Summary
It’s full speed ahead in this thrilling action film. A worthy remake with its own flair.
The Wages of Fear (2024) is a Netflix remake of the 1950s French action classic, with a story surrounding a team of four hired to drive trucks laden with nitroglycerine through the mountains as part of an operation to extinguish an oil well fire. The original is regarded as one of the most suspenseful action-thrillers ever. Does this redo hold up?
The plot is a classic (and basic) 24-hour “countdown to disaster”, bringing intensity and drama. What will appeal to modern audiences is that we’ve come a long way with CGI and stunts, which provide more action to this movie.
After an oil well catches fire in the middle of the desert it becomes a direct threat to the population. The oil well must be detonated with nitroglycerin within 24 hours. Enter our maverick heroes, who then take on the task of driving 800km away to transport 200kg of explosives in two trucks. It’s no easy task as we watch our team take on armed rebels, drive through rough terrain, and cross minefields.
The Wages of Fear
Many who know the original film will notice the many changes that work to make this film different, allowing director Julien Leclercq to add his own flair. First of all, the location — The Wages of Fear was filmed in Marrakech — and more importantly, it’s not a team of four down-on-their-luck men this time, since there are women in this modern team. This makes the film more current and will appeal to more than just your average action-blokey audience.
I enjoyed the female characters (being a female myself), and the romantic aspects in the film do not take away from the plot, but give it a bit of spice. Who doesn’t love a bit of boobage on screen? Sex sells, after all.
The acting is to a good standard. In an action film like this, I don’t expect Oscar-level performances, but I expect to be drawn in enough to make the extreme situations believable, and The Wages of Fear performances do that well.
And the extreme situations are constant, which drives the film and it does well to maintain its strong, fast pace. There are some thrilling vehicle sequences and some sections that will have your heart racing.
A question many might have is whether this film is better than the original, but I wouldn’t go into it thinking you’re getting a carbon copy or an updated version. Hamid Hlioua and Julien Leclercq have added and adapted pieces that give it a modern flare. With advances in CGI, this remake offers a different experience than the first. If you’re against remakes, take it as a brand-new film, and you’ll probably enjoy it.
You can read more about the ending of The Wages of Fear (2024) in our detailed breakdown, and also check out some movies like The Wages of Fear that you might also like.
