Four unfortunate men from different parts of the globe agree to risk their lives transporting gallons of nitroglycerin across dangerous Latin American jungle.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.
- See more »
Reviews:
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Roy Scheider | ... |
Scanlon / 'Dominguez'
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| Bruno Cremer | ... |
Victor Manzon / 'Serrano'
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| Francisco Rabal | ... |
Nilo
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| Amidou | ... |
Kassem / 'Martinez'
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| Ramon Bieri | ... |
Corlette
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| Peter Capell | ... |
Lartigue
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| Karl John | ... |
'Marquez'
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| Friedrich von Ledebur | ... |
'Carlos'
(as Fredrick Ledebur)
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Chico Martínez | ... |
Bobby Del Rios
(as Chico Martinez)
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| Joe Spinell | ... |
Spider
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| Rosario Almontes | ... |
Agrippa
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Richard Holley | ... |
Billy White
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| Anne-Marie Deschodt | ... |
Blanche
(as Anne Marie Descott)
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| Jean-Luc Bideau | ... |
Pascal
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| Jacques François | ... |
Lefevre
(as Jacques Francois)
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André Falcon | ... |
Guillot
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Gerard Murphy | ... |
Donnelly
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Desmond Crofton | ... |
Boyle
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Henry Diamond | ... |
Murray
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Ray Dittrich | ... |
Ben
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Frank Gio | ... |
Marty
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| Randy Jurgensen | ... |
Vinnie
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| Cosmo Allegretti | ... |
Carlo Ricci
(as Gus Allegretti)
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Nick Discenza | ... |
Father Ricci (uncredited)
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| Frank Pesce | ... |
Married Man (uncredited)
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| Tom Signorelli | ... |
Bystander (uncredited)
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Directed by
| William Friedkin | ||
Written by
| Walon Green | ... | (screenplay) |
| Georges Arnaud | ... | (novel "The Wages of Fear") |
| William Friedkin | ... | (screenplay) (uncredited) |
Produced by
| William Friedkin | ... | producer |
| Bud S. Smith | ... | associate producer (as Bud Smith) |
Music by
| Tangerine Dream | ||
Cinematography by
| Dick Bush | ... | (photographed by) |
| John M. Stephens | ... | (photographed by) |
Editing by
| Robert K. Lambert | ... | film editor |
| Bud S. Smith | ... | film editor (as Bud Smith) |
Editorial Department
| Jere Huggins | ... | assistant editor |
| Ned Humphreys | ... | assistant editor |
| Cynthia Scheider | ... | assistant editor |
| M. Scott Smith | ... | apprentice film editor (uncredited) |
Casting By
| Louis DiGiaimo | ... | (as Louis Di Giamo) |
Production Design by
| John Box | ||
Art Direction by
| Roy Walker | ||
Set Decoration by
| Robert W. Laing | ... | (as Bob Laing) |
Costume Design by
| Anthony Powell | ||
Makeup Department
| Verne Caruso | ... | hairdresser |
| John Norin | ... | makeup |
| Robert Norin | ... | makeup (as Bob Norin) |
| Ben Nye III | ... | makeup (as Ben Nye Jr.) |
Production Management
| Roberto Bakker | ... | production manager |
| Gerard Murphy | ... | unit manager |
| Patrick Gordon | ... | unit production manager (uncredited) |
| Robert Larson | ... | production executive: Universal & Paramount (uncredited) |
| Lindsley Parsons Jr. | ... | executive production manager: Paramount (uncredited) |
| Roni Ya'ackov | ... | production manager: Israel (uncredited) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Newt Arnold | ... | first assistant director (as Newton Arnold) |
| Mark Johnson | ... | second assistant director |
| Albert M. Shapiro | ... | second assistant director (as Al Shapiro) |
| Bud S. Smith | ... | second unit director (as Bud Smith) |
| Miguel Gil | ... | first assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| Gene Anderson | ... | assistant property master |
| Barry Bedig | ... | property master |
| Doug Millett | ... | construction |
| Ken Pattenden | ... | construction |
| Leslie Tomkins | ... | draftsman (as Lesley W. TomkinsP) |
| John Alvin | ... | poster artist (uncredited) |
| Dave Coldham | ... | head plasterer: Dominican Republic (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Charles L. Campbell | ... | sound effects editor |
| Jean-Louis Ducarme | ... | sound recorded by |
| Robert Glass | ... | re-recording (as Bob Glass) |
| Robert Knudson | ... | dubbing mixer (as Buzz Knudsen) |
| Richard Tyler | ... | re-recording (as Dick Tyler) |
| Gary Alexander | ... | supervising re-recording mixer: stereo version (uncredited) |
| Allan Bromberg | ... | assistant sound editor (uncredited) |
| Larry Carow | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Dennis Maitland | ... | sound mixer (uncredited) |
| Colin C. Mouat | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
| Jean-Paul Mugel | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
| James Perdue | ... | boom operator (uncredited) |
| Roger Sword | ... | sound editor (uncredited) |
Special Effects by
| Tony Parmelee | ... | special effects |
Visual Effects by
| Marv Ystrom | ... | optical effects |
Stunts
| Bud Ekins | ... | stunt coordinator |
| Nick Dimitri | ... | stunts (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Pat Blymyer | ... | lighting gaffer (as Patrick R. Blymyer) |
| William Kenney | ... | grip (as Bill Kenney) |
| George Ressler | ... | grip (as George Resler) |
| Gaylin P. Schultz | ... | key grip (as Gaylin Schultz) |
| Bernie Schwartz | ... | grip |
| James M. Sheppherd | ... | grip (as Jim Sheppherd) |
| Mike Weathers | ... | best boy |
| Michael Garfath | ... | focus puller (uncredited) |
| Shaun O'Dell | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
| Michael Simpson | ... | assistant camera (uncredited) |
| Ronald Vidor | ... | camera operator (uncredited) / underwater cinematographer (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Robert K. Lambert | ... | music editor |
| Scott Mathews | ... | music effects |
| Ron Nagle | ... | music effects |
| Tangerine Dream | ... | music performer |
Script and Continuity Department
| John Franco | ... | script supervisor |
Transportation Department
| Whitey Ellison | ... | transportation coordinator |
| Richard Holley | ... | helicoptor pilot |
| Steve Bonner | ... | driver mechanic (uncredited) |
| Gene Clinesmith | ... | transportation co-captain (uncredited) |
| Ricardo Gallarzo Jr. | ... | driver (uncredited) |
| Alberto Gutierrez | ... | transportation co-captain (uncredited) |
| Salvador Gutiérrez | ... | transportation captain (uncredited) |
| Hugh Kelly | ... | transportation dispatcher (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
| Jean Guy Jacques | ... | titles (as jean-Guy Jacques) |
| Toni St. Clair Lilly | ... | secretary to the director |
| Pericles Mejía | ... | production assistant (uncredited) |
| Charles A. Ogle | ... | production accountant |
| Marvin Peck | ... | technical advisor |
| Paul Roedl | ... | assistant production accountant |
| Nanette Siegert | ... | production secretary |
| Hugh Kelly | ... | dispatcher (uncredited) |
| Mickey Knox | ... | dialogue coach (uncredited) |
| John Marshall | ... | subtitle and timing (uncredited) |
| Dan Perri | ... | title designer: main title (uncredited) |
Thanks
| Henri-Georges Clouzot | ... | dedicatee (as H.G. Clouzot) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Universal Pictures (1977) (United States) (theatrical)
- Paramount Pictures (1977) (United States) (theatrical)
- Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Paramount Films of India (1978) (India) (theatrical)
- Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1978) (France) (theatrical)
- Sonoro Filme (1980) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- MCA/Universal Home Video (1990) (United States) (VHS)
- TNT (1995) (United States) (tv)
- Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (UPHE) (1998) (United States) (DVD)
- Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (Argentina) (VHS)
- Warner Home Video (2014) (United States) (DVD)
- Warner Home Video (2014) (United States) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- Bac Films (2015) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- La Rabbia (2015) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2017) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray)
- Entertainment One (2017) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray)
- Copiapoa Film (2018) (Japan) (theatrical) (restored version)
- The Criterion Channel (2024) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
- Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Modern VideoFilm (post-production facilities) (2k remaster)
- Waxwork Records (soundtrack available from)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
A gangster, a crooked banker, a hit man and an Arab terrorist are stranded and on the run in a small village in South America. Their only chance of escape is to drive two trucks filled with unstable dynamite (leaking nitroglycerin) up a long and rocky mountain road in order to plug an escalating oil refinery blaze. With their deadly cargo likely to explode at the slightest bump, the four men must put aside their differences and work together to survive. Written by John Stetson |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | Die "Really" Hard See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
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Additional Details
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Box Office
| Budget | $12,000,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Besides internal on-set conflicts, William Friedkin said that approximately fifty people "had to leave the film for either injury or gangrene," as well as food poisoning and malaria. In The Friedkin Connection he added that "almost half the crew went into the hospital or had to be sent home." Friedkin himself lost fifty pounds (23 kg) and was stricken with malaria, which was diagnosed after the film's premiere. See more » |
| Goofs | During the tree sequence, after the dynamite is lifted out of the wooden crate, it is kicked to the side and (apparently) falls off the tree. Weeping dynamite is leaking out the nitroglycerin as a liquid which will readily soak through untreated materials such as the wooden case, shelves upon which they sit and so on. Old stocks of dynamite usually require destroying the entire building in which they are found for safety. When kicked, or when it fell to the ground, the wooden crate would have exploded with significant force. The drivers would have been briefed on this to not make any mistakes while moving the crates. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Take 2: Overlooked Classics: Great Movies of the 70's That Nearly Everybody Missed (1980). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Spheres (Movement 3) See more » |
| Crazy Credits | The only opening credits at the beginning of the film are the studios' names followed by the film's graffiti style font title. Although by the late 1990's it was quite common to not have credits at the beginning of a film, in 1977 it was very unusual. See more » |
| Quotes |
Scanlon:
[Nilo has been shot]
What're you gonna do with all that money, you hump? Talk to me! What're you gonna do? Nilo: Get... laid! Best whore in Managua! Scanlon: Two whores! Two best whores in Managua! Nilo: You do it. For me. See more » |