Le Salaire de la Peur

Wow, I am still kind of reeling from the experience of watching this movie. It was extraordinary, and quite unlike any other other movie I’ve seen.

It opens in a South American town, a filthy place, children begging for money and poverty everywhere. It’s hot, and dirty. A lot of time is spent setting the scene, introducing us to the characters. There are plenty of vagabonds in this town, you see. There are no jobs, and without money, people can’t afford to leave.

One such vagabond is Mario (Yves Montand), a Frenchman stranded in this awful place. He wants out. There is also an older gentleman called Jo (Charles Vanel), and I’m not quite sure what he’s doing there to be honest. There are many others of varying nationalities, and all they want is a chance to make enough money to pay for airfare out of there.

And suddenly, there is a job. But not just any job — the Southern Oil Company is offering $2,000 each for four men to drive two trucks loaded with nitroglycerin to a remote oil field. Many men apply, but only four get the job: Mario and Jo drive one truck, a baker called Luigi (Folco Lulli, Mario’s roommate, as far as I could gather) and a Dutch man called Bimba (Peter van Eyck) drive the other. Problem is, the trucks aren’t safe, and even the slightest bump in the road could mean the end for all of them.

I love the setup for this movie. We get time to get to know everyone, and then get thrown right into the action. This is man against nature, right here. Or perhaps man against himself. It’s macho and it’s brutal and their lives depend on their success. Who will break under pressure? Who is most manly? Remember, one mistake and you’re dead.

This creates a magnificent atmosphere, a feeling of impending doom. And it’s absolutely thrilling and terrifying to watch. I was at the edge of my seat during their entire journey. You can really feel the desperation, the building tension, the cruelty of their situation.

Clouzot’s direction is brilliant, the way he focuses on the little details, like the tires of the car or the snapping of a cable. But it never gets in the way, it never draws attention to itself.

The acting is mostly good throughout. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Mario and Jo, and both are strong performances. I didn’t much like the performance of Véra Clouzot (wife of the director) who plays Linda. I found her completely annoying, and I felt she added little value to the movie (except perhaps to counter all the machoism).

This movie is a masterpiece, plain and simple. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favour and rent it as soon as possible. The ending alone is worth your time.

Wow.