The Wages of Fear (2024) User Reviews

A Remarkable Film

[midnightmosesuk · 4/10 · 29 March 2024]

Unfortunately,I have never seen the original film but I have watched Sorcerer many times and it is one of my very favorite films. I'd even go as far as to call Friedkin's version among the greatest films ever made. So it was with great interest that I noticed that there was a new version on Netflix.

What I watched was a truly remarkable film. Somehow they managed to depict the transportation of an enormous amount of nitroglycerin in two unstable trucks with danger all around them and made it boring. It's dullness is nearly miraculous given the story they were using.

The problem here was that they missed the point. It was never about the the nitroglycerin, or even the hazards along the way, it was about the characters driving those trucks and how they struggle against the odds. Where, if they lose, they're dead. Simple. In this remake one of the main protagonists blows himself up to save a poor village from being destroyed by a oilwell fire. I felt not even a flicker of emotion, it was the death of a paper thin character in an uninspiring film. I've had more exciting visits to the lavatory than this film and I eat plenty of fibre so those visits are very boring indeed.

Please, go watch Sorcerer and see how it's meant to be done. You'll thank me later, I promise.

So many dumb mistakes it was painful

[ddrpcnbqd · 5/10 · 29 March 2024]

One dumb thing after the other.. lots of things didn't made any sense.. first the brother just walked out of prison, as if it was so easy.. then when they got attacked first time why did they not kill them all? And even if bit, Jesus, shoot the tires so they can't follow you .. duh! Then why take 2 different paths and then end up at the same oil pond? It would be impossible to drive so easy thru oil. And the constant rattling would have also made the nitro explode many times.. the vilan refused to ride in the trucks as he didn't wanted to risk his life but all of a sudden the car vanished and he sat in the truck.. even drove it. And no one said a word . Also completely senseless, the village. How easy of they would have just evacuated it??? Instead of staring at the fire for hours and praying? So dumb.

No one character likable, I was glad that so many died ....

If it weren't a remake of a classic . . .

[bud-morans · 5/10 · 31 March 2024]

. . . the new Wages of Fear would just be a mediocre action/adventure movie. But since it's a remake of a singular classic, it's atrocious. The original took a deep look at its characters, had a remarkable location, and delivered prolonged nail-biting suspense. This remake manages to be slightly exciting at moments, but that's all. But for viewer's who know the original -- or William Friedkin's remake, Sorcerer -- such excitement quickly wanes.

The scenario is the same: nitroglycerin must be delivered by trucks to an oil well fire to extinguish the flame. Nitroglycerin is highly unstable, so the drivers are taking their lives in their hands. In the real world, nitroglycerin has been replaced by other more stable explosives, so why it must be nitroglycerin now should have been explained, as it was in Friedkin's Sorcerer. A definite strike against this remake, but it's not the biggest problem.

The remake adds a ticking clock to the scenario: unless the fire is extinguished in twenty-four hours, a neighboring natural gas field will explode and destroy a nearby village. This does little to amplify the viewer's suspense.

The characters aren't much: two brothers, one of the brothers lover, and a bad guy. The brothers are estranged, as one blames the other for leaving him behind at the scene of a robbery nine months prior, and he has been doing time in a brutal prison. The brother who was at liberty during this time is the one with the lover, and he feels just dreadful about leaving his brother behind, but that's it. The at liberty brother's lover is quite lovely and works for a Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Bordere) type NGO, so she has principles and cares, but that's it. The bad guy works for the oil company and only reveals himself as the bad guy gradually. But any astute viewer, with no knowledge of the original, will see the reveal coming miles away.

But in this case, knowing the original might work against figuring that out, because there is no bad guy in the original. Instead, characters reveal themselves, their hidden natures, weaknesses, strengths, brutalities, and kindnesses as they haul their dangerous cargo over treacherous roads. One cries out, "We're paid to be afraid!" and in the original they are afraid, going up in isolation against the ever present possibility of death. And in this remake? They're kinda scared. At moments. But these are action/adventure heroes, buddies - no! Better! Brothers! - so their fear doesn't cut deep. How could it? They're cardboard cut outs. And here is where this remake falls off a cliff and explodes.

Beyond that, there's not much to say. The finale is sentimental, meant to be moving, which may have some screaming at the TV. I did. I guess anything resembling the original finale's breathtaking nihilism must have been vetoed by a producer, but that may be a good thing-I doubt the filmmakers could have pulled off anything close to it.

The acting is fine, although the actors aren't given much to work with. The acting and the cinematography, which often including sweeping panoramas of the desert, makes watching this new Wages of Fear tolerable. But people who remake a classic should aim for something higher than that. Otherwise they'll end up having contributed yet another data point in favor of the proposition that classics should not be remade.

Another lazy remake that misses the point

[BLAlley · 3/10 · 30 March 2024]

This is another example of a minimum-effort remake by people who think they are being creative by changing elements from the source material so they can pat themselves on the back for their "creativity" rather than to better fit a carefully crafted retelling.

The original by Clouzot and remake by Friedkin are brilliant and should have been enough to inform the makers of this train wreck that they were out of their depth. Instead they forged ahead and proved they don't understand the story and characters or why the setting was just as important.

Instead of the Colombian jungle with dangers around every corner including cliff-side roads, fallen trees, rivers with sketchy bridges, wildlife, etc, they chose to set this in the middle of the boring desert with long stretches of flat, easily-traversed roads and nothing of interest to even look at.

The original opens with a hyper-patient study of the characters who will eventually take up the challenge, while Sorceror uses pre-Colombia vignettes to introduce the characters and their reasons for ending up together.

This one opens with a pounding score that can't save one of the most boring "action" sequences I've ever seen. It's shot like a Honda Civic commercial, but then becomes more laughable when one of the vehicles gets stuck on a small hump because the driver (and director) apparently don't realize they are in a 4WD truck (or understand how motor vehicles in general work). The other vehicle pulls up and they chat about needing to go, but driver 1 is adamant about not leaving behind the (pointless MacGuffin). The other driver takes off, but SURPRISE(?), circles around to push the other truck over the speed bump. So exciting...Not. Meanwhile, somehow the vehicle that was in hot pursuit is conveniently much farther back than was previously shown.

We get a boring shootout that is somehow resolved and then a sex scene that provides no character development and further demonstrates a complete unawareness by the writer and director of the setting in which they placed their "remake"

I made it 7 minutes in.....

[Otte1 · 3/10 · 1 April 2024]

Yes, you read that right....just seven minutes into this movie and it was apparanetly clear how badly directed, written, edited and acted.

Editing First clue to a bad movie is when a very simple scene have multiple edits in just three seconds of scene. GUILTY. A chase scene was edited so badly that you did not know who were the good guys or bad guys.

Direction: The villain is only five seconds behind me, I ran off the road, get stuck, get pushed out and now the villain is about 30 seconds behind me. Stupid...just stupid. Oh, the the villain is steadily firing a machine gun and not hitting anything once.

Writing/Acting: I am about to lose my life and I rattle off a statement with the same emotion of ordering a soy latte.

Skip this movie.

You're not transporting apples

[indioblack117 · 1/10 · 31 March 2024]

I believe that if you're transporting nitroglycerin in two trucks, it would be best if the two trucks were not driving nose-to-tail. It would be better if they were separated by a time difference, so that if one truck blows up, the other doesn't go with it. I'm sure I saw this in the two previous versions of this film.

The principle of using two trucks is to improve the chances of at least one getting through. However, nobody in this film thinks about this, or they wouldn't be driving nose to tail. The glass canisters containing the nitroglycerin look quite fragile, and they are simply stacked in crates with nothing to cushion them against each other, so you hear them rattling along as the trucks hurtle around hairpin bends. I remember that "Sorceror" had the nitro sticks buried in crates of sand.

Anyway the nitro is not that powerful, because we have the heroine throwing some canisters at an attacking vehicle, and she needs three tries before the explosion is enough to knock the vehicle off the road. I'm surprised she didn't blow herself up with the overhand throwing, so once again, the nitro isn't much more powerful than apples.

Also we should question the bandits chasing a truck the size of a barn door, and failing to put one bullet, from a 50 cal machine gun, in the back of it where the nitro is stored. They can't even hit the heroine when she's climbing out of the cab and onto the roof of the nitro vehicle.

At some point, one of the crew shoots his co-driver so that he can get his share of the money that they are promised when they get there. Did I fall asleep and miss something? The hero and his brother were promised a million each to do the drive. At what point was it stated that there is a reward for completion of the job payable to whoever survives? It was quite clearly stated in both previous movies, but not in this. Suddenly, out of the blue, one driver shoots another and comes up with this fantasy idea that he will now get his share.

Anyway, point of information, the European release of "Sorceror" was a re-edit, and put the four back stories as flashbacks throughout the film. A much better version in my opinion.

WAGES OF my FEAR were plenty justified.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 29 March 2024]

I tried it because it is made by a director - Julien Leclercq - whom I have always followed and mostly liked the films and series - BRAQUEURS. But here, sorry, I could not make it. It is lousy, nearly laughable, a total waste of time. Julien Leclercq's worst film, so far. Where is the GIBRALTAR director? He seems to have lost all ambition. Actually this story lacks tragedy, it would have been gloomier, I would have liked it, because not every director is Clouzot or Friedkin...I can understand this. And from the first day I was informed of this "explosive" project, I was afraid. I felt like a beast inside of me growing up, spreading in all my body. A SALAIRE DE LA PEUR remake with Alban Lenoir!!! Oh My God !!!! And my terror was unfortunately plenty justified and confirmed. Run away from it. It is more dangerous for your movie loving tendancies than any nitroglycerin truck. But if you want an advice to appreciate this one, at least TRY to appreciate, please forget the two previous films: LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR - the genuine one, starring Yves Montand and Charles Vanel, and THE SORCERER, starring Bruno Cremer and Roy Scheider. Then, and only then, maybe you'll may bear this one. But I must admit it is not boring. AT LEAST.

An Exciting film in its own right.

[paulclaassen · 6/10 · 30 March 2024]

1953 saw the release of the French film 'The Wages of Fear'. It was a good, suspenseful film - best viewed by skipping the first boring and confusing 40 minutes. The film was remade by America in 1977, titled 'Sorcerer'. This film was good and suspenseful - best viewed by skipping the first boring and confusing 40 minutes (again!).

'The Wages of Fear' has been remade again - once again in French. This film has been adapted for the new generation and is faster paced with more action (we all know the new generation does not have a good attention span, so enhancing the action is crucial).

Whereas the original 'The Wages of Fear' had a simple premise, there's more back stories and intrigue in this new version. The beginning introduces us to Fred and Carla being pursued by gunmen. The film then goes back 9 months and tells us more about Fred. When one of Fred's wealthy clients was executed in a deal gone wrong, Fred approached his brother Alex - who is an explosives expert - to help in stealing money from the safe. However, things did not go according to plan and Alex was captured and imprisoned.

Fred now works on the oil fields. When a gas pocket at a well was hit causing an explosion, the only way to extinguish the fire, is with 100 kilos of nitroglycerin. Fred is made an offer he can't refuse to drive the truck load 500 miles from a power plant to the well. Oil executive Anne Marchand arranges for Alex to be released from prison, as they require his services. They only have 24 hours before a second gas pocket explodes, which risks destroying the entire village.

And so the nail-biting adventure begins as Fred, Alex, Carla and a few of their friends start the journey of transporting the dangerous cargo - all the while being pursued by gangs. With tension between the two brothers - with Alex blaming Fred for his fate - and time running out, this made for a thrilling viewing experience.

Many viewers will compare this film to the original and rate accordingly. Yes, I did think the original film was better in a way (considering when it was made), as long as you skip the first 40 minutes, as mentioned. This remake, however, is faster paced with more action. It's not quite as suspenseful, but this was actually a fantastic film in its own right.

'The Wages of Fear' also has a good score and excellent aerial photography and cinematography. What I also like about cheaper, non-Hollywood films is the fact they use less CGI and shoot on location, resulting in films that look more realistic. I really enjoyed this film.

The title is longer than the script

[ignatdanilchuk · 2/10 · 3 April 2024]

New from Netflix, a film that is shot well, the graphics are good, but overall it is bad and here's why. From the very beginning, Murphy's law occurs around the main characters, everything bad that can happen to them will definitely happen, if at first it may seem interesting, but by the fifth case it can get boring.

The plot of the film lasts so long that we see the title of the film when we have already watched a third of the film. And the content of this plot is so empty that it does not affect the further course of events, we did not get to know the characters closely, and the plot did not advance at all.

The main plot revolves around two brothers who must heroically save the settlement from the explosion of a gas well. On the way to this goal they face all sorts of obstacles, from shootouts and chases to banal roadblocks.

The main characters are stupid and naive, just look at the scene where the explosives technician is hiding from the explosion behind a car stuffed with explosives. But the ending of the film can surpass even this...

In general, it's a pity to waste time - a waste product that has been digested many times.

Enjoy it on its own; do not compare it to Sorcerer (1977)

[Jay_Rusty · 7/10 · 1 April 2024]

I have just watched Sorcerer (1977) - available for free on YouTube - and this movie, back-to-back. They are two completely different animals, so comparison is really futile here.

I can still enjoy this movie on its own, but I need to point out a few things that massively irritated me:

1. Dead cops left laying outside of Fred's boss villa: Really? You kill a number of policemen and you just leave their corpses lying all over the place? You don't even bother to quickly hide their bodies out of sight?!

2. Canister explosion at solar farm: Alex is supposedly an explosives expert, yet he casually and non-chalant-ly just leaves a nitro canister lying around in the open like that so that anyone can trip it over and cause a massive explosion?!

3. The final sacrifice by Fred: Clearly the truck could've been thrown at the fire with no one present behind the wheel; this final sacrifice was not really necessary but obviously it was done for dramatic effect, to give Fred a redemption arc with Alex.

Last but not least, I kept being distracted by how much Franck Gastambide looks almost exactly like Thierry Henry! Uncanny.

Super snooze fest

[prolead · 1/10 · 2 April 2024]

When I first started watching the movie with the English dubbed version, I didn't enjoy it because the voices and sound effects seemed slow and unimpressive. I then tried watching it with the original soundtrack, but it didn't get any better. The action scenes, which should have been thrilling, were just not exciting at all, mostly because they were too focused on showing violence without a good pace. The sound editing was also not great, making the movie feel dull and uninteresting. It seemed like the filmmakers were more interested in filming some nice scenes in the rocky terrain than in developing a gripping story. I couldn't feel any empathy for the main characters when they were in danger or got hurt because the movie didn't make me care about them. In the end, it was really boring and not worth watching.

Ignore the ridiculous low scoring reviewers

[terrylarosa · 9/10 · 6 April 2024]

Their lack of taste and zero understanding of what comprises a good movie is seriously disturbing. Glad I decided to check it out and lo and behold. A movie chock full of action and many suspense scenes. Good acting, great music, characters to root for and very cool explosions. I'm so tired of reading these low scoring reviews for movies that do not warrant it. If you didn't like this movie that's fine. It simply means you have bad taste but to say this movie was terrible means you're lacking perception of exactly what this movie was supposed to be which it accomplished in spades. If you love nonsense, fluff movies like Barbie then this may not be for you. All others check it out and be thoroughly entertained.

A Touch Of Mad Max

[Pairic · 7/10 · 30 March 2024]

The Wages of Fear: An updated version set in an unstable Middle Eastern country which has gone through a coup and is now facing another uprising. An oil well in the middle of the desert is surrounded by a refugee camp. We're really in Mad Max territory here, a car is pursued by a semi with a machine gun on top, the car safely reaches the camp, the semi is pursued by warriors on horseback. The oil well is hit by a stray bullet and catches fire. Corporate types hire two brothers to transport explosives and blow the well quenching the fire. One brother is at the camp, the other has to be sprung from prison (there's a complicated back story told through flashbacks). An OK action film with many thrills and spills, back stabbing and typical multinational cynicism. The tension is maintained well enough and you do wonder who is going to survive as the brothers accompanied by mercenaries encounter rebels, bandits and a minefield, The convoy around the explosives trucks certainly starts to shrink, Good though this thriller is it will inevitably be compared to Sorcerer and the 1953 The Wages of Fear, sadly it's not up to that standard, Well worth watching though. Drive safely! Directed by Julien Leclercq, Written by Leclercq and Hamid Hlioua. On Netflix. 7/10.

Rather watch "Sorcerer"

[krsmad · 2/10 · 31 March 2024]

It ok but I lost interest due to the poor acting. I didnt realize it was a remake of a remake. I like the Roy Schneider version named "Sorcerer", actually love it. However, this film was kind of cheesey. I mean, pistols against rifles & lmgs, come on. I was on my phone and was watching it in the background looking up for a laugh or two during some of the action scenes. Started out fast but jumped to a sex scene so the first two scenes have nothing to do with the movie. I guess if you didnt know the plot it might keep you interested. Wrote this before it ended now the credits are rolling. Take my advice and wathe "Sorcerer". Youll thank me later. I think thats a wrap.

Terrible. I stoped watching after 12 Minutes.

[JohnJohnRomualdez · 29 March 2024]

The first "action sequence", two lancrusers are pursued by a pick-up truck with a machine gun.

This scene shows that the director has no idea how to stage action. The sequence has nothing. Then a completely uninspiring sex scene that contributes absolutely nothing to the story. (And I like a good sex scene. ) At this point I ask myself. A woman in "Wages of Fear". Okay, we're in the woke age, maybe it has to be. I'm almost gone after 4:26 minutes. (!)

You have to come up with the crazy and stupid idea of remaking one of the greatest classics in film history. Hello Netfelix? Do you fancy a remake of "Casablanca"?

After 6 minutes we are now in a flashback and it is clear that we have landed in a French-Arabic migrant milieu film.

Everything is full of stereotypical little gangster types, or something like that. I turn it off.

A terrible title unrelated to this horrible movie

[GryeD · 1/10 · 1 April 2024]

I watched it on Netflix, this movie is horrible. Two fundamental flaws will ruin the whole viewing experience:

1.) The lack of common sense, you can't just make an epic action movie that defies the usual logic of life and physics. You don't have to be a math expert to notice "life-defying" maneuvers.

2.) The story is lacking development on all levels. How is it possible every single character in this movie feels like a robot reading a script? It's as if you can see their hearts are not in it.

I don't think the producers of this movie did thorough research on how an action movie works. You can't make epic scenes without proper cause and effect. Viewers will notice.

It's basically the french story "La Dynamite" with guns.

[semacore-76427 · 3/10 · 30 March 2024]

For almost anyone who studied french in high school in Quebec in the 80s one of the standard books was "La Dynamite" about driving a truck with unstable nitroglycerine across treacherous terrain and bumpy roads.

This is basically that but with guns and over acting.

Now Georges Arnaud wrote "Le Salaire de la peur" in 1950 so it's more likely that our "La Dynamite" was a copy of that, but it was amusing.

Beyond that, it's not a great film, mediocre at best, but it is mindless late night viewing. Maybe it was because the story was so familiar in general but everything about this movie was overly predictable.

The Wages of Stale Pears - truly awful

[Oslo_Jargo · 1/10 · 27 April 2024]

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

*Plot and ending analyzed*

Leave it to the French to mangle two of American film director William Friedkin's classic 1970's films.

First, they remade The French Connection (1971) by giving us the awful La French (2014) (The Connection (United States title)). It was a complete snooze fest and had no action at all. It was deadly dull.

Then they decided to redo Sorcerer (1977), but hurriedly put it into a desert setting because it would be a lot cheaper when they learned their budget would have been blown by going out to the wild jungles. So now we are stuck with The Wages of Fear (2024). Unfortunately.

In today's delicate time, you know they are going to ruffle up the script just a tad so no one in the audience will get offended. This includes adding a bunch of sensitive "tough guys", putting in a rugged female character who has the body of a super model but can cripple five men in brawls, and appeasing the political climate by adding the obligatory, different and diverse ethnic characters.

The problem is, it's absurd. Totally awful. Why ride on the coattails of Wages of Fear (1953) and Sorcerer (1977)? Why not just put another generic name on it? Probably because they are banking on the past movies to score some easy movie profit. Thus, they have to slander those other great movies with rubbish like this. Henri-Georges Clouzot and William Friedkin are tumbling in their graves. This modern version has none of the perilous existentialism to be found in the wonderfully profound Wages of Fear (1953), or the absolutely bleak fatalism of the brilliant Sorcerer (1977).

The extremely bland tough guys are of the Jason Statham variety. No ability to act, appear overtly smug, grunt, and the capacity to kick everyone's teeth in with the greatest of ease. They have some bald idiot who looks like Vin Diesel, and he is very dull.

The opening of the movie tells you that it is going to be one tough ride to boredom, or hell. A woman is escaping in a truck from some Arabs in another truck, who have an automatic machine gun, but they have no idea how to shoot. They are 2 seconds behind her, and then her truck gets stuck, and tough bald guy comes out in his own truck, and pushes her out, and they escape the Arabs somehow. Supposedly the Arabs got stuck in time and were frozen (?). Then the man and woman make it to their compound, and horsemen come out after the Arabs in the truck. Apparently whoever wrote this nonsense never got the memorandum that horsemen are useless against an automatic machine gun (see Mexican Revolution 1910, Balkan Wars 1912, World War I, etc).

Then they throw in a gratuitous sex scene, for who knows what purpose. Just like that, five minutes into the movie and it is already entirely useless and dumb. The rest of the movie is like hitting your head with a soft brick made from compacted sand.

Most level-headed audience members will probably decide to forfeit watching the rest of the movie. Others, may want to attempt to reach the end. But be warned, you may not make it.

Remake of two Classics with Alban LENOIR and Franck GASTAMBIDE

[ZeddaZogenau · 6/10 · 1 April 2024]

The novel LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR (1950) by Georges ARNAUD has already produced two classics in film history: LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR (1953) by Henri Georges CLOUZOT with Yves MONTAND and the unforgettable Peter van EYCK and SORCERER (1977) by William FRIEDKIN with Roy SCHEIDER, Bruno CREMER (MAIGRET, TV series from 1991) and the German-speaking actors Karl JOHN, Friedrich von LEDEBUR (Queequegg from MOBY DICK) and Peter CAPELL. Is it necessary to release a third film then? Why not! The story itself is strong enough to be retold again and again.

The French director Julien LECLERCQ, who over the past 20 years has already presented some representatives of the French PolAr genre (French-style crime films) such as LUKAS / THE BOUNCER (2018) with Jean Claude van DAMME, finds an interesting approach by using the Story relocated to the desert (shot in Morocco). Beautiful images with the Atlas Mountains in the background! The action moves to an unnamed country on the African continent. The protagonists are mercenaries and employees of an NGO. The exciting initial situation of explosives having to be transported through impassable terrain can also be conveyed fairly credibly under these circumstances.

But there is one catch: the protagonists of the novel are all unsympathetic. In the films in which they were played by top-class actors such as Yves MONTAND or the two-time ACADEMY AWARD nominee Roy SCHEIDER, the audience was still able to emotionally root for them and sympathize with the protagonists. The outstanding French action stars Alban LENOIR and Franck GASTAMBIDE cannot do this because they clearly lack the acting resources to do so. With the two BALLE PERDUE films (2020 and 2022) and AKA (2023), LENOIR has already scored a few NETFLIX hits, but its outstanding action qualities are simply not enough for this film with its complex characters. Franck GASTAMBIDE (SANS REPIT, the French imitator of HARD DAY from South Korea) also doesn't have enough emotional depth to spark the audience.

Scandal rapper Sofiane ZERMANI has been developing more and more into an established film actor since his appearance in FRERES ENNEMIS (2018) alongside Matthias SCHOENAERTS, but even with bleached hair he can't keep up with the cast from the classics from 1953 and 1977.

The role played by Ana GIRARDOT reveals another shortcoming of the new edition. Her character is a committed NGO employee who is clearly supposed to bring a positive note to the action. But that's exactly wrong, because it's about nihilistic dislikes who you could still root for in the films from 1953 and 1977. Sincerity, understanding and empathy do not suit the characters in LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR.

If there is still a remotely functioning film industry in Europe, it is the French one. In 2023, French films were able to attract more than 70 million visitors (source: Blickpunkt FILM) to the cinemas. In comparison, German cinema only reaches around 17 million visitors (source: Inside KINO). And that includes co-productions like JOHN WICK 4, which was partly created at STUDIO BABELSBERG!

It is therefore good that a global streaming service like NETFLIX is making such an expensive genre like the action film possible in France with its financial resources. However, a good script always remains the most important prerequisite. Beautiful desert images and intense battle scenes are just the accessories to bring a good story even better into the foreground.

Despite all the reservations, it's definitely worth seeing!

A poor remake with some cheap thrills

[Rodrigo_Amaro · 5/10 · 31 March 2024]

At the end of my review for the original "The Wages of Fear" I suggested that a remake could be made as there were material enough to improve some of its small problems, and also as the American remake "Sorcerer" was also lacking on something as both differed a little from the novel by Georges Arnaud. I wasn't wrong in asking for a new version. But what I couldn't predict was this new take by Netflix would turn into such a weird and lackluster experience.

The risky adventures of a group of men while dealing with countless obstacles in order to perform a dangerous mission was turned into a punch-throwing/gun shooting action film instead of the two previous thrilling character studies on courage and cowardice. For the many updates made to bring this story to the 21st century and little homages to the classic 1953 film, it's no use of seeing it as what's been done before is a hundred times better, more effective and enjoyable than this near disaster of a movie.

But I gotta be honest: it offers some decent entertainment and it has potential to attract curious hearts who might like the many thrills faced by the characters. This time, we have two brothers (Franck Gastambide and Alban Lenoir) in the crew, rather than all complete strangers joining forces in order to save a village from the disastrous perils offered by an oil rig explosion. The duo goes against each other after a mistake from the past made one of them went to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Throw in the bunch the lover (Ana Girardot) of one of them, a ruthless commander (Sofiane Zermani) and his team, all driving through the desert carrying a huge cargo of dynamite, crossing an African nation in turmoil in the middle of a major political turnover. The way to their mission isn't just dangerous because of the terrible roads, but also the presence of armed rebels who kills whoever comes to their territory.

A handful of good moments doesn't satisfy as a whole, and Julien Leclercq's sense of direction isn't strong enough to make it a compelling work.

This "Wages of Fear" turned into a confusing action-driven flick with one dimensional characters, and the whole cruel greedy from them felt forced, simply used to form a "plot twist". Add to the mix the insane ammount of plot holes put on this, that it's not even funny. You may want to watch the film just to witness everything that goes wrong.

It wasn't a total waste of time (loved the land mine sequence but I've seen it done before), and I really think it could go worse - almost left after the first minutes as it felt like a sequel of some movie I haven't seen before due to the terrible presentation of the lead characters. It'll find some audience, but my advice remains the same: watch Clouzot's film and/or Friedkin's remake as they are near perfect in matters of cinema and positively better on all accounts if compared to this unwanted new take. 5/10.

Not as bad as it's made out to be.

[grahamgent · 6/10 · 2 April 2024]

I see there are a lot of film buffs here who are saying it's not as good as the two previous versions. I am sure they are 100% correct.

However, there are now millions of younger, non French movie fans, who have never seen the other movies and are unless they search them out are unlikely to get the chance. So, what's the problem, let the film stand or fall by its own merits. There is plenty of action and some suspense, visually it's good and it passes as aTV movie just fine!

Plus, this version may pique some peoples interest and they may well seek out the older movie and enjoy them.

Win win!

Two to many

[LetsReviewThat26 · 5/10 · 30 March 2024]

This is the second adaptation of the french movie and this time netflix gives it a spin. It's not a film that was needed to be made in any capacity but for what it's worth it was atleast enjoyable for the most part. So there's this oil refinery. It's pressure is mounting to dangerous levels and if it ends up exploding it would cause problems for a lot of people. A team are sent it to for some reason grab nitroglycerin from a compound so it can be driving into the raging fire of the refinery and blown in order to save everyone. Now this makes no sense atleast to me and it's very vague but atleast the cast seemed to be decent enough.

Quite brilliant action adventure thriller movie The Wages Of Fear

[playtoyer · 9/10 · 29 March 2024]

Great modern version of a classic movie Le salaire de la peur a film that has affected and thrill many people in the past. There are unconditional fans of Le salaire de la peur. There is even a hollywood remake of the movie with a great soundtrack but some people don,t like it. The wages of fears is a film that exercises its right to explore a new version and concept of a classic of european movies Le salaire de la peur. Many films have great ideas but most are poorly realized this film is not the case. The wages of fears is simply an awesome movie about one of the most hypothetically dangerous work and difficult things that could happen to a group of people. The film focuses on a perilous adventure on what happens when a group of people are face with a extreme situation. What brings such a fun idea to fruition includes great action scenes, great suspenseful scenes and a group of people literally terrorized by their difficult work. It's set in a desert and though it is just a movie it still hit pretty close to reality due to current problems around the world. In fact, the film Le salaire de la peur was highly received by people and this new version also deserves to be acclaim. The wages of fears captures the essence of a old fashion action adventure thriller movie and what people go through facing into such difficult circumstances. This is a great Netflix movie one of the best to be produced on streaming for an international audience. Great action adventure thriller movie.

This timeless classic has been skillfully revitalized...!!!

[PANDIAN120621 · 6/10 · 30 March 2024]

The plot of The Wages of Fear takes place on the road and at full speed ahead as our main characters are battling the clock. The story begins when an oil well catches fire in the middle of the desert, near a refugee camp. This fire is directly threatening the lives of the population...

However, the original story is somewhat similar in essence...The oil well must be detonated with nitroglycerin within 24 hours...The race against the clock has begun,the point of the quest is to save the day and survive...

To do yet another remake is quite a thing, but enough changes have also been made to update it.

The location has been changed,perhaps it's not the most elegant way of updating a story, but it does make it feel more interested for the time we invest in it...

The outstanding cast including Franck Gastambide, Ana Girardot, and Alban Lenoir in pivotal roles & their performances are nothing short of exceptional, resonating deeply despite the unfamiliar setting and circumstances.

The supporting cast, featuring talents like Sofiane Zermani and Joseph Beddelem, further elevates the film with their contributions...

The driving sequences are rife with suspense and the film's relentless intensity immerses you completely in the characters' harrowing predicaments... Overall "The Wages of Fear'' is a thrilling ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat, your nerves taut and your adrenaline pumping...

Don't waste your time

[bagatti · 2/10 · 15 April 2024]

If you like a few action scenes, then I would suggest fast forwarding to this them because the rest is a waste, horrible script horrible acting. The locations are beautiful films relatively well as far as cinematography, but the whole story is garbage. Fake gun battles where people with rifles at distance and people with handguns at distance are extremely accurate. The whole thing is beyond belief, I just can't believe that so much money can be put into these movies with no concept of how to make a good movie spoiler alert. The only spoiler alert is don't waste your time. Find a real movie to watch.