The setting is a dead end South American village in the middle of nowhere. Its only distinguishing feature being an American oilfield some distance away from the village. But then an accident causes a fire to spread into the oil and the only way to stop it is to literally blow it out. With nitroglycerin. The only problem being that they don't have the safety equipment needed to transport the nitro from the village. But "luckily" such villages have no shortage of men at the end of their ropes, willing to do anything for a final paycheck.
And that's essentially The Wages of Fear in a nutshell. It's about human desperation and about ever-mounting stakes as the tension keeps rising and rising. Every little tremor or stone on the road could send all four men into the sky in a fiery explosion of primordial forces. And even though you're safely hunkered on your coach, behind the reality line of a TV screen, you can't help but sweat in anguish alongside these men. The film is that well shot.
That being said, it takes its sweet time getting there. The first portion of the film is spent getting to know the village and these four wretched souls. And while they are interesting personalities, played by talented actors, it still drags quite a bit. And that's partly because at that point you don't have much of an idea where the film is going. Most of the loose threads get tied up towards the end, but a good half of the film is a jumbled mess.
But that other part where they're actually transporting the explosives is so good that it more than makes up for the weaker first half. Recommended for all fans of intense.
And that's essentially The Wages of Fear in a nutshell. It's about human desperation and about ever-mounting stakes as the tension keeps rising and rising. Every little tremor or stone on the road could send all four men into the sky in a fiery explosion of primordial forces. And even though you're safely hunkered on your coach, behind the reality line of a TV screen, you can't help but sweat in anguish alongside these men. The film is that well shot.
That being said, it takes its sweet time getting there. The first portion of the film is spent getting to know the village and these four wretched souls. And while they are interesting personalities, played by talented actors, it still drags quite a bit. And that's partly because at that point you don't have much of an idea where the film is going. Most of the loose threads get tied up towards the end, but a good half of the film is a jumbled mess.
But that other part where they're actually transporting the explosives is so good that it more than makes up for the weaker first half. Recommended for all fans of intense.