Link: The Wages Of Fear
Summary: Four men accept the deadly job of driving two trucks of explosive nitroglycerin over dangerous roads.
Thoughts: While the first half of this film was a bit slow, when they actually start driving the trucks, things get as tense as things can get in a film. It was surprisingly suspenseful for a movie about driving trucks, and I was on the edge of my seat as they worked through some very close calls. And, oh yes, not all of them make it, so the threat of death is real. It was like watching those TV shows about truckers driving up dangerous mountainsides. This sort of stuff terrifies me. The editing and use of sound during the suspense scenes was masterful, better than Hitchcock (though Hitchcock’s brand of suspense was more character-driven, whereas this suspense is more situation-driven). Great film. My biggest critique would be that the end was ridiculous. I’m not sure what they were going for with that ending, but after being on edge throughout much of the film, that sort of ending comes off as a ridiculous joke. Maybe that’s what they were going for.