

The Wages of Fear
‘Dynamic’ ‘Tremendous’ ‘Shattering’
In a run-down South American town, four men are paid to drive trucks loaded with nitroglycerin into the jungle through to the oil field. Friendships are tested and rivalries develop as they embark upon the perilous journey.
TMDB
8.0/10
1,144 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- French
- petrol
- fire
- life and death
- based on novel or book
- unsociability
- central and south america
- capitalism
- venezuela
- tanker
- dynamite
- male friendship
- nitroglycerin
Top billed cast












Behind the camera
Director
Music
Produced in
France, Italy
Gallery












Videos
Release dates
IndiaIN
- Theatrical23 Sept 1955
United StatesUS
- TheatricalPG-1316 Feb 1955
- PhysicalDVD2 Feb 1999
- PhysicalDVD25 Oct 2005
- PhysicalBlu-ray21 Apr 2009
- Digital / OTT24 Nov 2015
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical12A9 Feb 1954
- PhysicalPGDual Format DVD / Blu-ray19 Jun 2017
- PhysicalBlu-ray23 Oct 2017
- PhysicalBlu-ray(4K)19 Feb 2024
United Arab EmiratesAE
- PhysicalDVD23 Oct 2017
AustraliaAU
- TheatricalPG1 Nov 1977
- Theatricalre-release23 Oct 1992
- PhysicalDVD9 Jul 2003
CanadaCA
- Physical14A Blu-ray21 Apr 2009
ArgentinaAR
- Theatrical9 Mar 1955
- Theatricalre-release24 Aug 1960
- Theatricalre-release13 Jan 1972
AustriaAT
- Theatrical1 Feb 1954
BelgiumBE
- Theatrical21 Aug 1964
BrazilBR
- Physical16DVD1 Jan 2000
- Theatricalre-release19 Oct 2019
ChinaCN
- PremiereBeijing International Film Festival (4K restored version)17 Sept 2021
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical15 Feb 1954
Frequently asked questions
The Wages of Fear was released on 22 April 1953.
Audience reviews
2- J8/10
James
11/9/2023
It’s always my honour to write the first review for a film, especially ones like this. It, however, upsets me that not many have seen this magnificent and harrowing masterpiece.
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
2/9/2024
Four men are stranded in, quite literally, a dead end town with no money to get out. All they do each day is kill time, drink and get gradually more disillusioned. Then their luck changes. Or does it? A major fire breaks out at a nearby oil drilling facility and the manager needs a brave/foolhardy gang to drive two truckloads of ultra-sensitive nitro-glycerin along some poorly maintained roads and across some treache…
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