Excellent but underrated film

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Just watched this out of date, over acted piece of utter nonsense. What on Earth are all these other reviews talking about? Did we watch the same movie?There are "real" classics out there, one's from the same period that dated well, showed the period and the issues of the day and dealt with them in a real and honest way...and then there these are "arty" classics that just go and over do the story, the dialogue and the characters to...well, I don't know why they do it but I can say that I don't get why they do "it". This must be an arty classics because I just didn't get "it" and I don't understand the people that have watched this in the last 40 years and pretended to get "it" as well. There is nothing real about this movie, the story is passable, okay, but there is no insight into the time or place of the movie, the dialogue is plain ridiculous, and the casting is terrible...(did anyone look at, and understand, who/what Linda's character was supposed to be in the first 5 minutes of the movie? She was badly cast and then given a terrible role to play on top of that). Vanel's transition from tough old street thug to corny coward was...well, it was hilarious actually (that was a source of a few laughs, truth be told). I think only O'Brien Luigi and Bimba are well played and we get saved the silly dialogue of the others with these characters. Mario was...such a shallow and repulsive character to me that I won't even go into how out-dated this kind of "hero" is in this day and age. Who should want to watch this movie? Those that want to see what being "cool" meant to a man in the 50's and how women (and a really beautiful one at that) where/should be treated by such macho men like Mario (this is a real women beater's showcase here). All in all a rubbish movie and if I could have those two and a half hours back I would surely ask.

In a shanty town somewhere in South Africa, men come from all over the world to run away and hide. Jobs are scarce and hunger is common. They are free to walkabout but soon realise that the town is one big prison as any of the men lack money to get a ticket to fly out of here.Salvation comes in the form of an oil field fire several hundred miles away. The task is to drive two trucks packed with nitroglycerin explosives to put it out, but the roads are treacherous one nasty bump and the truck can go boom. Hopefully one of the trucks can make it through, the prize is $2000 each to any of the drivers make it to the oil field fire and deliver their cargo.Corsican Mario and the much older Jo drive the heaviest truck. Mario flirts with the waitress in the local bar. Jo is a new arrival on the run from Paris with a reputation as a gangster. However once they start their treacherous journey, Jo gets the shakes and is frightened. It is Mario who is determined to finish the journey.Director Henri-Georges Clouzot made a classic film of men putting their lives at risk for money but it is also a character study as well. Mario is at first in awe of Jo as he arrives in the small town. Jo persuades Mario to get on this venture and he will show him the ropes. When the drive begins, Mario is initially frightened but gets the upper hand and starts to bully Jo around as age has finally caught up with him and Jo is scared.The film starts off in a leisurely manner as we see these disparate group of men, bored, causing trouble at the local bar. The tension soon mounts as four of the men begin their dangerous journey.

The Wages of Fear (French: Le Salaire de la Peur) (1953) Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot 8/10 Wasted first hour, Some boring and dated parts, Forced and rushed ending, Ironically fitting. But complaints end there. From psychology standpoint, Effective, telling Human nature inquiry. Cowardice, pride, Four men are "paid to be scared", But paid very well. Nitroglycerin transport, One wrong move ends all. "To fear is to be human", But is it worth it? These men find out the hard way. Once started, hang on! Clouzot sets up key scenes well, No Michael Bay here, More subtle suspense and thrill. Slow but steady wins the race. Choka (long poem) is an epic storytelling form of poetry from the Waka period, an unrhymed poem with the 5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7...7 syllable format (any odd number line length with alternating five and seven syllable lines that ends with an extra seven syllable line). #Choka #PoemReview

There's not much else to add to what others have written about this superb thriller, which reminded me of another cracker, Ice Cold In Alex. If getting half crushed by a jeep and then almost drowning in quicksand is bad, imagine getting your bones broken by a lorry and then engulfed in crude oil. Vera Clouzot is stunning and all the guys are perfectly seedy, desperate and selfishHowever, don't believe anyone who tells you that Friedkin's 70s remake Sorcerer is its equal or even superior, it doesn't come halfway close. For anyone to survive this hell is a travesty and the explanations of how the protagonists came to this pretty pass are downright contrived.