The Wages of Fear (1953)
98%RT Audience Score: 95%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 BAFTA Film Award
6 wins total
An existential suspense classic, The Wages of Fear blends nonstop suspense with biting satire; its influence is still being felt on today’s thrillers.
If you’re looking for a movie that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat while also making you think about the meaning of life, then The Wages of Fear is the flick for you. This bad boy combines heart-pumping suspense with some seriously sharp wit, making it a classic that still holds up today. And let’s be real, you know a movie is good when it’s still inspiring filmmakers decades later. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride with The Wages of Fear.
Production Company(ies)
Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique Films,
Distributor
DCA Releasing
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Bouches-du-Rhône, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1955
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1
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Runtime:2h 36m
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Language(s):French, English, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1953 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 25, 2005
Genre(s)
Mystery & Thriller
Keyword(s)
Worldwide gross: $1,098
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,833
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,132
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,508
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Charles Vanel – Jo
Peter van Eyck – Bimba
Véra Clouzot – Linda
Folco Lulli – Luigi
William Tubbs – Bill O’Brien
Director(s)
Henri-Georges Clouzot
Writer(s)
Henri-Georges Clouzot, Georges Arnaud, Jérôme Géronimi
Producer(s)
Raymond Borderie, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Louis Wipf
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Film Award
6 wins total
Academy Awards
All Critics (47) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (47)
Turning the screws with a relentlessness that impresses even in this age of the ruthless, high-tech thriller, Clouzot strings together situations of vividly, almost sadistically imagined danger.
April 1, 2014 | Rating: 3.5/4
Dave Kehr
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Hitch’s bomb-under-the-table suspense formula burnished to an expert sheen.
December 6, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
The Wages of Fear contains tension-fraught stretches of “pure cinema” that probably gave even the Master cold sweats.
December 6, 2011 | Rating: 4/4
Budd Wilkins
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Now seems much less like Salt of the Earth-as-a-potboiler and a lot more like the spiritual godfather to every testosterone-fuelled thrill ride since.
April 20, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A nail-biting drama that’s a must-see.
March 1, 2007 | Rating: 5/5
Patrick Peters
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
A significant influence on Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch, this grueling pile driver of a movie will keep you on the edge of your seat.
March 1, 2007
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Clouzot makes the most of the suspense inherent in such a tale, you can be sure, but his attitude is hopeless from the start and a sense of doom hangs over the film from the very beginning, long before the terrible end.
June 7, 2022
Herman G. Weinberg
Film Culture
The brutal narrative cynicism and political commentary in The Wages of Fear indicate the unflinching nature of its maker.
March 21, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
…the greatest thriller to ever turn a moviegoer’s knuckles white.
August 10, 2020
Chris Barsanti
Eyes Wide Open
The Wages of Fear will keep you tipped forward on the edge of your seat, your palms sweaty and your heart thumping wildly.
July 16, 2019
Hoshi Soffen
Shin Nichibei/New Japanese American News
A masterpiece of cruel suspense.
May 31, 2018
Richard von Busack
MetroActive
The actual driving scenes are full of suspense and bit of humour. You can tell Clouzot has fun putting the viewer in a false sense of security.
March 15, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Stephan Boissonneault
Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Alberta)…
Plot
In the Central American jungle supplies of nitroglycerin are needed at a remote oil field. The oil company pays four men to deliver the supplies in two trucks. A tense rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers and on the rough remote roads the slightest jolt can result in death.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
NA
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