English title: Wages of Fear (The)
Genre: suspense
Director: H.-G. Clouzot
Release: 1953
Studio: Janus Films et al - Distributors Corp. of America
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.5/10
It's a Dirty Job but Someone's gotta Do it
In Las Piedras, a South American town you could liken to a hellhole, locals and foreigners buckle under a broiling sun. Poverty, sickness and unemployment are rampant and Mario, a Frenchman, dreams only of making a quick buck and skipping town, hopefully with that lovely Linda in tow. Suddenly, an incredible job offer springs up, and all Las Piedras is abuzz. Of course, Mario will want his share of the action even if it entails a measure of risk.
If, at first, this black and white movie seems excruciatingly boring to you, I urge you to hang on; those personal stories about misfits, boredom and despair that legendary director Henri-Georges Clouzot patiently weaves during the first 40 minutes will prove crucial later on when explosion and opportunity strike as one. You simply won’t regret the wait because, in its second half, the film will take you on a jolty ride through barren country and force you to explore the uglier reaches of the human mind.
You will never forget the characters (and actors) involved in this classic story about misery and the liberating power of money. As he embarks on his lucrative journey, Mario (a formidable Yves Montand) is torn between his love interest (Vera Clouzot, quite touching), his good friend in town (Folco Lulli) and Jo (Charles Vanel), a mysterious and very tough compatriot he comes to idolize. But, as everyone knows, man cannot exist on sentiments alone and Mario has a job to do. Time is of the essence and the oil men don’t like to wait.
Rest assured: Clouzot’s technically perfect movie contains all the right ingredients: astonishing vignettes about life, joblessness and American influence abroad, cracking dialogues (that sound even better in the original French slang), a very logical story-line, a heady mix of greed and fear and, to top it all off, that incredible, nail-biting ride I couldn’t relate even remotely well. Be firmly seated for this taut thriller that was deservedly singled out in Cannes and Berlin.
MBiS
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