The movie “Wages of fear” analysis

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Introduction

The movie “Wages of fear” revolves around four individuals who are stranded in a poverty-ridden town, in a nameless country of Latin America. These four individuals, Jo, Mario, Bimba and Luigi are offered generous amounts of money to carry out a dangerous job. One of the Southern oil Company’s oil field has caught a massive fire, which can only be extinguished using nitroglycerine. In essence, the four individuals are supposed to drive nitroglycerine in two rickety trucks across 300 miles of the treacherous and mountainous country. Jo and Mario ride in the same truck while the other two ride in another. If they come out of the adventure alive, they would be awarded a check of $2000 each. As much as there are various odd against them, their rivalries limit their chances of succeeding even further. Initially, Jo had not been selected but is chosen to replace Smerloff, one of the chosen drivers who does not appear on the appointed date. The other drivers, however, suspect that Jo murdered Smerloff. Separated by 30 minutes, so as to limit casualties, the two trucks head to the oil fields. The drivers have to deal with numerous mental and physical obstacles. Finally, the truck carrying Bimba and Luigi explodes and kills them. Jo and Mario arrive at the place where the truck has exploded, only to find an enormous crater that is filling up with oil coming from a pipeline that has been severed by the blast. Jo exits the vehicle to assist Mario navigate the vehicle via the crater, only to be run over by Mario. Nevertheless, the vehicle ultimately reaches the oil fields, and the two individuals are hailed as heroes. However, Jo dies from the wounds that he got from the accident. Mario collects double the amount he was entitled to and heads back home in the same truck he was driving, from which the dangerous cargo has been offloaded. He refuses the company’s offer and heads to his hometown, where his friends are eagerly awaiting him. However, his reckless driving leads him to take a corner too fast, only to plunge to his death.

Like all French movies, Wages of Fear does not disappoint as far as incorporating a subtext is concerned. It comes with an existential viewpoint in which Fate is seen as a Joker, while death is seen as a force that has no respect for bravery, health, nor morality. It hangs over the heads of the four protagonists in the entire film. The notion that one can only cheat the grim reaper so many times before picking the gauntlet is cemented in the final scene when Mario dies after picking his check, an in a familiar road.

As much as the setup seems to run too long, it comes off as crucial for understanding the string of adventures to action pieces. It is, obviously, impossible to understand the relative positions of Mario and Jo without the foundation or basis of their relationship. Throughout the movie, it seems that Clouzot, the movie director, does not invite the viewers to sympathize with the characters. After all, they are laying down their lives for money, in which case they are courageous for inappropriate reasons. In essence, one could argue that the movie build on the premise that wagering one’s life for money is not only dishonorable but can only be repaid by death especially when the primary motivator is death.