The Wages of Fear

The Wages of Fear is a French action adventure film starring Franck Gastambide, Alban Lenoir, Sofiane Zermani

The Wages of Fear 2024 is a remake of the 1953 film and was released March 29, 2024 (France)

The Wages of Fear Plot Summary

In a remote desert location close to a refugee camp, an oil well has caught fire, posing a direct threat to the lives of the local population. The company managing the well has realized that the only way to prevent a disaster is to detonate the well using nitroglycerin within the next 24 hours. In exchange for a substantial sum, a skilled team has been dispatched 800 kilometers away to transport 200 kilograms of explosives in two trucks. With less than 20 hours remaining, the team must now navigate through dangerous areas controlled by armed rebels, traverse minefields, and transport the nitroglycerin-laden trucks across rugged terrain. The race against time has officially begun.

The Wages of Fear Review

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.