or The Wages of Fear
starring Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Peter van Eyck
directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot
153 minutes
in French with English subtitles
Four men, down on their luck, agree to drive two trucks filled with highly volatile material to oil fields 300 miles away. The roads are mostly unpaved. The pay is high. They encounter numerous obstacles.
Most of this movie is in French but there are also conversations in Spanish, Italian, and English.
The pay the men are promised is about $27K (in 2025 dollars) for this one assignment.
The first 45 minutes of this movie are devoted to setting the scene in Las Piedras, the small town where the story opens and the four men currently live. The next 10-15 minutes are about selecting four drivers from among the dozen or more men who apply for the job. The rest of the movie is about the 300 miles drive to the oil fields.
There were several moments when I thought this is it, this is when they die.
I was very impressed by this movie. The combination of the plot, the performances, and the way it was shot all add up to make it very engaging and very compelling. It isn't short but it kept my attention throughout. I can see how it might not work for some people but I really liked it.
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