear · 1953
- Palme d'Or · 1953
Cast & crew
Yves Montand
as Mario Livi
Charles Vanel
as Mr. Jo
Peter van Eyck
as Bimba
Folco Lulli
as Luigi
Véra Clouzot
as Linda
Antonio Centa
as Camp Chief
Jo Dest
as Hans Smerloff
Darío Moreno
as Pepito Hernandez
William Tubbs
as Bill O'Brien
Darling Légitimus
as Rosa
Directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot