Four men end up as drivers transporting unstable dynamite through the jungles of South America in two ramshackle trucks. A mob had set fire to the oil wells and the boss needs the dynamite transported over 200 miles. Nilo (Francisco Rabal) is a killer from Vera Cruz, Mexico. Kassem (Amidou) is an Arab terrorists on the run after setting a bomb off in Jerusalem. Victor Manzon (Bruno Cremer) is a Frenchman accused of fraud. Jackie Scanlon (Roy Scheider) is the getaway driver of a gang that wounded a priest that turned out to be the brother of a mafia leader. Just before departing, the Jewish Nilo kills driver Marquez who is presumably a Nazi and they take Nilo on as the replacement.
Director William Friedkin remakes, reinterprets, reimagines, or re-whatevers the classic 'The Wages of Fear'. IMO it starts off badly and slowly trying to show the four vignettes of the four men. Simple flashbacks or just talking about their past would be more compelling. The four vignettes confuse matters and takes away the pacing from the opening act. Opening a month after 'Star Wars' didn't help matters either. Also the title is all wrong with people expecting something like 'The Exorcist'. Even the trailer seems to suggest a supernatural theme to the movie. This is more like a foreign language art film that turns into a big action thriller in the second half. It is also one of the first sacrificial lamb to the era of the Hollywood blockbusters. The movie gets more interesting about 30 to 45 minutes in. It is a big production and Friedkin knows how to build tension. The drive over the bridge is insane. The location is muddy and grimy. It's sort of a drive into the heart of darkness.
Director William Friedkin remakes, reinterprets, reimagines, or re-whatevers the classic 'The Wages of Fear'. IMO it starts off badly and slowly trying to show the four vignettes of the four men. Simple flashbacks or just talking about their past would be more compelling. The four vignettes confuse matters and takes away the pacing from the opening act. Opening a month after 'Star Wars' didn't help matters either. Also the title is all wrong with people expecting something like 'The Exorcist'. Even the trailer seems to suggest a supernatural theme to the movie. This is more like a foreign language art film that turns into a big action thriller in the second half. It is also one of the first sacrificial lamb to the era of the Hollywood blockbusters. The movie gets more interesting about 30 to 45 minutes in. It is a big production and Friedkin knows how to build tension. The drive over the bridge is insane. The location is muddy and grimy. It's sort of a drive into the heart of darkness.